Guidelines for Trinity Mailings

The U.S. Postal Service has many guidelines and regulations for addressing and sending mail.  Trinity has additional guidelines as well.  This is a summary of the most basic and important guidelines that apply to official Trinity mailings.  For additional information, you may contact Trinity's Mailing Services staff or Director of Publications Jason Pier, or the U.S. Postal Service web site.

No Graphics or Text Below the Address Block

The U.S. Postal Service does not allow you to add any text below or in line with the recipient's address block because it interferes with the optical scanners used to sort mail.  While your mailing may go through, it will take longer or be delivered to the wrong address.

If you want to add a sticker, a graphic or line of text on the address side of your envelope or postcard to call attention to important information (i.e., Commencement Information Enclosed!  or Classes Begin Soon!), place it on the far left side of the mailing side, below the return address.

Click for the USPS Guideline for placement of addresses and other features.

Return Address

All official mail from Trinity must have a return address that includes the name of the office that is mailing the piece, the name of the institution [Trinity, or Trinity Washington University, or the official Trinity logo] and a complete mailing address.

Usage of Trinity's Mailing Permit

The U.S. Postal Service has extensive rules and regulations regarding the use of a U.S. Mailing permit.  If these rules and regulations are not followed, Trinity's mailing permit can be revoked.

A pre-printed image of Trinity's mailing permit for either non-profit or first class mailings is called an "indicia" - see samples below. DO NOT ADD A PRE-PRINTED INDICIA OF TRINITY'S MAILING PERMIT TO YOUR MAILING.  Trinity does not have the staff capacity to send out mailings from Trinity using a pre-printed "indicia."

Instead, leave the area for postage blank and Trinity's Mailing Services staff will meter your mail. 

Some offices do use a pre-printed indicia of Trinity's mailing permit on their publications. These are large mailings, designed to comply with U.S. Postal Service regulations, and are processed through a mailhouse that handles the sorting and paperwork. Offices that use the mailing permit work closely with the Trinity's Publications Office to ensure that the mailing meets U.S. Postal regulations. These offices also have postage budget lines to cover these mailings.

If your office does large mailings (2000+) and you are interested in exploring the options and cost analysis of using Trinity's mailing permit, contact Director of Publications Jason Pier.

These are examples of what NOT to put on your mailings:

Business Reply Mail

Trinity has a business reply mail (BRM) permit which also has many U.S. Postal Service rules and regulations. DO NOT reproduce a BRM address, bar code and permit and place it on your mailing.   You must contact Director of Publications Jason Pier if you want to use the business reply mail service.