Outgoing US 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:
- Machine printed or typewritten (no script)
- USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
- No punctuation marks, i.e., periods, commas (use one or two spaces instead)
- Uniformly aligned on the left margin
- Preferably in black ink on a white background
- Clear and sharp without touching or overlapping characters
- Parallel to bottom edge of envelope -- not slanted
See the bottom of this page for an example of a proper envelope.
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. Currently 22% of the University's presort mail is not OCR readable, resulting in lost annual savings of approximately $20,000. 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 either Mr. Tommy Brickhouse at 962-1139 or Mr. Ed Phillips at 962-8069.
| 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 |
NOTE: Following these rules is not mandatory but compliance will reduce mailing costs and speed your mail on its way.