Visual Diagram: Exactly Where 'To' and 'From' Go on Envelopes and Boxes
Standard letter mail follows an unbending spatial grid. The face of an envelope splits into three discrete sectors: sender verification, postal revenue certification, and destination routing. Conflating these zones interrupts the mechanical eye of sorting hardware.
The top-left corner belongs exclusively to return address placement. This block must sit at least 0.33 inches inside both the top and left edges of the envelope. It identifies the sender and dictates where undeliverable mail returns if the recipient cannot be found. Omitting this block risks sending lost correspondence to dead-letter facilities for destruction.
The postage stamp positioning zone occupies the top-right corner. Affix stamps or digital meter imprints flush within 0.125 inches of the upper right boundaries. Canceling machines photograph this exact coordinate to verify paid postage before routing mail downstream.
The destination belongs in the middle. Center envelope placement gives automated cameras maximum field-of-view clearance to decipher street numbers and state abbreviations without picking up ambient text from other zones.
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