[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":491},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guides-index":3},[4,182],{"id":5,"title":6,"body":7,"description":171,"extension":172,"meta":173,"navigation":174,"order":175,"path":176,"seo":177,"seoTitle":178,"stem":179,"summary":180,"__hash__":181},"guides\u002Fguides\u002Faddress-holiday-cards.md","How to address holiday cards",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":161},"minimark",[10,14,19,22,29,35,41,51,54,60,63,67,70,82,85,112,115,119,122,126,129,132,136,145,151,154,158],[11,12,13],"p",{},"Holiday cards are one of the few times a year most of us address a stack of envelopes at once. There are only a few rules worth knowing, and most of them come down to two questions: how does this person like to be addressed, and can a sorting machine read it?",[15,16,18],"h2",{"id":17},"the-name-line","The name line",[11,20,21],{},"The name line is the most personal part of the envelope, so it's worth a moment's thought.",[11,23,24,28],{},[25,26,27],"strong",{},"One person."," Use the name they go by: \"Jordan Ellis\". Add a title if it's someone you'd address formally, or someone who uses one professionally: \"Dr. Lisa Moreno\".",[11,30,31,34],{},[25,32,33],{},"A married couple with the same last name."," \"Sam and Elena Brooks\" is warm and current. The older formal style, \"Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Brooks\", is still correct for a formal card, but many people now prefer to see both first names.",[11,36,37,40],{},[25,38,39],{},"A couple with different last names."," Write both full names, joined with \"and\": \"Lisa Moreno and Dan Kessler\". If the names are long, they can go on two lines.",[11,42,43,46,47,50],{},[25,44,45],{},"A whole family."," \"The Hendersons\" covers everyone in the house. Make the last name plural by adding \"s\", or \"es\" when it ends in s, x, z, ch or sh: the Brookses, the Joneses, the Lynches. ",[25,48,49],{},"Never use an apostrophe"," for a plural. \"The Henderson's\" means something that belongs to one Henderson.",[11,52,53],{},"If you'd rather name everyone, put the parents first and the children after: \"Sam, Elena, Maya and Leo Brooks\".",[11,55,56,59],{},[25,57,58],{},"Family and close friends."," On a card going inside the family, \"Aunt Carol\" or \"Grandma and Grandpa\" is perfectly fine. The mail carrier only needs the address to be right.",[11,61,62],{},"When you're unsure, think about how the person signs their own cards. That's usually how they'd like to be addressed.",[15,64,66],{"id":65},"the-address-lines","The address lines",[11,68,69],{},"The Postal Service reads addresses by machine, and machines like a predictable shape. Put the address in the middle of the envelope, slightly right and below center, in this order:",[71,72,73,76,79],"ol",{},[74,75,18],"li",{},[74,77,78],{},"The street address, with the apartment or unit at the end: \"2201 Oak Hollow Dr Apt 12\"",[74,80,81],{},"The city, the two-letter state abbreviation and the ZIP code: \"Raleigh, NC 27606\"",[11,83,84],{},"A few details make a real difference:",[86,87,88,94,100,106],"ul",{},[74,89,90,93],{},[25,91,92],{},"Don't leave out the apartment or unit number."," It's the most common reason a card comes back. If you don't know it, ask before you mail.",[74,95,96,99],{},[25,97,98],{},"Use the two-letter state code"," (SC, not S. Carolina).",[74,101,102,105],{},[25,103,104],{},"Include the ZIP code."," The extra four digits (27606-1904) help but aren't required.",[74,107,108,111],{},[25,109,110],{},"Keep the bottom of the envelope clear."," The Postal Service prints a barcode along the bottom edge, so don't put stickers or decorations there.",[11,113,114],{},"You don't need to use capital letters or leave out punctuation. Those are the Postal Service's preferences for business mail, and ordinary mixed case is read without trouble.",[15,116,118],{"id":117},"your-return-address","Your return address",[11,120,121],{},"Put your own address in the top-left corner of the front, or on the back flap if you'd like a cleaner front. If a card can't be delivered, it can find its way back to you, and you'll know to update that address for next year.",[15,123,125],{"id":124},"handwriting-or-labels","Handwriting or labels?",[11,127,128],{},"Handwritten envelopes feel personal, and for a dozen cards they're lovely. For fifty or a hundred, printed labels or envelopes save an evening and are easier to read. Many people split the difference: a printed address and a handwritten note inside.",[11,130,131],{},"If you print, a clear serif or a simple sans-serif at a comfortable size is easier to read than a script font. Script fonts can look elegant, but they're harder for sorting machines and