LetterAgent
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Usually, but cursive is the slowest way to move a letter through the system. Automated sorting equipment reads printed text best, clear block capitals next, and cursive last. A neatly written cursive address will still get there in most cases, but illegible or sloppy cursive gets kicked to manual handling, which adds days and raises the odds of a missort.
Automated equipment photographs the address block and reads it in a fraction of a second. Printed letters have consistent shapes; connected cursive strokes vary from writer to writer, so the software has to guess more often. Neat cursive usually gets through. Sloppy cursive, especially in names and numbers, gets kicked to human operators for manual keying, which adds days and raises the chance of a wrong guess. Think of it as a spectrum: machine print first, neat block capitals second, cursive last.
The same applies in Canada. Canada Post's sorting equipment reads typed addresses best and handles handwriting with the same handicap: the neater and more separated the letters, the better the read rate.
| Habit | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Print in block capitals | Separated, consistent letter shapes are far easier to read than connected script |
| Keep the last line perfect | City, state, and ZIP drive the routing decision, so legibility matters most there |
| Write numbers carefully | Most misreads are digits: close the loops on 6, 8, and 9, and cross your 7s |
| Use dark ink on plain paper | Contrast is what the camera sees; pale ink on patterned paper vanishes |
| Give the address room | Straight, well-spaced lines in the lower center of the envelope, parallel to the bottom edge |
Whenever the letter matters: job applications, legal correspondence, payments, anything with a deadline. A printed label or a typed envelope removes handwriting from the equation entirely, and a window envelope does the same trick by letting the typed address inside show through. And always include a return address: if the destination can't be read, the letter comes back to you instead of sitting in a dead-letter pile.
No. Nobody's sorting machinery reads the letter itself, so a handwritten letter in beautiful script is perfectly fine: it's only the envelope address that has to survive the scanners. That's why the old etiquette survives intact: a personal note can be as loopy and expressive as you like, as long as the address on the outside is printed clearly. Keep the pretty handwriting for the page and the block capitals for the envelope.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is printed and mailed.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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