Style Guide

Envelopes and mailing labels: standard format

1. Use all capitals.
2. Use no punctuation except a hyphen between the 5-digit and + 4 Zip code.
3. Follow the line arrangement shown in this example:
   
   ELBERT F POWELL
   POWELL PRINTING CO
   STE 412
   5800 BRATTLE ST
   CAMBRIDGE MA 02169-1058
   USA
4. Use standard abbreviations for street address, secondary address, and city/state/zip lines as specified below.
5. Except for such universal forms as "Co.," and "Inc.," DO NOT abbreviate recipient, company, or institution names unless you must do so to avoid line wrapping. When it is necessary to abbreviate, use the "ad hoc" abbreviations specified below.

Abbreviations, city, state, zip line

Use the following rules consistently for all U.S. and Canadian addresses.

1. Use standard 2-letter abbreviations for U.S. states and Canadian provinces.
2. Do not abbreviate any part of the city or town name:
   NORTH AUGUSTA SC (not N Augusta)
   SAINT LOUIS MO (not St Louis)
   FORT MYERS FL (not Ft Myers)
   SOMERS POINT NJ (not Somers Pt)

Abbreviations, street address line

1. Use the following abbreviations consistently in the street addresses of all envelopes and mailing labels.
2. Except for the ordinal numbers* (2nd, 4th, etc.), do not abbreviate the formal names of streets:
   123 NORTH ST (not N ST)
   321 HARBOR BLVD (not Hbr Blvd)
   1400 THREE RIVERS DR (NOT 3 Rivers Dr)
   * but: 525 7TH AVE (not Seventh Ave), 12 S 12TH ST (not S Twelfth St)

Abbreviations, secondary address unit

Abbreviations, ad hoc

Addresses: ILA post office boxes

ILA
PO BOX 7168
NEWARK DE 19714-7168