How to Send a Letter or Postcard: Domestic
Sending a letter with USPS® is easy! Our video will help you with most letters and postcards you send domestically (inside the U.S.), including U.S. territories and military bases in the U.S. and abroad.
Send Mail: Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Choose Envelope or Postcard
Envelopes are for sending flat, flexible things, like letters, cards, checks, forms, and other paper goods. For just 1 $0.73 First-Class Mail® Forever® stamp, you can send 1 oz (about 4 sheets of regular, 8-1/2″ x 11″ paper in a rectangular envelope) to anywhere in the U.S.!
Step 2: Address Your Mail
Envelopes: Write your address (the “return” or “sender” address) in the top left corner. Write the delivery address (the “recipient” address) in the bottom center.
Postcards: Postcards come in different formats, so write the delivery address in the space it gives you (on the same side you write your message and put the stamp).
Step 3: Calculate Postage (& Add Insurance or Extra Services)
A First-Class Mail® Forever stamp costs $0.73 and goes in the upper right corner of the envelope. (You can also use any combination of stamps that adds up to $0.73.)
If your letter is heavier or bigger, or if you want to add insurance or extra services like Certified Mail® service, you’ll pay more.
A standard postcard stamp costs $0.56. (Large or square postcards will cost more.) Put the postcard stamp in the space provided near the delivery address.
Step 4: Send Your Mail
Once your envelope or postcard has the correct addresses and postage, you can send it several ways, including putting it in your mailbox or dropping it in a blue collection box or at a Post Office™ location.
Bonus: Sending Mail Pro Tips
The Postal Service uses high-speed sorting machines to help process and deliver 425.3 million mail pieces each day. Here are some extra tips to improve your mail sending experience:
- Stay flexible: Don’t send rigid (hard) objects in paper envelopes.
- Sending embellished invitations (for weddings, graduations, etc.)? Get them hand-canceled or put them inside another envelope.
- Need tracking? Learn about your options.
