- eddm direct mail guide online letter-size color copies run about 30.0¢ per sheet on 199 qty ($59.68 cart total) per side; Staples-style counters often quote 30.0¢ per sheet on 199 qty ($59.68 cart total) for the same page.
- A 214-page job totals near $27 online when duplex and collate are documented on proof.
- Total cost beats cents-per-page math once parking, rework, and rush enter the equation.
EDDM direct mail printing is how local businesses saturate neighborhoods without buying address lists. You pick USPS carrier routes on a map, print compliant flats, bundle for the carrier, and pay EDDM postage at drop-off. This guide covers workflow, postage math, design, and bundle prep. Pair it with our how to send print-ready files checklist when you export postcard art.
What is EDDM in plain language?
Every Door Direct Mail delivers one marketing piece to every address on selected USPS routes without a name list. Pick routes, print compliant mailers, bundle with labels, and pay EDDM postage at drop-off.
What is EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail)?
EDDM sits between shared mail saturation packages and expensive list buys. You control which routes receive your piece, when you drop, and what offer appears on the card, without paying list brokers or hygiene vendors. The trade-off: you cannot suppress individual addresses or personalize beyond a single message to the whole route.
How EDDM differs from traditional direct mail
Traditional list mail targets named households with higher postage and data costs. EDDM trades personalization for reach: one creative per route bundle with simplified USPS retail entry paperwork.
Who uses EDDM and why it works
Home services, healthcare, restaurants, and real estate teams use EDDM when offers fit a geographic radius. Response improves with a clear deadline and one tracked phone or QR on the card.
| Campaign type | EDDM fit | List mail fit |
|---|---|---|
| New location awareness | Strong, saturate surrounding routes | Moderate, if you have mover data |
| Seasonal service promo | Strong, repeat drops by route | Strong, if past customer file exists |
| Hyper-personal offer | Weak, single message only | Strong, variable data wins |
| Tight budget, no list | Strong, postage + print only | Weak, list cost adds up |
How the EDDM program works step by step
Think in four beats: choose routes, design compliant art, print and bundle, drop at USPS. Skip a beat and you rework at the counter.
Step 1: choose your carrier routes (no mailing list needed)
Start at the official USPS carrier route selection tool (linked from USPS EDDM business resources). Enter your business address or target ZIP, draw routes on the map, and note residential versus business versus total delivery counts. Export or write down route numbers and piece counts, you will print exactly that many mailers per drop, plus a few extras for spoilage. Many first campaigns cover five to fifteen routes; a dense urban route can exceed four hundred stops, so math adds quickly.
Step 2: design your EDDM mailer
Design for the mailbox, not the Instagram feed. One side carries the offer; the address panel side must leave room for the EDDM indicia, facing identification, and postal clear zones. Photography should survive fluorescent porch light; type should read at arm’s length. If you are exporting from Canva or InDesign, build at final trim with bleed on full-color edges and keep critical copy inside safe margins, same discipline as the print-ready checklist linked in the intro.
EDDM size requirements: what USPS requires
Common EDDM postcard size templates include 6.25×11 inch flats (standard EDDM retail), 6×9 inch postcards, and 6×11 inch formats depending on current USPS specs and whether you enter at retail or Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU). Height, length, thickness, and weight must fall within published ranges; indicia placement and “EDDM RETAIL” or “EDDM BMEU” markings must appear in designated areas. Sizes change occasionally, confirm against the live USPS quick reference before you print ten thousand pieces.
Step 3: print your EDDM postcards
Order from a shop that prints at EDDM-compliant dimensions on stock heavy enough for mail processing, typically 100 lb cover or equivalent for postcards. Ask whether indicia art is supplied as a template overlay or included in the proof. Bundling requires pieces facing the same direction in stacks of fifty or one hundred depending on entry type; rubber bands and facing slips are not optional extras, they are acceptance requirements.
Step 4: drop off at your local post office
Complete bundle labels online or at the counter, attach one label per bundle, and pay postage for the total count. Carriers receive sorted bundles by route; your mail lands within days, not weeks, when paperwork matches piece counts.
EDDM retail vs EDDM BMEU: which to choose
EDDM retail suits most small businesses: walk-in acceptance at participating post offices, simplified payment, piece minimums and maximums per bundle aligned with retail entry. EDDM BMEU entry targets higher volumes dropped at a Business Mail Entry Unit, often better per-piece postage at scale but more paperwork and drop logistics. If you are mailing under a few thousand pieces from your first campaign, retail is usually the learning path; BMEU becomes attractive when you are saturating entire ZIP codes monthly.
