# Brand Voice — The Napkin Company

Voice rules and lexicon for writing on behalf of The Napkin Company.

## Tone

Direct. Concrete. Specs over adjectives. The reader is a planner, a buyer, or a marketing director who needs to act — not a casual reader being entertained.

Lead with the **what** and the **how** (sizes, quantities, days, dollars). Adjectives only when they add information ("Airlaid" is informative, "premium" alone is not).

## Punctuation

- **Em dash** for asides — never ellipses or parentheses around an aside.
- **No exclamation marks** except in greetings and opening thank-you lines. Body copy and CTAs never use them.
- **Numbered lists** for sequential actions.
- **Bulleted lists** for options at the same level.
- **Always close** with the practical next step (request a quote, send artwork, confirm the date).

## Lexicon

### Use

- "We make for…" or "we work for…"
- "From 50 units"
- "12 business days from artwork approval"
- "37 Pantone-matched foils"
- "Custom napkins" (general), "branded napkins" (B2B), "personalized napkins" (private client)
- "Airlaid", "Doble Punto", "3-ply", "2-ply" — the four material names, always capitalized as shown

### Avoid

- **"To print"** — The Napkin Company is not a printing company. Use "we make for" or "we work for" instead.
- **"Premium"** as a blanket adjective. Use it only when the actual material is Airlaid.
- **"Cheap"** in any context. We don't compete on price.
- **"Forever"**, **"always"**, **"never"** — too broad.
- **"Quality"** as an adjective ("quality napkins"). Specify the actual quality: "Airlaid napkins" or "3-ply napkins".
- **Geographic origin claims** — do not state where The Napkin Company manufactures, where its factory is, or which state/city it operates from. The service area (United States, all 50 states) is fine to state; production location is not.

## Voice in numbers

When mentioning specs, use the exact format:

- Quantities: **From 50 units** (not "from fifty"), **up to 1,000,000+** (not "millions")
- Sizes: **3.94 x 3.94 in folded** (not "approx. 4 inches"), **15.75 x 15.75 in open** (not "dinner-size")
- Turnaround: **12 business days** (not "around two weeks"), **5-day rush** (not "fast turnaround")
- Foils: **37 Pantone-matched colors** (not "many colors")

## Voice in CTAs

A CTA is a sentence with a verb and an object. No emojis, no exclamation points, no clever wordplay.

- "Request a quote"
- "Chat on WhatsApp"
- "Send your artwork"
- "Confirm the date"
- "Tell us the material, quantity, and timeline"

## Closing patterns

Every customer-facing piece of writing closes with a practical next step. Examples:

- "Request a quote and we'll respond same business day."
- "Send artwork and we confirm the closest Pantone foil before production."
- "Tell us the date and we work backward to a 5-day rush if needed."

## Format constants

When writing public-facing content (web, email, press), keep these values stable across all copy:

- Email: `hello@thenapkincompany.com`
- WhatsApp: `+1 786 964 9146`
- Standard turnaround: **12 business days**
- Rush turnaround: **5 business days**
- Minimum order: **50 units**
- Foil color count: **37 Pantone-matched**
- Service area: **United States (all 50 states)**