Address side format
Design and layout of the address side of envelopes and letters
Czech Post uses state-of-the-art sorting equipment from SIEMENS, which enables significantly faster processing of your mail items. Because we want to continuously improve the quality of our services, we ask for your close cooperation in adjusting the address side of your mail items. This is the only way to make the most of all the possibilities offered by the sorting equipment.
Mail envelopes for mechanized processing
Envelopes may have the following dimensions:
- length at least 140 mm, maximum 235 mm,
- width at least 90 mm, maximum 120 mm,
- thickness up to 5 mm.
The dimensions 162 mm x 229 mm are also permitted.
Recommended envelope dimensions
| Designation | Dimensions (width x length) in mm |
|---|---|
| C6 | 114 x 162 |
| DL | 110 x 220 |
| C6/C5 | 114 x 229 |
| C5 | 162 x 229 |
The permissible dimensional tolerance is ±2 mm.
Printing on the address side of envelopes
The basic printing on the address side of envelopes is shown in Figures 1 to 7 below . Envelopes less than 105 mm wide are not printed. The layout of the address side of envelopes is shown in Figure 8, which specifies the use of individual areas. Printing on envelopes must be uniform, without smudges, and must not smear. Luminescent inks must not be used for printing or other surface treatments.
Printing or imprinting on the address side by the manufacturer or user of the envelopes (company logos, advertising, etc.) may only be on the left side of the envelope, i.e. to the left of the address field, and must not prevent the placement of service notes or stickers by Česká pošta, s. p.
On envelopes without a window, the print (imprint) may be separated from the address area by a vertical dividing line (see Figure 3), at least 74 mm from the right edge of the envelope and at least 10 mm from the left edge of the address block, or the address area may be defined only by corner marks.
For window envelopes, there must be a gap of at least 10 mm between the left edge of the window and the print (imprint).
No printing or imprinting is permitted to the right of the window. If the envelope has printing in the upper right corner replacing the postage stamp (e.g., the words "Paid by transfer" and the relevant agreement number), there is no need to mark the space for affixing the stamp.
Window envelopes
The window may only be on the address side of the envelope and must be positioned at a distance of:
- at least 15 mm from the right or left edge of the envelope;
- at least 27 mm from the bottom edge of the envelope;
- at least 40 mm from the top edge of the envelope.
An example of the design is shown in Figure 7.
The window is rectangular in shape and its longer side is parallel to the longer side of the envelope. The minimum dimensions of the window are 35 mm (height) x 70 mm (length), and the maximum dimensions are 43 mm (height) x 105 mm (length); see Figure 7.
The window must be located in the lower right or left corner of the address side of the envelope and only the recipient's postal address may be visible in it.
If the window is on the left side of the envelope, there must be no printing to the right of the window, except for the alignment mark, which is an optional element. The transparent window insert must be colorless and glued around the entire perimeter on the inside of the envelope.
The window on window envelopes must not be framed by a colored stripe or border.
Postcards and greeting cards
Terms and definitions
Postcard: a cardboard card intended for short messages, distinguished as:
a) postal (incorrectly referred to as correspondence card) – with a printed postage stamp;
b) other, if they comply with the provisions of this standard, e.g.:
- commercial, reply or promotional with printed details of the sender or addressee;
- with congratulatory or condolence text
postcard: a printed product with an image printed on the non-address side of a cardboard card and an address printed on the address side, which is reserved for the address and a short message
address side: the side on which the address is printed
unaddressed (front) side: the side opposite the address side, on which the image is printed on postcards, on letter cards a blank side, or a side with commercial, advertising, or other text
Note: Since July 1, 2000, postcards are no longer a separate type of postal item; currently, "postcards" are included in the "Regular Mail or Registered Mail" service.
Technical requirements
Dimensions
Postcards and picture postcards are rectangular in shape, measuring between 90 mm x 140 mm and 105 mm x 148 mm, with a permissible deviation of ±2 mm. The permissible deviation in rectangularity is 0.5 mm per dimension. It is recommended that postcards and picture postcards be produced primarily in A6 format, i.e. 105 mm x 148 mm, with a permissible deviation of ±2 mm.
Cardboard properties
For the production of letter cards and postcards, it is necessary to use types of cardboard with a minimum weight of 180 g/m2. The whiteness of the cardboard is at least 78%.
Letter cards are made from wood-free cardboard in white or light pastel colors.
Postcards are usually made from white, single-sided coated cardboard. The coated or polished side is always the non-address side. Cardboard containing luminescent substances must not be used for the production of postcards and letter cards.
