[Scriptoris] Address Etiquette

[Lady Eithne]

My Lady Prudence,
Wonderful information and I am sure quite helpful to us all.
I do have a *trick *to share. For many years I have been using the inkjet
printer to address envelopes, make cards, business cards, scrolls (non-SCA)
and they can be easily, cheaply *fixed*, that is, made *not to run*. I
simply use a spray fixative for pen/pencil drawings or a spray of
polyurethane. It drys quickly and is permanent.
So you can print with injet or calligraphy pen.
At this time I am printing greeting cards for my household and illuminating
them for a personal touch.
I hope this is a help.
Lady Eithne
On 11/22/07, prudencecurious at netscape.net <prudencecurious at netscape.net>
wrote:
>
>
> Dear Mistress Hillary,
>
>
>
> I used to work for the post office, so here is some information that may
> be of help:
>
>
>
> 1) Remember that 85% of all mail is sorted by machine.
>
> 2) The machines read the mail from the bottom of the envelope to the top.
> The information is assumed at the bottom line to be the least detail and
> work get more specific each line up. (ie, country – state – city – address –
> apartment – individual in the apartment)
>
> 3) The fancier the script the less likely the machine is able to read the
> writing. Calligraphy and/or cursive are worst options; humans have problems
> with them. Best is capital block letters from a typewriter or computer.
>
> 4) Water soluable inks may run if exposed to water; avoid inkjets and pens
> with ink that run for addressing the outside envelope.
>
> 5) Avoid putting any additional notes or information below address. This
> includes drawings, attention lines and special instructions, like Fragile.
> Draw an invisible line immediately above the top line of the address across
> the envelope. The only thing that should appear anywhere below that line is
> the address; the rest of the area should be white space.
>
> 6) Bottom line of the address can be the zipcode standing alone or the
> city, state, country, zip.
>
> 7) The line above where city, state, country appears should be the
> address.
>
> 8) Apartment numbers, floor number, or suite numbers should be on the same
> line as the address immediately following the street address OR on the line
> above the address. The apartment number should NOT be on the line below the
> address. Remember the machine is working for more specific details as it
> works up from the bottom of the envelope.
>
> 9) The person who specifically is to receive the letter from the postal
> system should be next.
>
> a) If they are to receive it for someone else, this line should start (C/O
> – care of).
>
> b) In cases where one member of the family has moved out (divorce,
> college) AND there is a forwarding address, one of the duties of the postal
> carrier is to take out the mail specific to that person and forward it. So
> if you want mail to go to the Smith family, address it as such – not Miss
> Janet Smith.
>
> 10) Specific instructions of what the person who is to get the mail is to
> do with it should be located inside the envelope.
>
>
>
> So optimally on the outside envelope write:
>
> SCA name, SCA job
>
> C/O Mundane name
>
> Address line(s)
>
> City, State, Zip+4
>
>
>
> On the inside envelope write:
>
> For Their Excellencies
>
> Through the Care of: SCA name, SCA job
>
>
>
> Ever a Servant,
>
>
>
> Lady Prudence the Curious
>
>
> --
> In Service to the House, the Shire & the Kingdom, and to the Pursuit of
> True Honor,
> Lady Eithne ingen meic Cináeda
> Also Known as the Healer
> GrandeDamme FalconRose Keep and The Rose of SK
> FalconRose Keep at Loch Callendre, Shire of Rosenfeld, Kingdom of
> Ansteorra