What Is EDDM? Meaning, Cost & USPS Rules
EDDM lets you mail a printed piece to every home on a USPS carrier route, no mailing list required. Here is what Every Door Direct Mail means, how Retail and BMEU differ, what it costs, and exactly what to print.
EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) is a USPS program that delivers your printed piece to every address on a carrier route without a mailing list. You select neighborhoods on a map and pay one flat rate per piece. EDDM Retail needs no permit and caps at 5,000 pieces per ZIP per day. EDDM BMEU lifts the cap but requires a mailing permit. Your piece must qualify as a flat and carry the ECRWSS indicia.
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EDDM meaning in one paragraph
Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is the USPS way to send a printed piece to every mailbox on a carrier route without buying or renting a single address. You pick neighborhoods on a map, print an EDDM-size postcard or flyer, and pay one flat rate per piece. EDDM Retail is the no-permit small-business path capped at 5,000 pieces per ZIP a day. EDDM BMEU removes the cap for high-volume mailers. Get the size, indicia, and stock right and a whole neighborhood hears from you at once.
What is Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)?
Every Door Direct Mail, almost always shortened to EDDM, is a United States Postal Service program that lets you mail a printed piece to every address on a carrier route without ever touching a mailing list. You choose neighborhoods on a map, USPS delivers your piece to each door along those routes, and you pay a single simplified rate per piece instead of buying stamps or renting names.
That last part is what makes the EDDM meaning click for most business owners: the barrier to mailing a whole neighborhood used to be the list. You needed addresses, and clean addresses cost money and go stale fast. EDDM removes the list from the equation entirely. If you want the pizza shop, the dentist, and the moving company down the street to all get your direct mail postcard, you just select their carrier routes and print enough pieces to cover them.
It is a saturation tool, not a sniper rifle. EDDM is at its best when your offer works for nearly everyone on a street, which is exactly why local services, grand openings, and seasonal promotions lean on it. For a wider view of where it sits, our guide on types of direct mail advertising maps EDDM against every other format you can send.
EDDM Retail vs EDDM BMEU: pick the right lane
EDDM comes in two versions, and choosing the right one up front saves a lot of confusion at the Post Office counter. EDDM Retail is the small-business lane: no mailing permit, no address list, and a cap of 5,000 pieces per ZIP code per day. You bundle your pieces, fill one form, and drop them at the local Post Office that serves your routes. For most neighborhood campaigns, this is all you will ever need.
EDDM BMEU (short for Business Mail Entry Unit, the commercial path) lifts the 5,000-piece daily cap so you can mail at real volume, but it asks for an annual USPS mailing permit and more bulk paperwork, and you enter the mail through a BMEU rather than a retail counter. Think of Retail as walk-in and BMEU as wholesale.
Not sure a saturation blast is even the right move? If your offer only suits a slice of the population, a targeted list can beat blanket coverage. Weigh both in our guide on how to build or rent a mailing list, and design the whole effort deliberately with how to create a successful direct mail campaign.
How EDDM works, step by step
The EDDM process is refreshingly linear once you have seen it once. Here is the whole thing from idea to doorstep:
- Choose your routes. Open the USPS EDDM online tool, search your area, and select carrier routes on the map. You see household counts and basic demographics, and you pay nothing for the coverage data.
- Design the mailer. Lay out a postcard or flyer at an EDDM-legal size with space reserved for the ECRWSS indicia. Our online designer keeps the safe margins and endorsement block in the right place, and design templates give you a running start.
- Print it on real stock. Send it to print full color on a heavy paper that qualifies as a USPS flat. Order free paper samples first if you want to feel the weight before committing.
- Bundle and fill the form. Band your pieces in stacks of 50 or 100 and complete PS Form 3587, the EDDM Retail facing slip, listing your routes and counts.
- Drop it off. Take the bundles and paperwork to the Post Office that serves your routes, pay the per-piece postage, and carriers deliver to every door.
Want the postcard-specific version with the fine print? Our 5 quick steps to send direct mail postcards zooms in on that format. And once the mechanics are handled, how to 4X your direct mail results covers the offer and creative that actually move the needle.
EDDM size, postage, and mailing requirements
EDDM only works if your piece qualifies as a flat, which means it has to be bigger than an ordinary postcard. The piece must be taller than 6.125 inches or longer than 11.5 inches, and it cannot exceed 12 inches by 15 inches by three-quarters of an inch thick. Popular EDDM sizes that clear the bar comfortably include 6.5 x 9, 8.5 x 11, and 9 x 12.
