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Postal Explorer > Publication 28 - Postal Addressing Standards > 1 Introduction > 12 Overview
Postal Addressing Standards provides guidance on the most efficient means
to output an address to a mailpiece. It is necessary to begin with list
maintenance, or list management, to ensure that the content of the address is
accurate and complete. A variety of address information products and
services is available to assist in list maintenance. The standards facilitate the
use of these products by providing a uniform file format for data entry of
address information, as well as for extraction of information for matching
purposes.
It is recommended that delivery address information be stored in a minimum
of 30 bytes or spaces in your computer system. The optimum
recommendation is 64 bytes or spaces to be compatible with the Postal
Service National ZIP+4 database.
The Postal Service defines a complete address as one that has all the
address elements necessary to allow an exact match with the current Postal
Service ZIP+4 and City State files to obtain the finest level of ZIP+4 and
delivery point codes for the delivery address. A complete address may be
required on mail at some automation rates. Refer to the Mailing Standards of
the United States Postal Service Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) for more
detailed information.
A standardized address is one that is fully spelled out, abbreviated by using
the Postal Service standard abbreviations shown in this publication or as
shown in the current Postal Service ZIP+4 file.
Once an address has been matched against the address information files,
the address list should be corrected accordingly. It is important to understand
that failing to correct your address list with the matched data could result in
lower match rates as the USPS address information files are updated. Lower
match rates equal higher postage rates. A match implies that suffixes,
directionals, spellings, and city names as found in the files are correct and
necessary for efficient processing and delivery of mail. Other important
elements are apartment or suite numbers, Post Office Box addresses, and a
complete rural/highway contract route address (with route and box numbers).
Addresses that have been standardized contain all the necessary address
elements as matched against the ZIP+4 and City State files.
Once files are updated, establish list management procedures to ensure
timely updates to maintain accuracy. It is highly recommended that new
addresses go through a verification and standardization process to obtain the
correct ZIP+4 and delivery point codes prior to adding them to your master
address list.
Once an address list has gone through a standardization process, look at the
output of the address as it appears on the mailpiece, insert, or address label.
Some postal addressing standards relate to format and readability factors. A
standardized address should also be machine readable so it can be
processed on high-speed optical character readers (OCRs). Publication 25,
Designing Business Letter Mail, contains specifications for properly
formatting and printing delivery address information on letter mail. Following
these readability guidelines for letter mail that has not been barcoded helps
to ensure successful OCR processing. Some important elements affecting
machine readability are contained in Appendix A of this document. For
complete information, however, we recommend you obtain a copy of
Publication 25 from your local Post Office. If your mailpieces will be submitted
for automation rates, the requirements in the DMM must be met.
The final benefit of address standardization is deliverability of a mailpiece.
Complete addresses that have matched Postal Service files or directories
have a better chance of being promptly and correctly delivered. Printing
complete information on a mailpiece and eliminating extraneous information
that can confuse delivery personnel or be misread by postal equipment does
a lot to get the mail delivered on time. We are continuing to explore ways to
improve the processing and delivery of mail in a timely, cost-effective manner.
Address standardization is a positive step toward improved address quality
and is a cost-effective operation for both postal customers and the Postal
Service.
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