However, the use of fluorescent brightening agents is recommended only in minimal quantities.
The edges of postcards and picture postcards must be straight and smooth. In special cases where a postcard or picture postcard is part of another printed product (e.g., tickets), one edge may be uneven (perforated).
Both sides of letters and postcards must be smooth. Deep embossing or other surface treatments that impair handling, such as the gluing of decorative materials, are not permitted. Postcode boxes are printed in black. A slight reddish-brown or bluish tint is permitted, provided that the print contrast ratio of at least 0.7 is maintained.
The printing on the address side of the postcard is specified as follows:
- design according to Figures 9 and 10;
- design according to Figures 11 and 12 for handwritten addresses;
- provedení s předtištěnou adresou včetně PSČ při individuální výrobě dopisnic (např. odpovědní dopisnice). design with pre-printed address including postal code for individual production of postcards (e.g., reply postcards). This design must also include the basic print according to Figures 9 and 10. An example of a reply postcard with a pre-printed address is shown in Figure 13.
Cuttings, stickers, etc. made of thin paper may be affixed to the cardboard card – postcard, but they must be affixed over the entire surface.
The left side of the address side of the postcard can be used for text, pictures, and the like.
The printing on the address side of the postcard must correspond to Figures 11 and 12.
Writing postal addresses on parcels
The prerequisite for the fastest and smoothest delivery of a shipment to the recipient is to write the postal address with the appropriate attention and care.
The basic rule is that the postal address of a postal item is written in Latin script; if a script other than Latin script is used in the country of destination for postal items sent abroad, the address is written in that script, with the place and country of destination also indicated in Latin script. The recipient's address must not be written in red ink or with a medium containing luminescent dye. Sorting machines are unable to process such items. If the address is handwritten, the recipient's name must be written in block letters. For domestic mail items, the postal code and name of the relevant post office must not be underlined. For international mail, the city and country must be written in capital letters and must not be underlined.
Adjustment of the postal address on the envelope for machine-printed addresses
(with pre-printed alignment marks and orientation marks)
The postal code and delivery location are on the last line of the address. There is one space between the three-digit and two-digit postal code, two spaces between the two-digit postal code and the delivery location, and one space between the delivery location and the postal district number (e.g., Prague 3).
The spacing between the lines of the address is approximately the same (min. 1 mm, max. 5 mm). See Figure 14.
The bottom edge of the address block must be more than 27 mm from the bottom edge of the item.
The top edge of the address block must be less than 40 mm from the top edge of the item.
There must be no background printing in the address block!!!
Font used for writing the address - recommended
- Arial CE computer font, size 12–14 (i.e., size in mm 2.5–4), normal or bold, character spacing – normal.
Verdana computer font, size 12–14 (i.e., size in mm 2.5–3.5), normal or bold, character spacing – normal spacing.
Courier New CE computer font, size 12–14 (i.e., size in mm 2.5–3.5), normal or bold, character spacing – spaces extended by one point. - For classic printing, use Helvetica font, size 3–5 mm, medium weight, medium width
- Typewriter (if characters touch, they must be separated by a space)
Character lines must be continuous, with a minimum space of 0.2 mm between characters. Decorative, calligraphic, broken, proportional, continuous, and italic fonts must not be used. The font must be black, contrasting,
Additional conditions:
- There must be no underprinting on envelopes and labels in the address zone and windows.
- Only the recipient's postal address may be visible in the windows of envelopes; when the contents of the envelope move, the entire address must always be visible.
- Envelopes must be sealed along the entire length of the flap.
- Postcards must be printed in accordance with the applicable standard.
Letter mail unsuitable for machine processing:
- larger than C5 format (162 x 229 mm),
- thicker than 5 mm,
- inflexible, damaged, or creased,
- containing any numerical, written, or graphic data below the postal code,
- with the address side printed on paper other than white or light yellow,
- with the address printed in a low-contrast color or a color other than black and blue,
- of uneven thickness, or containing objects (films, rolls, cassettes, keys, floppy disks, CDs, etc.),
- with a corrected or added address, forwarded, returned, or already barcoded,
- made of thin paper (vouchers, etc.),
- detachable delivery notes that were part of envelopes,
- mail for the blind,
- mail stuck together,
- with an address written in a grid.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact any post office, the ČP Contact Center or the Česká pošta, s.p. Customer Service Line. We will be happy to answer your questions. We offer you the opportunity to test your sample shipments on the sorting machines used by Česká pošta, s.p.