Every Door Direct Mail, or EDDM, is a United States Postal Service program that lets a business mail a printed piece to every address on a postal carrier route without buying or building a mailing list. You choose the routes, USPS delivers your piece to every active mailbox on them, and each piece is addressed to “Postal Customer” instead of a person’s name. It is the simplest way to blanket a neighborhood with print.
If you have ever wanted to reach a whole zip code or a cluster of streets around your storefront, EDDM is the tool built for exactly that. Ka-Pow!
Key Takeaways
- EDDM is a USPS service that delivers your printed piece to every address on the postal routes you pick, so no mailing list is required.
- EDDM Retail lets you send at least 200 and up to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code with no postage permit needed.
- Postage is a flat rate per piece. USPS Marketing Mail flats for EDDM Retail are currently $0.26 per piece for a piece up to 3.3 ounces.
- The piece must qualify as a flat, not a letter, so size, thickness, and a facing slip on each bundle all matter.
- EDDM trades precision for reach. If you need to name individual recipients, an addressed direct mail campaign fits better.
What EDDM actually is
EDDM is a saturation mailing service run by the United States Postal Service, and its defining feature is that your mail goes to every address on a route with no list. Pieces are addressed to “Postal Customer,” and USPS delivers to every active delivery point on the routes you select. That single design choice removes the biggest cost and hassle of traditional direct mail: sourcing, cleaning, and paying for a list of names and addresses.
Think of it as choosing a map instead of a spreadsheet. You are not picking people. You are picking places, and everyone who lives or works in those places gets the piece.
How EDDM works, step by step
With EDDM Retail you can send at least 200 and up to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code, with no special mailing permit needed. The process is short once the artwork is right:
- Pick your routes, not names. Use the USPS EDDM Online Tool to map ZIP Codes and neighborhoods. You can even filter by age, income, or household size using U.S. Census data to focus on the routes that match your customer.
- Design the piece to qualify. EDDM mailers travel as flats, so the size and thickness have to meet postal rules. This is the step most in-house attempts get wrong.
- Print and bundle. Pieces are grouped into bundles, and each bundle ships with a facing slip that tells the Post Office where it goes.
- Drop and deliver. Retail mailings are dropped at the Post Office for the selected ZIP Code, and carriers deliver a piece to every address on the routes you chose.
What EDDM costs
Postage for EDDM is a flat per piece rate, and USPS Marketing Mail flats for EDDM Retail are currently $0.26 per piece for a mailer up to 3.3 ounces. Because the rate is flat and does not depend on named targeting, the cost per household is usually lower than an addressed mailing. There are two ways to send, and they price a little differently:
| Option | Volume | Permit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| EDDM Retail | 200 to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code | No permit needed | A single location saturating nearby neighborhoods |
| EDDM BMEU | Higher volumes across many routes | Business mailing permit required | Multi location and franchise programs |
Two things drive your total: the print cost of the piece itself and the postage. At MPress we quote postage separately from print so you can see both numbers clearly before anything goes to press. We do not publish blanket pricing, because a real quote depends on the size, stock, quantity, and routes you choose.
EDDM Retail or EDDM BMEU, which one fits
The split comes down to volume and whether you want to manage a permit. EDDM BMEU pricing can run as low as $0.259 per piece, slightly under Retail, but it requires a business mailing permit and a drop at a Business Mail Entry Unit.
- Choose Retail when a single location wants to own the neighborhoods around it. Up to 5,000 pieces per ZIP Code per day, no permit, and a simple Post Office drop.
- Choose BMEU when you are running many routes at once or mailing large volumes. It is the route most multi location and franchise programs take.
Not sure which one your campaign needs? Tell us the footprint you want to cover and we will map it to the right option.
Why saturation mail still reaches people
Physical mail is not a small channel. USPS delivered mail and packages to 170.4 million delivery points in fiscal year 2025, which is the reach EDDM taps into one route at a time. Advertising mail remains a major format too: USPS Marketing Mail volume was 56.8 billion pieces in fiscal year 2025.
Those numbers matter because saturation only works if the mailbox is still a place people check. It is. A well designed EDDM piece lands in the same daily stack as everyone else’s mail, so a strong offer and a clear message do the heavy lifting. BAM!
The scale behind saturation mail
How much reach a carrier route actually represents
EDDM taps the same delivery network that carries every other piece of mail.
Sources: USPS Facts, delivery points and Marketing Mail volume, fiscal year 2025; USPS Every Door Direct Mail.
EDDM versus a targeted mailing list
EDDM wins on cost and simplicity, but it is not personal. Every piece on a route is identical and addressed to “Postal Customer,” so you cannot greet a recipient by name or tailor an offer to their history. When personalization is the point, a variable data printing campaign on an addressed list is the better tool, because it changes names, offers, and images piece by piece.
A simple way to choose:
- Use EDDM when you want broad local awareness, your offer applies to almost anyone in the area, and you would rather spend on reach than on a list.
- Use an addressed list when you are speaking to known customers, mailing a narrow niche, or need the message to change by recipient.
Many businesses run both across the year, using EDDM to introduce themselves widely and addressed mail to follow up with the people who respond.
Designing an EDDM piece that qualifies
Because EDDM mailers are flats and not letters, size and thickness decide whether the piece qualifies, and each bundle has to carry a facing slip. A design that ignores the postal spec gets quoted at a higher rate or rejected at the counter, which is why the setup matters as much as the look.
Our prepress team sets the artwork to qualify before it goes on press, sizing the piece as an EDDM flat, positioning the indicia and address area correctly, and preparing the bundles and facing slips. You bring the offer and the brand. We make sure the postal side is clean so the mailing does not stall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a mailing list to use EDDM?
No. That is the whole point of EDDM. Pieces are addressed to “Postal Customer,” and USPS delivers to every address on the routes you select, so there is no list to buy or maintain.
How many pieces can I send with EDDM Retail?
EDDM Retail allows at least 200 and up to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code, and no special mailing permit is required. For higher volumes, EDDM BMEU is the path, and it does require a business mailing permit.
How much does EDDM postage cost?
USPS Marketing Mail flats for EDDM Retail are currently $0.26 per piece for a mailer up to 3.3 ounces. Print cost is separate, and your total depends on the size, stock, and quantity you choose.
Can I choose who receives my EDDM mail?
You choose routes, not individuals. Using the USPS EDDM Online Tool you can filter routes by age, income, or household size from U.S. Census data, but every address on a selected route still gets the piece.
Is EDDM better than an addressed mailing?
It depends on the goal. EDDM is cheaper and simpler for broad local reach. An addressed, personalized mailing is stronger when you need to name recipients or tailor the message, which is where variable data printing comes in.
Ready to blanket your neighborhood?
If EDDM fits your next campaign, MPress prints, bundles, and preps the mailing to qualify so you can focus on the offer. Request a quote, upload your file, or call us at (504) 524-8248 and we will map the routes with you.