Office of Web Services

Addressing Standards

Approximately 40 percent of the University's presort mail is not readable on mailing equipment, resulting in lost savings and slower processing. We strongly urge you to follow the below guidelines for faster, more efficient processing of your outgoing U.S. mail. 

U.S. Postal Service Addressing Standards

You will get the best possible service if you:

  • Type or machine print all address information.
  • Ensure address characters don't touch or overlap.
  • Print black ink on white background if possible.
  • Maintain a uniform left margin.
  • Make sure print is clear and sharp.
  • CAPITALIZE EVERYTHING IN THE ADDRESS.
  • Omit all punctuation (except the hyphen between zip code and + 4).
  • Include floor, suite and apartment numbers whenever possible.
  • Put the city, state and zip code in that order on the last line. If there's not enough room, put the zip code on the bottom line.
  • Make sure the place where you want the mail delivered appears on the line immediately above the city, state and zip code line.
  • Use standard two-letter state abbreviations.
  • When using window envelopes, make sure the complete address is always visible, even when the insert moves.
  • Leave one or two spaces between words and between the state abbreviation and zip code.

Address Placement on Envelopes Address Placement for Envelopes with address area, barcode read area and lable placement

  • Address Area. The complete address should be located within this white area (no return address information). Extraneous (non-address) printing or markings should appear as high on the mail piece and as far away from the address as possible.

  • Barcode Read Area. Please make sure that this area remains clear of all printing. It is reserved for the bar code that will be printed by the Optical Character Reader (OCR).

  • Labels. Labels for use on parcels, packages or large envelopes must be addressed according to the recommended format above. Labels must be applied parallel to the bottom edge of the envelope to be processed by the USPS on automation equipment.