How to Write a Professional Mailing Address on an Envelope

Even in an age in which you can connect electronically with people around the world in seconds, the traditional approach of sending mail still has an application in business. The process of writing a professional mailing address on an envelope is similar to personal mail, but you need to know the business name and the recipient's suite number or floor. By following the proper process, you help your mail get delivered to the right person in a timely manner.

Write the entire mailing address in capital letters. If you're using your computer printer to print the address onto stick-on labels or print the address directly on the envelope, use 10-point font size or larger. Align the address to the left and print with black ink. If you use the computer, select a font that's clear and legible. Times New Roman and Arial are two fonts prevalent in business correspondence.

Write the name of the recipient in the middle of the front of the envelope. The U.S. Postal Service reports that it doesn't require the use of titles such as "Mr." or "Ms." for business mail, although adding titles of this nature is acceptable, provided you know how the recipient wishes to be addressed. Ensure you spell the person's name correctly. Looking on the company website or consulting a business card lessens the risk of making a mistake.

Use the second line of the address part of the envelope for the company's name. On the next line, write the delivery address. For business mail, it's common to include a suite or floor number after the street address. For example, you could write, "123 MAIN ST STE 202." The USPS says to avoid punctuation when addressing business mail, so don't use periods or commas. Include the city, state and ZIP code on the next line.

If you don't know the name of the person to whom you're writing, write the address as you normally would, but add "ATTN" and the desired department at the top of the address portion of the envelope. Writing this information below the address can cause the mail processing machine to misread your envelope. The USPS doesn't require you to add the recipient's title, so it's unnecessary to add "CEO" or another relevant title after the recipient's name. Write the return address on the upper left-hand corner of the envelope.