What is EDDM®? A plain-English guide to Every Door Direct Mail®
Every Door Direct Mail® (EDDM®) is a USPS service that delivers your postcard or flyer to every address on the mail carrier routes you pick. You don't need names, addresses or a mailing list. It's one of the simplest and most affordable ways for a local business to reach a whole neighborhood.
How EDDM® works
- Pick your routes. Every ZIP Code is split into carrier routes, the path one mail carrier covers. Each route usually has a few hundred homes. You choose routes on a map based on where your customers are.
- Choose who gets it. Send to residential addresses only, or to every home and business on the route.
- Print a flat-size piece. EDDM® pieces must be "flats", which are larger than a standard postcard (sizes below). Instead of a name and address, each piece carries an EDDM® indicia and is addressed to "Postal Customer".
- Bundle and drop off. Pieces are bundled in stacks of 50 to 100 with a USPS facing slip and taken to the Post Office that serves those routes.
- The carrier delivers. Your mail goes out with the regular mail to every address on the routes you paid for.
A mail house like Best Direct Mail handles the printing, indicia, bundling, paperwork and drop-off for you.
EDDM® size requirements
To qualify as a flat, a piece must meet at least one of these: longer than 10.5 inches, taller than 6.125 inches, or thicker than 0.25 inch. It can be no larger than 15 × 12 inches and 0.75 inch thick. The most common EDDM® postcard sizes are:
- 6.25 × 9 inches, the most affordable size to print
- 6.25 × 11 inches, the most popular, with room for photos and an offer
- 8.5 × 11 inches, a big piece that stands out in the mailbox
Advantages of EDDM®
- No mailing list to buy. You save the cost and hassle of renting, cleaning and updating a list.
- Low postage. EDDM® rates are among the lowest USPS offers for advertising mail.
- Full coverage of an area. Every home on a route gets your piece, which is ideal for businesses that serve a neighborhood, like restaurants, home services, dentists and real estate agents.
- Big, eye-catching format. Flat-size pieces are larger than standard postcards and get noticed.
- Fast to launch. With no list to prepare, a campaign can go from design to mailbox quickly.
Disadvantages and limitations
- No individual targeting. You can't pick specific people by age, income or interest. Everyone on the route gets the same piece, including people who will never be customers.
- No personalization. Pieces say "Postal Customer", not a name, so you can't add personal offers or variable data.
- Larger pieces cost more to print. Standard 4 × 6 postcards don't qualify, so printing costs are higher than for a small postcard.
- Whole routes only. You mail to every address on a route (or every home), not part of a street or a single building.
- Volume limits on Retail. EDDM® Retail caps each ZIP Code at 5,000 pieces per day. Larger campaigns need the BMEU option.
- Less tracking. Because pieces aren't addressed, you can't track or measure response address by address the way you can with a list.
EDDM® vs. targeted direct mail
Targeted direct mail is mail sent to a specific list of names and addresses, such as your own customers or a list chosen by home value, age or business type.
| EDDM® | Targeted direct mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Who receives it | Every address on chosen routes | Only the people on your list |
| Mailing list | Not needed | Your own list or a rented list |
| Personalization | None ("Postal Customer") | Names, custom offers, variable data |
| Mail sizes | Flats only | Postcards, letters and flats of any standard size |
| Postage | Low flat EDDM® rate | Marketing Mail or First-Class, lower with presort discounts |
| Best for | Saturating a neighborhood around your business | Reaching specific customers anywhere |
Many businesses use both: EDDM® to build awareness around their location, and targeted mail to follow up with past customers or a specific audience.
Is EDDM® right for your business?
EDDM® works best when your customers live near you and most households could use what you offer. Think pizza places, landscapers, plumbers, gyms, dentists, real estate agents and new store openings. If you sell to a narrow group, like owners of homes worth over a certain amount or a specific business type, targeted direct mail is usually the better fit.
EDDM® Retail vs. EDDM® BMEU
| EDDM® Retail | EDDM® BMEU (commercial) | |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 200 to 5,000 pieces per ZIP Code per day | No volume limit, several ZIP Codes at once |
| Permit | None needed | Bulk mailing permit (a mail house uses its own) |
| Weight | Up to 3.3 oz per piece | Heavier pieces allowed, priced by weight |
| Drop-off | Local Post Office | USPS Business Mail Entry Unit |
| Postage | A low flat rate per piece set by USPS, well below First-Class postage. USPS updates prices once or twice a year. | |
What EDDM® costs
With printing, postage and mailing included, EDDM® runs about $0.40 to $0.72 per home, depending on the postcard size and how many you send. See our EDDM® cost guide for full 2026 prices at 1,000 to 10,000 pieces.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a mailing list for EDDM®?
No. EDDM® pieces are addressed to "Postal Customer" and the mail carrier delivers one to every address on the routes you choose. You never buy or upload a list.
Can I send regular 4 × 6 postcards with EDDM®?
No. EDDM® only accepts flat-size mail, so standard 4 × 6 or 5 × 7 postcards don't qualify. Popular EDDM® sizes are 6.25 × 9, 6.25 × 11 and 8.5 × 11 inches.
Can I choose only homes and skip businesses?
Yes. For each route you can mail to residential addresses only, or to every residential and business address.
How many pieces do I need?
With EDDM® Retail you can mail from 200 up to 5,000 pieces per ZIP Code per day. With EDDM® BMEU (the commercial option) there is no volume limit and you can cover several ZIP Codes at once.
Can I target people by age or income?
Not person by person. Every address on a route gets your mail. What you can do is pick routes whose neighborhoods fit your customers, using the income, age and household figures we show for each route.