for anyone with tired eyes.",[15,133,135],{"id":134},"doing-it-with-labeltime","Doing it with Labeltime",[11,137,138,139,144],{},"Paste your list into ",[140,141,143],"a",{"href":142},"\u002F","Labeltime"," in whatever shape it's in: a spreadsheet column, an old email, a note on your phone. It formats each address the same way and asks you about anything that's missing, like an apartment number or a ZIP code, instead of guessing.",[11,146,147,150],{},[25,148,149],{},"Names print exactly as you typed them."," Labeltime never rewrites a name, changes capital letters, or adds titles. So if you want \"The Hendersons\" on the envelope, type \"The Hendersons\". If your list says \"Mom & Dad\", you can change it on the Review screen before you print.",[11,152,153],{},"When you're done, you can save the cleaned list with just your email, so next year starts from this year's addresses instead of a blank page.",[15,155,157],{"id":156},"mail-early","Mail early",[11,159,160],{},"Holiday mail is slower in December. The Postal Service publishes recommended mailing dates each year; checking them in late November, and mailing a little before, gives every card a good chance of arriving on time.",{"title":162,"searchDepth":163,"depth":163,"links":164},"",2,[165,166,167,168,169,170],{"id":17,"depth":163,"text":18},{"id":65,"depth":163,"text":66},{"id":117,"depth":163,"text":118},{"id":124,"depth":163,"text":125},{"id":134,"depth":163,"text":135},{"id":156,"depth":163,"text":157},"How to write names and addresses on holiday card envelopes: families, couples with different last names, titles, apartments, and the format the Postal Service reads best.","md",{},true,1,"\u002Fguides\u002Faddress-holiday-cards",{"title":6,"description":171},"How to address holiday cards (names, families, couples, labels)","guides\u002Faddress-holiday-cards","Names, families, couples, titles, and the address format the Postal Service reads best.","H3LiRVpi85UGWf635skxS4kRTwl22JCrvqX2nri9bvI",{"id":183,"title":184,"body":185,"description":483,"extension":172,"meta":484,"navigation":174,"order":163,"path":485,"seo":486,"seoTitle":487,"stem":488,"summary":489,"__hash__":490},"guides\u002Fguides\u002Fprint-address-labels-from-spreadsheet.md","How to print address labels from a spreadsheet",{"type":8,"value":186,"toc":475},[187,190,194,197,268,271,296,300,303,306,343,346,350,353,389,392,396,399,409,423,427,430,433,465,468,472],[11,188,189],{},"If your addresses are already in a spreadsheet, most of the work is done. Problems usually come from the details: a ZIP code that lost its leading zero, an apartment number in its own column, or labels that print a quarter inch off. Here's how to get from rows to printed labels.",[15,191,193],{"id":192},"_1-tidy-the-columns","1. Tidy the columns",[11,195,196],{},"Labels are easiest to make when each piece of the address has its own column. A good layout looks like this:",[198,199,200,225],"table",{},[201,202,203],"thead",{},[204,205,206,210,213,216,219,222],"tr",{},[207,208,209],"th",{},"Name",[207,211,212],{},"Street",[207,214,215],{},"Apt",[207,217,218],{},"City",[207,220,221],{},"State",[207,223,224],{},"ZIP",[226,227,228,248],"tbody",{},[204,229,230,234,237,239,242,245],{},[231,232,233],"td",{},"Sam and Elena Brooks",[231,235,236],{},"310 King St",[231,238],{},[231,240,241],{},"Charleston",[231,243,244],{},"SC",[231,246,247],{},"29401",[204,249,250,253,256,259,262,265],{},[231,251,252],{},"The Hendersons",[231,254,255],{},"2201 Oak Hollow Dr",[231,257,258],{},"Apt 12",[231,260,261],{},"Raleigh",[231,263,264],{},"NC",[231,266,267],{},"27606",[11,269,270],{},"A few things to check while you're there:",[86,272,273,284,290],{},[74,274,275,278,279,283],{},[25,276,277],{},"The name column is exactly what goes on the label."," If your sheet has separate first and last name columns, make a new column that joins them. In Excel or Google Sheets, ",[280,281,282],"code",{},"=A2&\" \"&B2"," puts a space between the two. For couples and families, write the name the way you want it on the envelope: \"Sam and Elena Brooks\" or \"The Hendersons\".",[74,285,286,289],{},[25,287,288],{},"One household per row."," If two people at the same address each have a row, you'll get two labels. Decide whether that's what you want, or combine them into one name.",[74,291,292,295],{},[25,293,294],{},"Fill in what's missing."," A blank apartment number or ZIP code is easier to fix now than after the card comes back.",[15,297,299],{"id":298},"_2-watch-the-zip-codes","2. Watch the ZIP codes",[11,301,302],{},"Spreadsheets love to treat ZIP codes as numbers, which turns 02134 in Massachusetts into 2134. If you see four-digit ZIP codes in your sheet, the zeros are already gone.",[11,304,305],{},"To keep