Resources

Preparing Your Address List

When preparing your address list for your mailing, it is always important to keep your address information organized so it is acceptable to the USPS. Following are some guidelines:

  • Personal names or primary names can be in parts or formatted as one complete piece of information. 
  • If you are preparing separate name parts, keep everything separate. For example, Prefix, First Name, Middle Name/initial, Last Name, and Suffix. If you combine Last Name and Suffix, it can cause issues with the mailing and printing of the correct information on your mail piece.
  • If you have multiple suffixes, place them together, separated by commas.

    EX: Mr. John A. Smith, Jr., Esq. The suffix field would contain Jr., Esq.
  • Secondary names should always be in a separate field. Do not combine with the primary name.
  • Individual Job Title, such as “President”, should always be in a field by itself. It should not be combined with names or name parts.
  • Functional Title, such as “Division Consultant”, should always be in a field by itself. It should not be combined with names, name parts or other titles.
  • Group, Department or Division Name should always be in a field by itself. It should not be combined with address parts.
  • Company name should always be in a field by itself. It should not be combined with names or address parts.
  • If there is a building name included in the address, it should appear in a field by itself, before the street address.
  • Address lines should be formatted as one complete line, when possible, if apartment numbers, floor numbers or suite information is provided.

    EX: 123 Any St. Apt A. If you must separate apartment numbers, floor numbers or suite information place it in a column or field by itself, before the street address.
  • City, State and Zip Code information is best dealt with if they are all separate. If they are combined as one field, there can be issues with separating them.
  • When formatting states, be consistent. State abbreviations are preferred, but if you are using the full state name, do that with all records. Doing a mix of the two can cause issues with the mailing.
  • If you have the zip + 4 information for your zip codes, it can be included with the 5-digit zip code.  Be consistent with formatting if using a dash between the 5 and 4 digit parts. 12345-6789 or 123456789 are both usable, but if there is a mix of dashes and no dashes, this may cause issues with the mailing.
  • Foreign addresses can be treated in the same fashion as listed above with the exception of adding a country field to the file. 

Sample address list

If you would like to know more about address list preparation for your mailing project, contact an NPC representative today at 800-847-5757 or email info@npcweb.com.