How to write an address
Some of you may remember, somewhere between the Dark Ages and the Pony Express, that writing an address was simple. You didn’t even need to keep an address book. As long as you knew the city and state you were fine. It looked something like this:
Mrs. Marvin Adams
San Angelo
Texas
That was it. No 10-digit zip codes. No street addresses (except in big cities). No two-letter state abbreviations. In fact, if the addressee lived in the same city as the sender, you could eliminate the city and state names and simply write the street address with “City” on the following line.
Now we’re in the age of modern conveniences. Now everything has a number or a code. Now it’s absolutely necessary to have an address book—or a database. It’s up to you to keep up with your correspondents’ addresses. But it you want to keep the postal workers happy, you’ll have to learn how to write an address correctly. (And everybody knows we must keep postal workers happy.)
US Postal Service regulations
The USPS regulations are designed to make addresses readable by OCR (optical character reader) machines. Addresses that conform to the regulations will ensure that the letter arrives at its destination more quickly. Those that cannot be machine read are processed by real people. Those that cannot be read by people will end up in the dead letter office.
The required format is to arrange the address in 3-4 lines parallel with the long edge of the envelope. The address goes on the same side as the postage, which is placed in the upper right-hand corner. The return address may be placed on the upper left corner, or alternatively on the back flap.
Address information proceeds from “small” to “big.” So the name of the person receiving the mail must be first. The name is followed on a separate line by the street address and apartment number or mail box number, if any. The final line should have city, state, and zip code. OCR machines read from the bottom up, so do not place any text below the address itself.
If you have more than three lines, there is a specific placement for the overflow. Apartment or post office box numbers should be on the line above the street address. If the zip code will not fit, it should be placed on a line by itself at the bottom.
Abbreviations
Use of abbreviations varies depending on whether you are following postal regulations or rules of formal etiquette. The USPS recommends two-letter abbreviations for states. Abbreviations are also used for directional indicators (north, south, etc.) and the type of street—avenue, drive, etc.
However, when sending formal invitations or announcements, write out every word in full, except for courtesy titles such as Mr., Dr., and Rev. To avoid confusion, write out names of foreign countries in full.
Everyday letters
When writing informal letters to friends and relatives (if you are one of the few people who still does that) include all the pertinent information in the correct places. You don’t have to worry about using titles or how to arrange the names. Just make sure all the information is correct and placed from smallest to biggest. Formal correspondence requires a bit more attention.
Formal invitations & announcements
When sending invitations to a wedding or other event, there is a particular etiquette that applies. Same applies when announcing an engagement, a graduation, or a birth. While many modern couples have abandoned the formal trappings of traditional weddings, many recipients have not.
Specific rules of etiquette govern whose name goes first, how to write out each person’s name, and how to decide which courtesy titles to use, if any. Consult a book or website dedicated to wedding etiquette for specific rules.
Business mail
The USPS prefers everything to be written in capital letters with no punctuation. Use block style (all lines are aligned left). Many businesses set up their databases accordingly. However, if you are addressing an envelope to go with a specific letter, your software may allow you to print the same address on the envelope as you used for the inside address. Don’t worry, the post office equipment is set up to read this format.
The main thing to remember is that you should not use an “Attention” line at the bottom left of the envelope. This needs to be at the top of the address block. If your software will include the bar code, it may be placed above or below the complete address.
Address labels
Set up a template for your address labels and you’ll save time and hassle later on. Choose the font style, size, and alignment that conform to your purpose.
Shaping up your database
Adapting your database to address letters properly may be the biggest challenge. Merging a list of names to address labels or form letters require a certain shorthand. Courtesy titles are often omitted to avoid frustrating your software. Unmarried people living together or married couples with separate last names complicate the process.
While these solutions are beyond the scope of this article, it is wise to be aware of the quirks before planning a database that will include mailing as one of its functions. Some databases for bulk mailings can also be linked with USPS data with the capability of verifying addresses.
The bottom line
The bottom line is that you want your message to get to the receiver as quickly as possible without offending him, her, or them. To make sure it’s received, you’ll have to follow the postal service’s requirements. In order to avoid offending anyone—well, you’ll have to adapt the rules of etiquette to fit each individual situation.
Writing an address is not as simple and straightforward as it might seem. Learn how to write an address and you will have success in a dying art form.
