Put 'easy' stamp on mailings

Paula Huff
Tribune Lifestyle Writer

The 3.5 billion holiday cards, letters and packages the U.S. Postal Service processes during the Christmas season can make mailing heaven or hell for patrons and carriers.

Salt Lake City Postmaster Kenneth R. Prentiss intends to make the holiday season a little more heavenly this year with the following tips on addressing and wrapping.

A correct ZIP code is the most important item to get mail started in the right direction. A wrong ZIP code is worse than none. The number should be on the same line as the city and state.

One missing digit in a street number may send a letter to the wrong person. The street number tells the letter carrier where to
deliver the mail. The name on the envelope simply separates the intended recipient from other people in the house.

Many carriers remember names on their routes, which average 518 households and businesses in Salt Lake City, Mr. Prentiss said.

However, a substitute carrier or new employee must rely entirely on the street number.

Apartment and suite numbers fall in the category of little things that count, Mr. Prentiss said.

Big things that count are proper directional designations for streets.

Hand addressing of Christmas cards and packages is an ironclad tradition that Mr. Prentiss would like patrons to consider changing.

Personal computer owners can use their machine to print peel-and-stick labels, which zoom through the post office's automated equipment.

"Peel-and-stick labels are a real time saver and allow you to spend more time on the sentiments inside," Mr. Prentiss said. "They are also far easier to read on red or green envelopes."
That doesn't mean Mr. Prentiss prefers patrons discontinue use of red or green envelopes. Instead, put computer-printed or typed
address labels on them for easier sorting.

If hand-addressing envelopes is a tradition that can't be broken, Mr. Prentiss offers some tips:

• Print the address.
• Keep a uniform left margin. Use all capital letters. Make sure the letters don't touch each other.
• Eliminate all punctuation except the hyphen with ZIP plus 4 codes.
• Make sure the city/state/ZIP code line is at least 1 inch above the bottom edge. The same goes for peel-and-stick labels.
• Spell out the city name, but use the two-letter abbreviation for states. Use a single space between words, the state abbreviation and the ZIP code.
• Do not use the name of a building in place of the street address. In rural addresses, the route number should precede the box number.

When wrapping packages to be mailed, Mr. Prentiss recommends aiming for utility. A sturdy carton large enough to accommodate the gift plus cushioning should be used with all conflicting address information removed or covered. Brown paper and twine cord are not necessary and, in fact, are detrimental. Paper can rip, and twine becomes tangled in processing equipment.

Parcels should be sealed securely with pressure-sensitive tape, nylon-reinforced craft paper tape, or glass-reinforced pressure sensitive tape.

The recipient's proper address belongs in the lower right portion of the package on one side only. The proper return address in the upper lefthand corner should be complete, including the ZIP code.

Proper addressing is complete, legible and printed with
smudge-proof ink, Mr. Prentiss said. Always include apartment numbers, suite numbers and the correct ZIP code.

Before sealing the package, it's a good idea to put the address on a sheet of paper inside, Mr. Prentiss said.

"Good strong packages with complete, legible addresses help ensure that gifts arrive quickly and in good shape," Mr. Prentiss said.