Letterhead First Page Only Word: How the "Different First Page" Setting Works
Most Word users know letterhead artwork belongs in the header. Fewer know that a single checkbox controls whether that artwork stays on page one or bleeds onto every page that follows. If your letterhead keeps repeating, that checkbox is almost certainly the problem. Here is exactly what is happening and how to fix it.
Why Your Letterhead Keeps Repeating on Every Page
Word treats headers and footers as document-wide by default. Whatever you place in the header on page one gets stamped on page two, page three, and every page after that. For page numbers or a running firm name, that is usually what you want. For a full letterhead with a logo, address block, and decorative artwork, it is not.
The result is a letter that looks like every page is the first page. Printed, it wastes expensive branded stock. Sent as a PDF, it looks like a formatting error. The fix is not to delete the header content on page two manually, because Word will just bring it back the next time someone edits the document.
The Setting That Controls It: Different First Page
Word has a built-in switch called Different First Page. When it is on, Word maintains two separate header and footer zones: one for page one, and one for all pages that follow. Content you put in the page-one header stays only on page one. The continuation header is empty by default, which is exactly what you want for a letterhead.
This is not a workaround. It is the intended mechanism for this exact situation. The setting exists in every version of Word from 2007 onward, including Word for Microsoft 365.
How to Turn On Different First Page (Step by Step)
- Open your Word document.
- Double-click anywhere in the header area at the top of the page. This puts Word into header-editing mode.
- On the ribbon, the Header & Footer tab appears (sometimes called Header & Footer Tools > Design in older versions).
- Check the box labeled Different First Page.
- Click into the page-one header and place your letterhead artwork there.
- Click into the page-two header (Word labels it "Header" without any "First Page" label). Make sure it is empty.
- Double-click the body of the document to exit header-editing mode.
Now page one carries the artwork and every continuation page is clean. If you also use a footer for a registered address or page numbers, the same Different First Page logic applies to footers independently.
For margin behavior that keeps artwork from getting clipped at the printer, see Word Page Margins for Letterhead: Stop Printer Clipping.
The Mistakes That Make the Fix Fail
Checking the box but not cleaning up the continuation header. Turning on Different First Page does not automatically clear content that was already sitting in the shared header. Go to page two's header and delete anything that should not be there.
Working in a .docx file instead of a template. A regular .docx does not protect the header from accidental edits. The next person to open the file can double-click into the header, move the artwork, and save over it. The setting holds, but the content does not.
Section breaks resetting the setting. If your document uses section breaks, each section has its own header settings. A section break that does not inherit the first section's settings will turn Different First Page back off silently. Check every section if the artwork reappears mid-document.
Inserting a picture directly into the header at the wrong anchor point. Images dropped into headers need their text-wrapping set correctly or they drift when the document is printed or converted to PDF. Behind text or In line with text are the two settings that behave predictably.
Why a Proper .dotx Template Solves This by Default
A correctly built Word template (.dotx file) bakes Different First Page into the file before anyone types a word. The letterhead artwork sits in the page-one header, the continuation header is empty, margins are set, and body styles are defined. Every letter someone writes from that template starts correct without them touching a single header setting.
This is what Letterhead Lab builds. The artwork from your existing letterhead gets placed in the Word header, Different First Page is on, and the body of the document is left clean for typing. Nobody on your team has to know what a header zone is. For a deeper look at why the file type matters here, read dotx Letterhead Template: Why the File Type Is the Fix.
If you are managing this across an office, Deploy a .dotx Letterhead Template Across Your Office covers distribution without the chaos.
When Your Letterhead Is a PDF, Not a Word File
A PDF letterhead cannot use Different First Page because it is not a Word file at all. You cannot double-click into its header, check a box, or type a letter body underneath it. The PDF is a fixed image of a design, not an editable document structure.
The path forward is converting the PDF into a proper Word template, so the artwork lives in the header zone where Different First Page can do its job. If your designer handed you a PDF and you are not sure what to do next, Designer Gave Me a PDF Letterhead, Now What? explains the options clearly.
Letterhead Lab's PDF to .dotx template tool handles that conversion without uploading your file to any server. The artwork is lifted from the PDF, placed in the Word header, Different First Page is set, and the result is a .dotx template ready to use. A single-page conversion is $39. A multi-page bundle covering up to 10 pages is $79. You can preview the result before paying anything.