TIP: As a rule of thumb, you can send 1 oz (4 sheets of regular 8-1/2" x 11" paper and a business-sized envelope) for 1 First-Class Mail ® Forever ® stamp (currently $0.58). You can weigh your letter with a kitchen scale, postal scale, at a self-service kiosk, or at the Post Office ™ facility counter. Postage for letters mostly depends on weight and size/shape. When you're done addressing your envelope, put what you're sending inside the envelope, then close and seal it (using the envelope's glue or tape). Do include unit and box numbers if they're assigned:.This keeps your mail out of foreign mail networks. Do not include the city or country name when you send something to an APO/FDO/DPO address in another country.Mail to military and diplomatic addresses is treated differently: KINGSHILL VI 00850-9802 Military and Diplomatic Mail (APO/FPO/DPO) The right abbreviation for this territory is "VI," not "US VI" or "USA VI": Virgin Islands addresses have the same format as standard addresses. Addresses with an urbanization code, abbreviated URB, should be written on 4 lines:
#Envelope address template stamps code#
Some Puerto Rico addresses include an urbanization or community code for a specific area or development. Include the following on separate lines:Īdvanced Tips for Secondary Addresses (like Apartment or Suite) Postal Addressing Standards Special U.S. Write the delivery address (the "recipient" address) in the bottom center of the envelope. Write your address (the "return address") in the top-left corner. Include the ZIP+4 ® Code whenever possible.Print addresses neatly in capital letters.Print your return address and the delivery address clearly, in the correct spots, to make sure your mail is delivered on time. Size & Weight Requirements – Postcards & Envelopes Standard postcards are usually made of paper, are between 5" to 6" long and 3-1/2" to 4-1/4" high, and are between 0.007" and 0.016" thick. Save money using a $0.40 postcard stamp to send a standard-sized postcard anywhere in the U.S. Postcards are for short messages that you don't need to put in an envelope. ( See additional postage in Step 3.) You'll also have to pay more if your envelopes are square or vertical (taller than they are wide). TIP: If your envelope can't fit through USPS mail processing machines, or is rigid, lumpy or has clasps, string, or buttons, it's "nonmachinable" and you'll have to pay $0.30 more to send it. If your large envelope is nonrectangular, rigid (can't bend), or lumpy (not uniformly thick), you'll have to pay the package price. If you want to send letter-sized papers without folding them, you can use a large envelope (called a "flat") the postage for flats starts at $1.16. 10 envelope is 9-1/2" long x 4-1/8" high.) You can fold what you put in your envelope, but it needs to stay flat-no more than 1/4" thick. Your envelope can be a maximum of 11-1/2" long x 6-1/8" high. You can only send domestic mail by Standard Mail and you cannot send one single envelope through Standard Mail.Envelopes must be rectangular and made of paper to qualify for letter prices. People use Standard Mail to send flyers, advertising documents, newsletters, catalogs, and bulletins. Large envelopes, also called flats, cost more than letters. Envelopes must weight less than 16 ounces. Standard Mail is used for larger quantities of mail, at least 200 pieces or 50 pounds of mail at one time.For example, “Zone 1” is local, or the area close to you, and “Zone 9” is the furthest distance away from your location. The price of Priority Mail postage is based on the distance the mail must travel the further the distance, the more you will pay for postage. At the post office, you can add on extra services to your Priority Mail item, such as USPS Tracking and Registered Mail, especially if your letter contains legal or sensitive information that must reach its destination. To send a letter by Priority Mail, it must weigh no more than 70 pounds. Priority Mail is ideal if you want your letter to get to the addressee by the following business day.Sending mail First Class is ideal for a single letter as all you need is a standard stamp and access to a post box. The arrival time for First Class Mail is two to three days for destinations within the U.S. The price for sending First Class Mail is the same, regardless of the distance the letter is traveling. To send a letter First-Class, it must weigh no more than 13 ounces. First Class Mail is often what is used to send letter-size pieces that are rigid and square.There are three basic levels of mail, according to the US Post Office. Decide if you want to send the letter by First Class, Priority, or Standard Mail.