Journal · 4 min read
How to address a postcard
How do you address a postcard?
Turn the card to the side without the picture. Write your message on the left half. Put the recipient's name, street, and city, state and ZIP on the right half, and a postcard stamp in the top right. Keep the bottom 5/8 inch blank.
How to address a postcard, step by step
How to address a postcard comes down to four spots on the back. The diagram above shows each one, to scale.
01
Message on the left
Write your note on the left half of the back. Stop at the line down the middle, or about halfway if there isn't one.
02
Address on the right
Three lines on the right half: the name; the street number and name, with any apartment; then city, state and ZIP.
03
Stamp in the top right
Stick a postcard stamp in the top right corner of the back, above the address.
04
Bottom 5/8 inch blank
Keep writing, stickers and doodles out of the bottom 5/8 inch on the right. That strip is saved for the USPS barcode.
USPS machines read the address in a band: 1/2 inch in from each side, 5/8 inch to 2 3/4 inches up from the bottom.
Below the band sits the strip USPS keeps clear for its barcode. Both come from DMM 202, USPS's mail manual, checked October 13, 2026.
Write the address like this
- MARIA LOPEZ
- 123 MAIN ST APT 4
- ANYTOWN NY 12345
USPS prefers capitals and a straight left edge on every line. The apartment goes at the end of the street line. Commas are optional.
Spell the city out in full. Use the two-letter state code, then the ZIP.
Download the full-size diagram (PNG, 1800 × 1200) to print for a class. Free to use with a link back to this page.
This page covers where things go. For what to say, see what to write on a postcard, with 48 lines you can borrow.
Where the stamp goes on a postcard
The stamp goes in the upper right corner of the address side. That's the rule in DMM 604 1.7, not just habit.
A postcard stamp costs 65¢. A Forever stamp (82¢) also works, but overpays by 17¢.
Mailing a stack? Here's how much a postcard stamp costs, with a calculator for the total.
Prices from USPS, checked October 9, 2026.
Do you need a return address on a postcard?
No. A stamped postcard mailed in the US doesn't need one. It's optional.
Add it if you want the card back when it can't be delivered. Without one, an undeliverable card has nowhere to go.
Write it small in the top left corner of the back, above your message: your name, street, city, state and ZIP.
How to address a vertical postcard
USPS measures a postcard's length along the address, as you read it. So the direction you write the address decides the card's shape.
The size limits themselves, with a free printable template, are on postcard size.
Write it across the short side of a portrait 4×6 and USPS reads a card 4 inches long. DMM 601 1.1.4 calls that nonmailable.
The fix: turn the card sideways and write the address and stamp along the long edge. Your message can stay upright.
How to address a postcard to another country
Write the address in capitals, city and postcode on one line. The country name goes alone on the last line, spelled out (IMM 122.1).
Postage is one Global Forever stamp ($1.75), to any country. USPS recommends a return address on international mail, so add yours.
Sending from your phone instead? Here are postcard apps that mail abroad. We only mail to US addresses.
How to send a postcard once it's addressed
No envelope. Drop the card in a blue USPS collection box, or leave it in your own mailbox with the flag up.
First-Class Mail takes 1 to 5 days in the US, per USPS.
Mailing in December? Check when to mail Christmas cards before you go.
Skip the stamp
Don't have a stamp, or a card? Make one here with your photos, and send a postcard without a stamp.
After you pay, you tell us the address. We print a 4×6 glossy photo postcard, add the postage and mail it USPS First-Class.
No app and no account needed. FamilyLetter publishes this guide and makes these cards. Here's how to mail a postcard online with us.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to write "To" and "From" on a postcard?
- No. Position does the job: the recipient's address goes on the right half, and an optional return address goes small in the top left.
- Can you put a stamp on a postcard sideways?
- USPS rules say where the stamp goes, the upper right corner of the address side, not which way up. Put it upright in the top right and you're covered.
- Can I use a Forever stamp on a postcard?
- Yes. A Forever stamp (82¢) covers a postcard, but a postcard stamp is 65¢, so you overpay by 17¢.
- Does a postcard need an envelope?
- No. A postcard goes in the mail as it is, address and stamp on the back.
- Can I write on the picture side of a postcard?
- Yes. USPS's postcard rules cover the address side, the one with the address and stamp. Keep that side readable and the picture side is yours.
- How long does a postcard take to arrive?
- First-Class Mail takes 1 to 5 days in the US, according to USPS.
