I read somewhere a few things that were supposedly unprofessional when sending your picture and resume to agents or CDs.
This person said you shouldn't even write on the envelope, rather use labels, even for the recipient address. They said your letter and resume should be typed of course, but anything less that heavy weight, "resume paper" was unprofessional. Their entire article went on about things like this that I consider to be minute details. I understand that you should ALWAYS type your letters, keep business format, and be formal, but is all this really necessary?

ALSO, I was wondering if you need to put your return address on the outside the envelope of your submission if it is already on your resume or elsewhere in the papers you are sending?

I don't know what you were reading but it was a little off. A lot of the stuff mentioned in the article is not necessary. It seems like that article is trying to get actors, who are on a budget anyway, to spend/waste money.

-You don't need to use the "resume paper" which I'm sure is more expensive.
-You can write on the envelope. You don't have to spend extra money on getting those mailing labels.

You should put your return address on the outside of the envelope like anything else you would mail out. However, you should not have your return address on your resume. Also, you really don't have to put your return address on the cover letter.

The only other "rule" I"ve heard is

"Don't fully seal the envelope. Just tuck the flap inside or affix flap with a small piece of tape at one point only. The Envelope needs to have "immediate access" because so many mailings come through their offices, they can't be bothered opening mail in a traditinal fashion."

True?

While you might need to invest in that kind of paper to apply for a job with a law firm, it isn't even needed for most corporate jobs any more. Details are important--details like making sure there are no typos on your resume or cover letter, but I wouldn't sweat the paper choice.

I've heard the same as rfan. Casting Directors are busy people and the last thing they want to do is pry open an envelope. If it is sealed completely and requires too much effort to open, your headshot will probably go in the garbage.

What about using the envelopes where your picture can be seen without opening the envelope? Should you still not seal it?