Every piece also carries the ECRWSS endorsement (Enhanced Carrier Route Walk Sequence Saturation) in the indicia, which tells the carrier to deliver to every address in walk order. Skip it and the mailing can be turned away. Postage is a flat EDDM Retail rate per piece set by USPS and updated from time to time, so check the current figure on usps.com before you lock a budget. The exact dimensions and safe zones live in our EDDM postcard sizes guide.
Here is how the two EDDM paths compare on the rules that matter:
| Requirement | EDDM Retail | EDDM BMEU |
|---|---|---|
| Mailing list | Not required | Not required |
| USPS permit | Not required | Required (annual mailing permit) |
| Daily piece limit | 5,000 per ZIP code, per day | No cap |
| Minimum size | Larger than 6.125 in tall or 11.5 in long | Larger than 6.125 in tall or 11.5 in long |
| Maximum size | 12 in tall x 15 in long x 0.75 in thick | 12 in tall x 15 in long x 0.75 in thick |
| Indicia | EDDM Retail indicia with ECRWSS | Permit imprint with ECRWSS |
| Drop-off | Local Post Office for the routes | Business Mail Entry Unit |
USPS sets and periodically updates EDDM postage and rules. Confirm current figures on usps.com before you mail.
What to print for an EDDM campaign
Almost any mailable flat can ride the EDDM rails, but a few formats do the heavy lifting. Oversized direct mail postcards are the workhorse: one big image, one clear offer, no envelope to open, and the message is in front of the reader the instant they reach the mailbox. They are the fastest, cheapest way to test a neighborhood.
Direct mail flyers give you more room to sell across a full sheet, which suits menus, service lists, and event lineups. When you need to tell a longer story or fold in a coupon, direct mail brochures carry multiple panels while still meeting flat requirements. For the whole mailable lineup in one place, browse the direct mail services collection.
Whichever format you choose, the print quality is what separates a piece that gets kept from one that gets tossed. Heavier stock, sharp full color, and a clean finish signal that the sender is real. See the formats that convert best in our roundup of the most effective direct mail formats and real-world direct mail marketing examples.
What EDDM costs and how pricing works
Budgeting an EDDM campaign means adding two numbers: postage and printing. Postage is the flat EDDM Retail rate USPS charges per piece, which stays the same no matter what you print, so it is a fixed line you look up on usps.com. Printing is the part you steer, and it scales with the usual levers: quantity (more pieces lower the unit price), size, paper stock, and finish.
At 4OVER4.COM the price updates live in the configurator as you adjust each option, so there is no guessing. Direct mail postcards start around $18.94, and the per-piece cost keeps dropping as the run climbs, which is exactly the direction you want for a saturation mailing. Stretch the budget further with bulk discounts on large runs, and earn coins on every order you place.
Before you decide EDDM is the cheapest channel, look at what it returns. The numbers in our direct mail response rate benchmarks and direct mail ROI data show why printed mail still earns its postage, especially when you compare it to the inbox in direct mail vs email.
The workflow
The 5 steps of an EDDM mailing
Choose your routes
Open the USPS EDDM online tool, drop a pin on your area, and select the carrier routes you want. You see the household count and demographics for each route, and you never touch a mailing list.
Design the mailer
Lay out an EDDM-size postcard or flyer with room for the ECRWSS indicia. Start from a template or build it in our online designer so the safe margins and address block are already correct.
Print it right
Print full color on a heavy stock that qualifies as a USPS flat. This is the step that decides whether your piece stands up in the mailbox or gets buried, so the paper choice matters.
Bundle and fill the form
Stack your pieces in bundles of 50 or 100, band them, and complete PS Form 3587 (the EDDM Retail facing slip) with your route selections and piece counts.
Drop at the Post Office
Take the bundles and paperwork to the Post Office that serves your chosen routes, pay the per-piece postage, and the carriers deliver to every door on their next round.
Infographic
How EDDM reaches every door
From map to mailbox in five moves. Save it as a checklist the next time you plan a saturation mailing.
EDDM is a saturation tool: choose the routes, print the piece right, handle the paperwork, and USPS puts your mailer in front of every household on the block.
