Delivery address goes in the center of the package face, return address in the top left corner, both written with a pen or permanent marker in neat capital letters. That guidance is straight from usps.com, checked 2026-07-27. Each address takes three lines: the name, the street address with any unit number, then city, two-letter state and ZIP.
Sorting machines read the three-line block, not your handwriting style. The format cited here was checked on 2026-07-27.
For scale on what a correctly addressed box costs to move, we quoted a 16 × 12 × 10 inch package at 10 lb on 2026-07-27. The addressing is the cheap part; the ride is the expense.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Time in transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS | Ground Saver | $17.56 | 4 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $17.57 | 4-5 business days |
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $20.86 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $21.94 | 3-4 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $27.66 | 3-4 business days |
At 10 lb the economy tiers from UPS and FedEx tied for practical purposes, something eastern lanes produce more often than people expect. The address block plays no role in the price, only in whether the box reaches the right door on schedule.
USPS Publication 28 defines the pattern: a recipient line, a delivery address line, and a last line carrying city, state and ZIP, all using Postal Service standard abbreviations, per pe.usps.com, checked 2026-07-27. Keep decoration off the block; machines parse structure, not style.
Pub 28 wants secondary designators such as APT or STE printed on the mailpiece, preferably at the end of the delivery address line, moving to the line just above only when they will not fit. And if you use a pound sign, USPS requires a space between the sign and the number.
Buy the label online and both addresses arrive machine-formatted beside a routing barcode, which is why hand-addressing survives mostly on gifts and one-offs. Where the label sits on the box matters too; our placement guide covers that half.
Top left corner of the same face as the delivery address, carrying your full name, street address with any apartment or suite, city, state and ZIP, per usps.com.
USPS asks you to print neatly using capital letters with a pen or permanent marker. Both sorting equipment and human carriers read block capitals more reliably than cursive.
Put it at the end of the street address line using the standard abbreviations, wrapping to the line above only when it cannot fit. A pound sign needs a space after it, per Publication 28.
For the address itself, yes. Postage is a separate purchase, and services built on printed barcodes still need a printed label; our handwritten label guide draws that line in detail.