Knowledge

Return address

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Businesses often use envelopes preprinted with a return address. Many individuals have sheets of adhesive labels preprinted with their home address to affix to their correspondence. Charities sometimes include such sheets in mailshots. Rolls of return address labels can be purchased from companies
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Still, the public did not widely use a return address until the 1960s when companies began to offer deals for preprinted return labels such as 2,500 labels for $ 2.00. They became more popular with the invention of label dispensers. With the invention of the
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The return address has been used on U. S. postage since the 1880s. As pressure printing became more commonplace during the early 1900s, labels became cheaper and more easily distributed. The profession involved with producing these labels was known as
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is an explicit inclusion of the address of the person sending the message. It provides the recipient (and sometimes authorized intermediaries) with a means to determine how to respond to the sender of the message if needed.
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The return address is not required on postal mail. However, lack of a return address prevents the postal service from being able to return the item if it proves undeliverable; such as from damage,
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During the 1950s in the United States, more and more mail was not arriving at intended recipients, and as a result of the lack of a return address, said mail ended up in the
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that sell personalized labels to provide individuals an easy way to peel and stick return address labels to their envelopes.
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to inform the public that mail without a return address would be less of a priority than mail with a return address.
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began to overtake written mail, the return address became automatic in an e-mail.
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details in the same way as the delivery address should. In most countries such as
50: 78: 401: 54: 106: 89: 117: 69:, the return address is located in the upper left-hand corner of the 62: 70: 46: 312:"How to address mail clearly, guide to clear letter addressing" 66: 58: 129: 34: 92:, or invalid destination. Such mail may otherwise become 128:, software enabled people to print their own labels. As 73:, card, or label, which is also recommended by the 399: 29:Envelope with return address in top left corner 180:"Addressing mail accurately | Canada Post" 210:"Addressing guidelines - Australia Post" 24: 372:"The History of Return Address Labels!" 400: 45:The return address should include an 13: 322:from the original on 22 March 2024 292:from the original on 22 March 2024 256:from the original on 22 March 2024 220:from the original on 22 March 2024 190:from the original on 22 March 2024 160:from the original on 22 March 2024 150:"Return Address | Postal Explorer" 14: 419: 276:"Addressing and Postcode Manual" 20:Return address (disambiguation) 364: 334: 304: 268: 232: 202: 172: 142: 1: 135: 346:United States Postal Service 154:United States Postal Service 7: 10: 424: 99: 17: 240:"Guide pratique courrier" 283:Universal Postal Union 75:Universal Postal Union 30: 28: 382:on 21 September 2013 18:For other uses, see 408:Address (geography) 352:on 1 September 2013 342:"Business Mail 101" 114:dead letter office 31: 126:personal computer 415: 392: 391: 389: 387: 378:. Archived from 368: 362: 361: 359: 357: 348:. Archived from 338: 332: 331: 329: 327: 308: 302: 301: 299: 297: 291: 280: 272: 266: 265: 263: 261: 255: 244: 236: 230: 229: 227: 225: 206: 200: 199: 197: 195: 176: 170: 169: 167: 165: 146: 94:dead letter mail 423: 422: 418: 417: 416: 414: 413: 412: 398: 397: 396: 395: 385: 383: 370: 369: 365: 355: 353: 340: 339: 335: 325: 323: 310: 309: 305: 295: 293: 289: 278: 274: 273: 269: 259: 257: 253: 242: 238: 237: 233: 223: 221: 208: 207: 203: 193: 191: 178: 177: 173: 163: 161: 148: 147: 143: 138: 102: 23: 12: 11: 5: 421: 411: 410: 394: 393: 363: 333: 303: 267: 231: 214:Australia Post 201: 171: 140: 139: 137: 134: 101: 98: 79:United Kingdom 39:return address 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 420: 409: 406: 405: 403: 381: 377: 373: 367: 351: 347: 343: 337: 321: 317: 313: 307: 288: 284: 277: 271: 252: 249:(in French). 248: 241: 235: 219: 215: 211: 205: 189: 185: 181: 175: 159: 155: 151: 145: 141: 133: 131: 127: 121: 119: 115: 110: 108: 97: 95: 91: 86: 82: 80: 76: 72: 68: 64: 60: 56: 55:United States 52: 48: 43: 40: 36: 27: 21: 16: 384:. Retrieved 380:the original 375: 366: 354:. Retrieved 350:the original 345: 336: 324:. Retrieved 315: 306: 294:. Retrieved 282: 270: 258:. Retrieved 246: 234: 222:. Retrieved 213: 204: 192:. Retrieved 183: 174: 162:. Retrieved 153: 144: 122: 111: 103: 87: 83: 44: 38: 32: 15: 184:Canada Post 107:lithography 90:postage due 316:Royal Mail 136:References 118:postmaster 33:In postal 386:23 August 356:23 August 77:. In the 63:Australia 402:Category 376:Web page 326:22 March 320:Archived 296:22 March 287:Archived 260:22 March 251:Archived 247:La Poste 224:22 March 218:Archived 194:22 March 188:Archived 164:22 March 158:Archived 71:envelope 51:P.O. box 100:History 47:address 67:France 59:Canada 290:(PDF) 279:(PDF) 254:(PDF) 243:(PDF) 130:email 388:2013 358:2013 328:2024 298:2024 262:2024 226:2024 196:2024 166:2024 37:, a 35:mail 49:or 404:: 374:. 344:. 318:. 314:. 285:. 281:. 245:. 216:. 212:. 186:. 182:. 156:. 152:. 109:. 96:. 65:, 61:, 57:, 390:. 360:. 330:. 300:. 264:. 228:. 198:. 168:. 22:.

Index

Return address (disambiguation)

mail
address
P.O. box
United States
Canada
Australia
France
envelope
Universal Postal Union
United Kingdom
postage due
dead letter mail
lithography
dead letter office
postmaster
personal computer
email
"Return Address | Postal Explorer"
Archived
"Addressing mail accurately | Canada Post"
Archived
"Addressing guidelines - Australia Post"
Archived
"Guide pratique courrier"
Archived
"Addressing and Postcode Manual"
Archived
"How to address mail clearly, guide to clear letter addressing"

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