them:",[86,307,308,327],{},[74,309,310,313,314,318,319,322,323,326],{},[25,311,312],{},"In Excel,"," select the ZIP column, choose ",[315,316,317],"em",{},"Format Cells",", then ",[315,320,321],{},"Text",", and retype any ZIP codes that lost their zero. Or use a custom number format of ",[280,324,325],{},"00000",".",[74,328,329,332,333,336,337,336,340,326],{},[25,330,331],{},"In Google Sheets,"," select the column and choose ",[315,334,335],{},"Format"," → ",[315,338,339],{},"Number",[315,341,342],{},"Plain text",[11,344,345],{},"ZIP+4 codes (27606-1904) are always safe, because the dash keeps them from being read as a number.",[15,347,349],{"id":348},"_3-choose-your-label-sheet","3. Choose your label sheet",[11,351,352],{},"Look at the box your labels came in for the product number.",[86,354,355,371,380],{},[74,356,357,363,364,370],{},[25,358,359],{},[140,360,362],{"href":361},"\u002Ftemplates\u002Favery-5160","Avery 5160"," (laser) and ",[25,365,366],{},[140,367,369],{"href":368},"\u002Ftemplates\u002Favery-8160","Avery 8160"," (inkjet): the standard address label, 30 per sheet.",[74,372,373,379],{},[25,374,375],{},[140,376,378],{"href":377},"\u002Ftemplates\u002Favery-5163","Avery 5163",": large 2″ × 4″ labels, 10 per sheet, good for packages.",[74,381,382,388],{},[25,383,384],{},[140,385,387],{"href":386},"\u002Fenvelopes\u002Fa7","A7 envelopes",": print straight onto 5¼″ × 7¼″ envelopes and skip the labels.",[11,390,391],{},"Match laser labels to a laser printer and inkjet labels to an inkjet printer. Each is made for that printer's ink or toner.",[15,393,395],{"id":394},"_4-make-the-labels","4. Make the labels",[11,397,398],{},"There are two common ways to turn a sheet into labels.",[11,400,401,404,405,408],{},[25,402,403],{},"Mail merge in Word."," Word's ",[315,406,407],{},"Mailings"," tab can pull rows from an Excel file into a label layout. It works, but it takes a few rounds of setup: choosing the label product, connecting the spreadsheet, inserting each field and updating every label. It's worth learning if you do it often.",[11,410,411,414,415,418,419,422],{},[25,412,413],{},"Paste or upload into Labeltime."," On the ",[140,416,417],{"href":142},"Labeltime home page",", choose ",[315,420,421],{},"CSV \u002F Excel"," and pick your file, or copy the rows straight out of your spreadsheet and paste them in. A header row is fine; it's skipped. Labeltime tidies the formatting and puts any question (a missing apartment, a missing ZIP) at the top of the Review screen with a one-tap answer. Names print exactly as they appear in your sheet, never rewritten.",[15,424,426],{"id":425},"_5-print-a-test-page-first","5. Print a test page first",[11,428,429],{},"Before you use real labels, print one page on plain paper. Hold it over a label sheet against a window, or a bright screen, and check that each address sits inside its label.",[11,431,432],{},"If everything is shifted the same way, the cause is almost always scaling in the print dialog:",[86,434,435,445,459],{},[74,436,437,438,441,442,326],{},"Choose ",[25,439,440],{},"Actual size"," or ",[25,443,444],{},"100%",[74,446,447,448,451,452,455,456,326],{},"Turn off ",[25,449,450],{},"Fit to page",", ",[25,453,454],{},"Shrink oversized pages"," and ",[25,457,458],{},"Scale to fit",[74,460,461,462,326],{},"Make sure the paper size is ",[25,463,464],{},"Letter",[11,466,467],{},"Then print on the label sheets. If you have a partly used sheet, start there: on Labeltime's Print screen, click the first empty spot on the preview and printing begins at that label.",[15,469,471],{"id":470},"_6-keep-the-list-for-next-time","6. Keep the list for next time",[11,473,474],{},"Once the addresses are clean, keep that version. In a spreadsheet, save it as a new file named for the year. In Labeltime, enter your email after you print. You'll get a link, no password, and next year you start from this year's list instead of starting over.",{"title":162,"searchDepth":163,"depth":163,"links":476},[477,478,479,480,481,482],{"id":192,"depth":163,"text":193},{"id":298,"depth":163,"text":299},{"id":348,"depth":163,"text":349},{"id":394,"depth":163,"text":395},{"id":425,"depth":163,"text":426},{"id":470,"depth":163,"text":471},"Turn a spreadsheet of names and addresses into printed labels: tidy the columns, keep ZIP codes from losing their zeros, choose the sheet, and print at actual size.",{},"\u002Fguides\u002Fprint-address-labels-from-spreadsheet",{"title":184,"description":483},"How to print address labels from a spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets)","guides\u002Fprint-address-labels-from-spreadsheet","Tidy the columns, save the ZIP codes, pick the label sheet, and print at actual size.","7PMRN6ozEoAVM0-4fPz-IN_DREMVSB4amMQZjSL4ZRs",1793904664761]