Specs and pricing
Direct mail postcard specs and live pricing
The classic EDDM piece is an oversized postcard. Here are the live specs and price-per-unit for direct mail postcards at 4OVER4.COM, straight from the configurator.
| Quantity | Price Per Unit | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | 17.9¢ | $89.68 |
| 1,000 | 17.1¢ | $170.53 |
| 2,000 | 9.35¢ | $186.95 |
| 3,000 | 6.84¢ | $205.13 |
| 4,000 | 5.58¢ | $223.31 |
| 5,000 | 4.83¢ | $241.51 |
| 6,000 | 4.56¢ | $273.85 |
| 7,000 | 4.37¢ | $306.18 |
Print it
The pieces that ride the EDDM rails
Wally explains EDDM
Skip the list, mail the whole street
Wally's shortcut for EDDM: forget hunting down addresses. You point at neighborhoods on the USPS map, print a postcard or flyer big enough to count as a flat, tuck the ECRWSS line in the indicia, and the carrier does the delivering. The only thing that decides whether your piece gets kept or tossed is the print, so put it on heavy stock and let 4OVER4 make it land.
Print your EDDM postcards →See it in use
Real direct mail pieces, printed in-house
Explore more
Where to go next
By the numbers
Printing your EDDM mailer can count on
Common Questions
Common questions about EDDM
What does EDDM mean?
EDDM stands for Every Door Direct Mail, a United States Postal Service program that lets you send a printed piece to every mailbox on one or more carrier routes without owning a mailing list. Instead of buying names and addresses, you choose neighborhoods on the USPS EDDM map and pay a simplified flat rate per piece, which is why small businesses use it to blanket a service area affordably.
What is the difference between EDDM Retail and EDDM BMEU?
EDDM Retail is the walk-in option built for small businesses: no mailing permit, no address list, a limit of 5,000 pieces per ZIP code per day, and you drop the bundles at the Post Office that serves your routes. EDDM BMEU (the commercial path, sometimes labeled EDDM Every Door Direct Mail through the Business Mail Entry Unit) removes the daily cap and can reach far larger volumes, but it requires an annual mailing permit and more bulk paperwork. If you are mailing a single neighborhood, Retail is almost always the right fit.
How much does Every Door Direct Mail cost?
EDDM has two cost pieces: postage and printing. USPS charges a flat EDDM Retail rate per piece that is set by the Postal Service and updated periodically, so confirm the current rate on usps.com before you budget. Printing is the part you control, and it scales with quantity, size, stock, and finish. Direct mail postcards at 4OVER4.COM start around $18.94 and the per-piece price drops as the run grows, so a full-neighborhood mailing stays surprisingly reasonable when print and postage are added together.
What sizes and stocks work for EDDM?
To qualify for the EDDM flat rate, your piece has to be larger than a standard postcard: taller than 6.125 inches or longer than 11.5 inches, and no larger than 12 inches by 15 inches by three-quarters of an inch thick. Popular EDDM sizes include 6.5 x 9, 8.5 x 11, and 9 x 12. Choose a heavier stock so the piece feels solid and survives the mailstream. Our guide on every door direct mail postcard sizes walks through the exact dimensions and safe margins.
Do I need a mailing list or a permit for EDDM?
For EDDM Retail, no. That is the whole point of the program: you skip the mailing list entirely by targeting carrier routes on a map, and you do not need a USPS mailing permit to drop off at the Post Office. If you would rather build or rent a targeted list for a more precise campaign, that is a different direct mail approach, and our guide on building or renting a mailing list covers when it beats the blanket coverage of EDDM.
What does ECRWSS mean?
ECRWSS stands for Enhanced Carrier Route Walk Sequence Saturation. It is the USPS endorsement that has to appear in the address area or indicia of an EDDM piece, and it tells the letter carrier to deliver the mailer to every address along their walking route in order. If your artwork is missing the ECRWSS line, the Post Office can reject the mailing, so it belongs on the piece from the design stage.
How long does EDDM take to print and deliver?
Printing turnaround at 4OVER4.COM depends on the product and quantity, and you can see the production time for your exact configuration in the price panel as you build the order. Once your bundles reach the Post Office, USPS EDDM delivery typically lands within a few business days as carriers work it into their normal routes. Plan your drop-off date backward from any event or promotion deadline so the pieces arrive in the window you want.
Get Started
Ready to blanket your neighborhood with EDDM?
Print your EDDM postcards, flyers, or brochures at 4OVER4.COM, sized and endorsed to mail. Adjust every option and watch your per-piece price update live.
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Gold Standard guarantees apply to all standard orders placed through 4over4.com. Price match requires verifiable proof of a competitor's published price for an equivalent product with matching specifications and turnaround time. Satisfaction guarantee covers manufacturing defects and print quality issues. Contact support with order number and documentation. On-time delivery rate based on tracked orders 1999 to 2026. Individual results may vary based on shipping carrier performance.
