Recipient's Address Guidelines

• When addressing your letter, print the name and title on the first line, street address on the second line, and city, state and zip code on the third line, aligned to the center of the envelope. If you are sending a letter to a position rather than a specific person, such as to the head of the human resources department, call the office to verify the name of the person you should address it to.
  
  

Return Address Guidelines

• If you are not using an envelope with your company's letterhead, print your name, aligned to the top left of the front of the envelope, followed by your company name. On the next line add your company address and suite number. To the next line add the city, state in two-letter abbreviated form and zip code. Be sure it is legible if it is in your own handwriting. You could write your return address on the back flap of the envelope, but the U.S. Postal Service prefers to see it on the front.
  
  

Word Processing Settings

• When formatting an envelope on your word processor for the return address, align the text to the left margin with single spacing. For a letter-sized small envelope, set both the top left margins at one-quarter inch. Format the delivery address at 2 inches from the top left and 2 1/2 inches from the left. On the ruler bar, set a tab at 2 1/4 inches. For a larger envelopes, legal-sized, set the left margin at 4 inches and 4 1/4-inch tab on the ruler bar.
  
  

Folding Guidelines

• The envelope itself should be the same color and quality of your letterhead or the stationery it is carrying. The way you fold your letter represents your professionalism. For the least number of creases, the method used by businesses is to fold from the bottom, face up, slightly less than one-third of the page. Fold the top third over the fold. Insert the letter into the envelope with the closed fold to the bottom.