Address for Success
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If you have large mailings, Mail Services can address, sort, and bundle your mail to ensure the lowest possible mailing costs. It is important to format your mailing list correctly because improperly addressed mail is diverted for manual handling, which is slower and more costly than automated processing. When we receive your list, it is run through a software program that checks it against a U.S. Postal Service database containing a validated deliverable address in the United States. It will kick out problem addesses so your list can be corrected for cost-efficient automated processing before the actual mailing.
Format and Fields
Lists should be limited to 8 specific fields. Most addresses require less than 8 fields since not all require a company name or two address lines. Order is important. The recipient’s name comes first. If necessary, please format as follows:
Title (up to 45 characters)
Company (up to 45 characters)
Address line 1 (up to 45 characters)
Address line 2 (up to 45 characters)
City (up to 20 characters) State (2 characters) Zip (up to 9 characters)
All Caps Flush Left No Punctuation
Format all address lines with a uniform left margin. Use all uppercase (CAPITAL) letters and no punctuation, as in the example:
123 LONGHORN ST
AUSTIN TX 78722
What are Secondary Unit Designators?
Secondary address unit designators are words such as apartment, suite, room, etc. that are the secondary part of a delivery address line that help facilitate delivery. A street name, such as Congress Avenue, Comal Street, etc. is the primary part of the delivery address line. The most common designators are:
| Apartment | APT |
| Building | BLDG |
| Floor | FL |
| Suite | STE |
| Unit | UNIT |
| Room | RM |
| Department | DEPT |
Where should Secondary Unit Designators be placed?
Secondary address unit designators should be placed at the end of the delivery address line. The pound sign (#) should not be used as a secondary unit designator if the correct designation, such as APT or STE, is known.
102 MAIN ST APT 101
1356 EXECUTIVE DR STE 202
1600 CAPITAL COMPLEX BLDG 14
55 SYLVAN BLVD RM 108
Directional Abbreviations
“Directional” is a term the U.S. Postal Service uses to refer to the part of the address that gives directional information for delivery (i.e., North, South, etc.). They should be abbreviated if they are one of the eight standard directionals of N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, or SW.
678 MAIN DR S
101 N BAY DR
599 BAY BLVD SW
Rural Route Addressing
Print rural route addresses on mail pieces as: RR (X) BOX (XX). Do not use the words RURAL, NUMBER, NO., RFD, RD, or the pound sign (#). The following examples are of what to do and what not to do when writing rural route addresses.
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
|
RFD ROUTE 4 # 87A RURAL ROUTE 4 BOX 87A RFD #4 BOX 87A |
RR4 BOX 87A |
Dual Addresses
Eliminate dual addresses on the mail piece if possible. However, if you are using both the mailing and physical addresses, place the intended delivery address on the line immediately above the city, state, and ZIP+4 code. This is normally the Post Office Box address. The other address must be placed on a separate line above the delivery address line.
| Acceptable | Preferred |
|---|---|
|
LARRY LONGHORN PO BOX 6690 COMMUNICATIONS BLDG AUSTIN TX 78722 |
LARRY LONGHORN MAIL SERVICES PO BOX 6690 AUSTIN TX 78722 |
Higher Education Addresses
Higher education addresses present a potential problem in that automated processing will not accept just a building name without a street or PO Box designation. Note that any address must be a deliverable address as defined by the U. S. Post Office. In academia, a problem will arise if the address contains only a building name and room number.
| Acceptable | Preferred |
|---|---|
|
LARRY LONGHORN CIV Eng. Dept. 301 East Dean Keeton AUSTIN TX 78712 |
LARRY LONGHORN The University of Texas at Austin 1 University Station C1700 AUSTIN TX 78712 |
International Addresses
The bottom line of international addresses should show only the name of the country, written in full (no abbreviations) and in capital letters.
HARTMANNSTRASE 7
5300 BONN 1
GERMANY
Submitting lists to Mail Services?
Mailing lists can be submitted to Mail Services by e-mail, CDs or zip disks, or flash drive. When submitting mail lists, be sure to indicate what mail piece the list is for and include a department name, account number and contact name in case there are questions. Lists submitted as Excel files are preferred but some other programs can be used as well. If you need to use a program other than Excel, we strongly suggest you call the Mail Center and discuss the possible alternatives.
For More Information!
The preceding covers only the most important issues on the subject of proper addressing procedures for efficient automated mail processing. Unusual addresses can generate many more questions about proper addressing procedures. If other questions arise when compiling your mailing list, please contact us for clarification.
See the United States Postal Service Postal Explorer for additional information.
