For all those who have forgotten their way to the post office, this article helps by teaching you how to fill out an envelope for mailing, and subsequently helps you to find out the way once again.
Ever since people started using electronic mail (E-mail), the popularity of the age-old traditional letter writing and mail has sunk down considerably. This is evident from the fact that people have now started referring the latter as ‘snail mail’. Very few people, especially in big cities, consistently use ‘snail mail’. The habit has almost vanished from people’s lives and there could be a possible time in future where the only place you could find a post box or a stamp, would be a museum! Jokes apart, in spite of the lightening fast and super easy e-mail, there are certain instances where you have to use the postal service. These could be letters to certain institutions, government offices, a payment bank check to be sent out, and more importantly sending large parcels.
Filling Out an Envelope for Mailing
When you start, there are three basic things you need to keep in mind which should be present on the envelope always and they are:
Address of the Recipient
This is also known as the mailing address. It is essential that you address the envelopes properly so that no mistake is made when they are delivered. The recipient’s address needs to be written at the center of the envelope. You can choose to write this either horizontally or vertically. The recipient’s address should, ideally, be of three lines. Start the address by mentioning his/her name along with the salutation. Then start with the address part mentioning the street address along with the most important thing, the zip code. In case you are not sure about the code, confirm the same before you mention it on the envelope.
Return Address
This address is basically your own address. The return address should be written at the top left corner on the envelope. Again, it can be written either vertically or horizontally depending upon which way you have put down the recipient’s address. It is important to mention a return address on an envelope, as the post office will know where to mail back the letter in case they are, due to any reason, unable to deliver your mail to the recipient’s address. This address should also be completed in three lines, mentioning your name, your street address, and finally the zip code of the area you stay in.
Stamp
After you have written down both addresses on the envelope, you will require postage stamps. The number and type of postage stamps required depends upon various factors. These include, the place where you wish to send a mail, weight of the envelope, and also the size. For this purpose, it is recommended to visit a post office to purchase stamps and ask for assistance in ascertaining how many and which type of stamp you would require. There are certain websites available online which help you with this. The stamp needs to be glued on the upper right hand corner of the envelope.
Once these three things are considered and done in the right way, you have successfully filled your envelope and it can be mailed to the recipient.
Some Tips
- Since not all of us are accustomed to writing a lot these days, the handwriting suffers. Try keeping your handwriting as neat as possible and avoid overwriting and scratching along with errors in spellings.
- It is not a bad idea to write everything in ‘Caps’ or bold letters, as it eliminates bad-handwriting issues.
- It is advisable to avoid any abbreviations while writing names of cities, states, or country, as it can create confusion. However, you can use abbreviations for words like street (St), avenue (Av), lane (Ln), etc.
- To prevent any changes being made on whatever is being written on the envelope, write with a permanent marker.
- Seal the envelope properly, as you do not want it to open up and things inside to spill out before it reaches its destination.
After reading this, some people might have become nostalgic, while others would be happy learning something new today. However, filling out an envelope is a very basic learning procedure which every individual should know. So, share this knowledge with anyone you know is struggling with the same.
