EDDM Explained: Every Door Direct Mail for Small Businesses

You want every household in a few nearby neighborhoods to see your offer, but you do not have a mailing list, and buying one feels expensive and complicated. That is exactly the problem Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) was built to solve. Instead of mailing to names, you choose postal carrier routes on a map, and the U.S. Postal Service delivers your piece to the addresses on those routes.

EDDM is simple once you understand the rules, but the rules are specific: size, weight, bundling, paperwork and where you drop the mail off all matter. This guide walks through how EDDM works, what it costs in postage, how to design a piece that qualifies, and how to plan a first campaign that actually brings in calls.

What is EDDM?

EDDM is a USPS Marketing Mail service for saturation mailings. You pick one or more carrier routes, and your mailpiece goes to the addresses on those routes. There are no names or street addresses printed on the piece. Instead, each one carries a simplified address, "Local Postal Customer," according to the USPS EDDM Retail fact sheet.

That makes it a strong fit for businesses that serve a defined area:

• Restaurants and cafes announcing a grand opening, a new menu or a delivery zone.
• Contractors and home services (roofing, HVAC, pest control, landscaping) working neighborhoods where they already have jobs.
• Realtors farming a subdivision with "just listed" and "just sold" mailers.
• Salons, gyms, dentists and clinics that draw most customers from a few miles away.
• Event planners and venues promoting a local event to the surrounding community.

EDDM Retail vs. EDDM BMEU

USPS offers two versions of the service. Most small businesses start with Retail.

Postage figures and the Retail limits come from the USPS EDDM page and the USPS Quick Service Guide 140. USPS adjusts prices periodically, so confirm the current rate before you budget. Budget for postage on top of printing.

Size and weight rules your piece must meet

EDDM pieces must qualify as flats, which is why a standard 4x6 postcard does not work. Per the USPS Quick Service Guide for EDDM Retail:

• At least one dimension must exceed 10-1/2 inches long, 6-1/8 inches high, or 1/4 inch thick.
• Maximum size is 15 inches long, 12 inches high and 3/4 inch thick.
• Maximum weight is 3.3 ounces per piece.

USPS lists 6.5 x 9 inch postcards, 8.5 x 11 inch oversized postcards and 4.25 x 14 inch tri-fold menus among popular sizes. In practice:

• 6.5 x 9 postcard: the budget-friendly starting point, with enough room for a photo, an offer and a clear call to action.
• 8.5 x 11 or larger postcard: more space and more presence in the mailbox, good for realtors and contractors showing before-and-after photos.
• Folded pieces (half fold, tri-fold): ideal for restaurant menus, service price lists or anything that needs more information than a postcard holds.

The indicia and address block

Every EDDM Retail piece needs a postage indicia printed in the top-right corner of the mailing side, and the simplified address. USPS gives the indicia wording as "PRSRT STD / ECRWSS / U.S. POSTAGE / PAID / EDDM RETAIL." BMEU mailings use a different indicia that includes your permit, so use the correct template for the version you choose.

Design tips for the mailing side:

• Leave the indicia and address area clean: no photos or busy backgrounds behind them.
• Put "Local Postal Customer" in plain, dark type on a light background.
• Ask your printer for an EDDM template before you design so the mailing panel lands in the right spot.

How to plan an EDDM campaign, step by step

1. Choose your routes

Use the free USPS EDDM online tool to search by city, neighborhood or distance from your business. It shows the carrier routes in that area, the number of addresses on each, and an estimated postage cost. You can also filter routes by demographics such as age, income and household size. Start with the routes closest to your business or where your best existing customers live.

2. Count before you print

Add up the address counts for the routes you selected and print to that number, plus a small buffer for spoilage. Ordering far more than your routes need just leaves boxes in the back office.

3. Write one clear offer

Saturation mail reaches everyone, including people who have never heard of you. Give them one specific reason to act: a first-visit discount, a free estimate or a seasonal special with an expiration date. Our postcard front and back guide covers how to lay this out.

4. Make it trackable

Use a promo code, a dedicated landing page or a QR code that points to the offer, not your homepage. That lets you see which routes and which mailing produced results.

5. Bundle, label and drop off

For Retail, USPS requires bundles of 50 to 100 pieces, no taller than 6 inches, with a facing slip on top of each bundle showing the piece count. You bring the bundles and a postage statement to the Post Office that delivers to your selected routes and pay there, or pay online in advance. If you are mailing to several ZIP Codes, that may mean more than one Post Office.

6. Repeat

One mailing introduces you. Many businesses plan a series to the same routes so the name becomes familiar. Decide in advance how many drops you can afford and space them out.

Print only or full service?

You have two ways to run EDDM with a printer:

• Print only: you receive printed pieces and handle routes, bundling, paperwork and drop-off yourself. Good if you are near the delivering Post Office and the mailing is small. KEOPSY offers EDDM Postcards Print Only and EDDM Print Only - Half Folds.
• Full service: the printer goes beyond printing to help get the mailing out. See EDDM Full Service Postcards and EDDM Full Service - Flyers, and check each product page for exactly what is included.

If you already have a customer list and want to reach specific people instead of whole routes, Direct Mail Postcards are the better fit. Our Central Florida direct mail guide compares both approaches.

EDDM pre-print checklist

• Routes chosen and total address count confirmed.
• Piece size qualifies as a flat and weighs 3.3 oz or less.
• Correct indicia for Retail or BMEU printed in the top-right of the mailing side.
• "Local Postal Customer" address line in dark type on a light background.
• One clear offer with an expiration date.
• Promo code, landing page or QR code for tracking, tested on a printed proof.
• Print quantity matches your routes, plus a small buffer.
• Files set up with bleed, CMYK and enough resolution (see our print-ready file checklist).

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a mailing permit for EDDM?

Not for EDDM Retail. USPS states that no special mailing permit is needed for Retail mailings. EDDM BMEU, which is used for larger mailings, does require a permit.

Can I use a regular 4x6 postcard for EDDM?

No. EDDM pieces must be flats, so at least one dimension has to exceed 10-1/2 inches long, 6-1/8 inches high or 1/4 inch thick. A 6.5 x 9 inch postcard is a common, qualifying choice.

How many pieces can I mail with EDDM Retail?

Each EDDM Retail mailing needs at least 200 pieces, and you can send up to 5,000 pieces per day per 5-digit ZIP Code. Larger campaigns usually move to EDDM BMEU.

Plan your EDDM mailing with KEOPSY

At KEOPSY, you pick the size, stock and quantity in the live configurator and see your price before you order. Every file is reviewed by a real person before it prints, so a missing indicia, artwork crowding the mailing panel or a low-resolution photo gets flagged before it turns into a reprint.

Need a design? Start in the KEOPSY AI Design Studio to build your EDDM postcard or flyer, then send it straight to print.