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Addressing Help

In this electronic age we often take for granted the intricacies required when addressing mail. Below are some helpful tips from the US Postal Service for addressing your mailpieces to ensure quick and accurate delivery.

The delivery address is the most important information on your mailpiece. Use the following format for your delivery addresses:

unk

Name or attention line: SALLY SPARROW
Company: SPARROW & NIGHTINGALE
Delivery address: 123 WESTERDRUMLIN AVE
City, state, ZIP Code: ALLENTOWN PA 18104

unknown

unknown

Automated mail processing machines read addresses on mailpieces from the bottom up and will first look for a city, state, and ZIP Code. Then the machines look for a delivery address. If the machines can’t find either line, then your mailpiece could be delayed or misrouted. Any information below the delivery address line (a logo, a slogan, or an attention line) could confuse the machines and misdirect your mail.

Use the following guidelines:

• On a letter, the address should be parallel to the longest side.
• All capital letters.
• No punctuation.
• At least 10-point type.
• One space between city and state.
• Two spaces between state and ZIP Code.
• Simple type fonts.
• Left justified.
• Black ink on white or light paper.
• No reverse type (white printing on a black background).
• If your address appears inside a window, make sure there is at least 1/8-inch clearance around the address. Sometimes parts of the address slip out of view behind the window and mail processing machines can’t read the address.
• If you are using address labels, make sure you don’t cut off any important information. Also make sure your labels are on straight. Mail processing machines have trouble reading crooked or slanted information

Additional Tips:

--Always put the attention line on top -- never below the city and state or in the bottom corner of your mailpiece.

--If you can’t fit the suite or apartment number on the same line as the delivery address, put it on the line ABOVE the delivery address, NOT on the line below.

--Words like “east” and “west” are called directionals and they are VERY important. A missing or a bad directional can prevent your mail from being delivered correctly.

--When a First-Class Mail letter is square, rigid or meets one or more of the nonmachinable characteristics it will be subject to a nonmachinable surcharge.

--Fancy type fonts such as those used on wedding invitations do not read well on mail processing equipment. Fancy fonts look great on your envelopes, but also may slow down your mail.

--Use common sense. If you can’t read the address, then automated mail processing equipment can’t read the address.

--Some types of paper interfere with the machines that read addresses. Paper that is flecked, glossy or coated can often cause the piece to become "unmachineable" and slow down delivery time.

Contact

WOU Mail Services (503) 838-8383 | or e-mail: balesa@wou.edu