How to Address a Postcard (So It Actually Gets There)

Postcards are simple, but there’s a right side for everything. Here’s the quick version, then the details.

The quick version

On the back of the card, draw (or imagine) a line down the middle:

• Left half: your message.
• Right half, top corner: the stamp.
• Right half, middle: the recipient’s name and address.
• Return address (optional): small, in the top left of the address side or at the bottom of the message area.

Writing the address

Write the address in three or four lines, all left-aligned:

1. Name: Jordan Rivera
2. Street address: 123 Maple St Apt 4
3. City, state and ZIP: Pittsburgh PA 15222

A few tips that help the sorting machines read it:

• Use dark ink and print clearly.
• Put the apartment or unit number on the same line as the street.
• Use the two-letter state abbreviation (PA, not Penn.).
• Double-check the ZIP code. It does most of the routing work.
• Leave the bottom strip of the card blank. USPS prints a barcode there.

Where the stamp goes

Top right corner of the address side, upright. A postcard needs a postcard stamp or a Forever stamp. Postcard stamps cost less than a letter stamp; check usps.com for the current price. When we mail a card for you, the stamp is already included.

Do you need a return address?

It’s optional on a postcard, but it’s how the card finds its way back to you if the address is wrong. If you’d rather not put your home address on a card, a P.O. box works.

The mistakes that send cards back

• A missing apartment number.
• A wrong or missing ZIP code.
• Writing over the area where the address or stamp goes.
• A card that’s too small, too big or too flimsy for the postcard rate (more on sizes in how long postcards take).

Or skip all of this

When you send a card through us, you just type the address at checkout. We write it, stamp it and mail it. Pick a card →