Outgoing U.S. Mail: Address Requirements

 

In order to receive full presort discounts and to process through the presort vendor's optical character readers (OCR), outgoing mail must be addressed according to the following rules:

  1. Machine printed or typewritten (no script)

  2. Use ALL CAPITAL LETTERS

  3. No punctuation marks, i.e., periods, commas (use one or two spaces instead)

  4. Uniformly aligned on the left margin

  5. Preferably in black ink on a white background

  6. Clear and sharp without touching or overlapping characters

  7. Parallel to bottom edge of envelope-not slanted

If your mail is not readable by the automated equipment, it must be worked by hand, which reduces the presort discount and slows the delivery process. Therefore, I strongly urge you and your staff to follow the above rules. Thank you for your help and assistance in meeting this requirement. If you have any questions or need additional information please call Charlene Anderson at 503-581-8600 (2221 on campus).

ITEM

DO

DON'T

Font Style

Use  Arial, Elite, Helvetica, Univers, etc.

Do not use fonts like Century Schoolbook (T), Courier (T), Times Roman, etc.

Font Size

Use 10 to 12

Do not use fonts smaller than 10, i.e., 6 count; 8 count

Spacing

Make sure lines or letters do not touch, use proportional or evenly spaced lettering.

Do not use font styles defined as bold, extended or condensed.

Letter Case and Punctuation

Use all capital letters with no punctuation, i.e.,

 MR WILLIAM SMITH 
 235 N SUNSET AVE
 CHAPEL HILL NC 27514-1234

Do not use upper and lower case and punctuation, i.e.:
  Mr. William Smith
  235 N. Sunset Ave.
  Chapel Hill, NC 27514-1234

Proper format for last two lines of address

 MR HARRY FELDMAN VP
 ACME INSURANCE AGENCY  265 N SUNSET AVE STE 101
 CHAPEL HILL NC 27514-1234

 MR HARRY FELDMAN VP
 ACME INSURANCE AGENCY
 235 N SUNSET AVE STE 101
 CHAPEL HILL NC 27514-1234
 Attn: Accounts Receivable

Be sure address is accurate and complete

 ACME INSURANCE AGENCY
 235 N SUNSET AVE STE 101
 CHAPEL HILL NC 27514-1234

 ACME INSURANCE
 235 SUNSET
 CHAPEL HILL NC

Return Address Information

Place in the top left 1/3 of the envelope covering no more than 1/3 of height or 1/2 the length of the envelope

If return address exceeds these boundaries, the OCR may lock on to it and print bar-code for it instead of correct address