Clear addresses speed up delivery.
If you've ever seen a letter carrier turning a package round and round, you'll know that the sender wrote the address in letters too small to be seen with the naked eye, or used the finest-nibbed pen possible, or wrote it in completely the wrong place on the package. When the letter carrier is searching that parcel in the back of a dark mail van on a winter's evening, he's in even more trouble. Put yourself in his shoes and make those addresses clear and legible.
Instructions
1. The U.S. Postal Service suggests that you use a marker pen to write the address so that it can be read at arm's length. Black ink is best to make it stand out. Alternatively, use a large self-adhesive label or a white sheet of paper. Write or print the address on the white paper and adhere it to the package with tape, or print out the address in a large font on a sticky label.
2. Write or attach the address label in the center of the largest surface area of the package, in bold, capital letters. Your beautiful handwriting might be clear to you, but it can be illegible to postal workers.
3. Write each part of the address on a separate line, and ensure that the ZIP code is included. If you use the figures 1 or 7, make sure they are easily identifiable. The USPS advises that you should not use a comma at the end of a line, or a period at the end of the address.
4. Write the recipient's address on both sides of the package to help the letter carrier.
5. Print your own name and return address in smaller letters, or on a small label clearly marked "Sender." Put this in the top left hand corner of the package, above the address. If the package is undeliverable this will ensure that it comes back to you.
6. Print the name of the country in full, not abbreviated, on the last line of the address if the package is going overseas. Complete and attach a customs declaration form. Customs laws differ from country to country, so check the guidelines for the recipient's country as well as for your own country.
