What is Every Door Direct Mail?
Every Door Direct Mail, or EDDM, is a USPS service for saturation mailing. You pick carrier routes on a map, and the carrier delivers your piece to every address on those routes along with the day's mail. Pieces are addressed generically to Postal Customer, so you do not buy or manage a list. EDDM Retail suits small businesses dropping off at a local Post Office; EDDM entered at a Business Mail Entry Unit suits large mailers, has no volume limit and is paid with a bulk mailing permit.
What size must an EDDM postcard be?
EDDM pieces must be flats. Under DMM 201.4, a flat is more than 11.5 inches long, or more than 6.125 inches high, or more than 0.25 inch thick, and no more than 15 inches long, 12 inches high or 0.75 inch thick. Meeting any one of the first three tests is enough. That is why a standard 6 × 9 postcard, which fails all three, does not qualify, while a 6.5 × 9 card clears the height test.
| Size | Longest side over 11.5 in? | Height over 6.125 in? | Qualifies as a flat? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 × 9 in | No | No | No, unless over 0.25 in thick |
| 6.5 × 9 in | No | Yes | Yes |
| 6 × 11 in | No | No | No, unless over 0.25 in thick |
| 8.5 × 11 in | No | Yes | Yes |
| 4.25 × 12 in | Yes | No | Yes |
| 12 × 15 in | Yes | Yes | Yes, at the maximum |
Use the Mailpiece Size Checker in the USPS EDDM Online Tool to confirm your exact piece. The 6 x 9 postcards guide explains why that popular size mails as a card rather than a flat.
What are the EDDM weight and volume limits?
Each piece must weigh 3.3 ounces or less to mail at the EDDM flat prices. EDDM Retail requires at least 200 pieces and allows up to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code. When USPS updated its EDDM page, retail postage was $0.26 per piece and BMEU postage was as low as $0.259 per piece. Postage changes, so check the current rate in the online tool before you set a budget.
What goes on the address side of an EDDM postcard?
Two elements are required: the generic address and the postage indicia. The address reads Postal Customer, formatted as the USPS instructions and template show. The EDDM Retail indicia takes the place of a stamp and must appear above and to the right of the address block. USPS states it must be larger than 0.5 × 0.5 inch, set in capital letters at least 4 point in size, fit within the area 1.625 inches from the right edge and 1.375 inches from the top edge, and leave 0.125 inch of space around the top and right edges. Download the ready made indicia from USPS rather than drawing your own.
How should you design the offer on an EDDM postcard?
Because every household on a route receives the piece, the message must work for people who have never heard of you. Lead with the offer and a reason to act now, show where you are, and make one response method obvious. Keep the front for the headline and image, and use the space on the back that is not reserved for the address and indicia for detail. For headline structure and wording, see offer copy.
How do you bundle and drop off an EDDM mailing?
After you pay in the online tool, print the forms and the EDDM facing slips. USPS instructs mailers to bundle pieces in stacks of 50 to 100, no higher than 6 inches, with a facing slip on top of every bundle showing the piece count. Take or ship the bundles to the Post Office that delivers the selected routes. If someone has asked not to receive your mail, list the address in the Do Not Deliver column on the facing slip.
How do you budget and track an EDDM campaign?
Add printing and postage for the total route count, then decide what response would repay it. A break even calculator divides campaign cost by your contribution per sale to show how many incremental sales you need. For measurement, add a dedicated web address or a code with QR tracking so responses from the mailing can be separated from other traffic. The campaign budget guide covers splitting spend across mailings.
Route choice matters as much as design. The online tool shows the number of addresses on each route and lets you filter by census data such as age, household size and income. Choose routes where the offer is relevant and that you can serve, then set the print quantity from the confirmed address count so you neither run short nor pay for a surplus.
What should you check before printing EDDM postcards?
- Routes chosen and total address count confirmed in the EDDM Online Tool
- Piece size passes the flat test and the Mailpiece Size Checker
- Weight of the finished piece is 3.3 ounces or less
- Address reads Postal Customer, formatted as the USPS template shows
- EDDM Retail indicia downloaded from USPS and placed upper right
- Quantity matches the route count plus a small spare allowance
- Bundles of 50 to 100 pieces, no higher than 6 inches, with facing slips
- Drop off date and Post Office location noted from the order summary
Direct mail postcards are printed to USPS compliant sizes and bundled for drop off, starting at $169.99 for 200; postage is paid to USPS separately.
Frequently asked questions
What size postcard can I use for EDDM?
Your piece must be a flat: more than 11.5 inches long, more than 6.125 inches high, or more than 0.25 inch thick, and no larger than 15 × 12 inches or 0.75 inch thick. Sizes such as 6.5 × 9 and 8.5 × 11 inches qualify on height. Confirm the exact piece with the Mailpiece Size Checker in the EDDM Online Tool.
How much does EDDM postage cost?
When USPS last updated its EDDM page, EDDM Retail postage for Marketing Mail flats was $0.26 per piece, and BMEU mailings were as low as $0.259 per piece, for pieces up to 3.3 ounces. Printing is a separate cost. Check the current postage in the EDDM Online Tool before finalizing a budget, because rates change.
How many EDDM postcards can I mail at once?
EDDM Retail requires at least 200 pieces and allows up to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code. Larger campaigns can be split across days or entered through a Business Mail Entry Unit, which has no volume limit but requires a Business Customer Gateway account and a bulk mailing permit.
Do I need a mailing list for EDDM?
No. EDDM delivers to every address on the carrier routes you select, and pieces are addressed to Postal Customer. You choose routes on the USPS map, which shows address counts and can filter by census data such as age, household size and income. If a resident asks not to receive your mail, list that address as Do Not Deliver on the facing slip.
Sources & specification notes
The references below support the relevant technical or product details in this guide. Examples and checklists are not claims of practical testing or universal supplier requirements. Confirm the current specifications for your chosen product before production.
- USPS: Every Door Direct Mail ↗
EDDM Retail volume and weight limits, postage, indicia placement and bundling instructions.
- USPS DMM 201: physical standards for commercial mail ↗
Section 4 defines flat size mailpieces and their maximum dimensions.