EDDM cost per door by quantity band
Illustrative total cost index (print + USPS EDDM postage) at common route sizes.
| 100 | 118 | 142 |
| 6×11 postcard | 8.5×11 flyer | 9×12 oversized |
| 100 | 112 | 135 |
| 6×11 postcard | 8.5×11 flyer | 9×12 oversized |
| 100 | 108 | 128 |
| 6×11 postcard | 8.5×11 flyer | 9×12 oversized |
Postage rates change; confirm current USPS EDDM retail/BMEU pricing before budgeting.
EDDM postage and cost breakdown
Cheap EDDM printing quotes mean little without postage in the same spreadsheet. Always calculate total cost per door.
Current USPS EDDM postage rate
USPS publishes EDDM retail and BMEU per-piece rates that update periodically, verify the live rate table before budgeting. Retail entry historically lands in a lower per-piece band than many first-class letter campaigns, which is why saturation stays affordable. Post offices accept payment at drop; some campaigns accrue surprisingly fast when ten routes multiply by four hundred doors each.
Total cost per door: printing + postage
Example math for planning (substitute your live postage rate): 2,000 doors × $0.20 postage = $400 postage. Printing 2,000 6×9 postcards at $0.08 each = $160 print. Design and prepress $0 if you use complimentary layout on your first drop. Total $560, or $0.28 per door touched, before response. Compare that to digital CPM in your metro; EDDM often wins on local awareness even at modest conversion rates.
How quantity breaks change your per-door math
Print cost per piece usually drops at volume breaks while postage stays flat per door. Model tiers before you commit to a route count and bundle spoilage into your highest realistic quantity.
| Line item | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Postage (EDDM retail) | USPS published rate | Paid at drop; confirm annually |
| Print (6×9 color both sides) | Low cents per piece at volume | Heavier stock costs more |
| Design | $0 with shop template | One strong offer per drop |
| Spoilage buffer | 1–2% extra pieces | Damaged in bindery or handling |
Best businesses for EDDM marketing
Not every brand needs every door. EDDM shines when lifetime value justifies broad local reach and the offer is easy to understand in three seconds.
Restaurants, pizza delivery, and food businesses
Coupon nights, grand openings, and delivery radius reminders fit EDDM perfectly. Pair the mailer with a menu insert offer code tracked at register. See our upcoming restaurant print guide for table-tent and takeout tie-ins.
Home services: plumbers, roofers, landscapers
Seasonal tune-ups, storm damage inspections, and lawn package renewals benefit from repeated route drops every quarter. Phone-number-forward creative beats QR-only when your audience skews older homeowners.
Healthcare, dental, and wellness
New patient specials and cleaning reminders work when compliance lines stay readable. Avoid tiny disclaimer type; use the back panel for legal copy so the front stays bold.
Real estate agents and mortgage brokers
Farming “just listed” corridors with EDDM keeps your face on the counter when listings hit. Combine with open-house flyers on the same brand template for consistency.
EDDM design tips for maximum response
Mailbox competition includes bills, grocery ads, and political mail. Your card must announce one promise immediately.
The best EDDM offers that drive calls
Specific beats vague: “$39 furnace tune-up through March 31” outperforms “Quality service you can trust.” Add deadline, geography, and one contact path. Repeat the phone number on both sides, many readers flip the card at the trash can and only then decide to call.
QR codes on EDDM mailers
Add a QR linked to a mobile landing page with the same offer as the card, UTM parameters for tracking, and a click-to-call button. Size the code inside safe zones; test scans under kitchen lighting before you print five thousand. Phygital follow-through, mail to landing page to booking, extends EDDM beyond the kitchen counter.
Map the funnel on paper before you design: mail side headline matches landing page headline; landing page form fields match what your staff can fulfill in forty-eight hours. Drop the QR if the mobile page is not ready, dead links waste the cheapest saturation channel you have.
Retargeting pixels on the landing page can reinforce the mail message for visitors who scanned but did not convert immediately. Print starts the story; digital completes it when the need ripens three days later.
“We mailed six routes for a dental recall campaign and logged thirty-eight booked appointments in three weeks. The proof caught an indicia panel swap before five thousand cards hit bindery.”
Maria T., dental office manager, Phoenix
EDDM printing at Cheap RUSH Printing
When you are ready to print, order EDDM postcards at compliant sizes with bleed, bundle-ready stacking, and optional indicia artwork on proof. Upload camera-ready PDFs or rough creative for complimentary layout, human-reviewed, not auto-sent to press. Fast turnaround matters because your drop appointment at the post office is a fixed slot in your launch calendar.
Free design, fast turnaround, affordable pricing
Our EDDM postcard printing product line includes common 6×9 and 6.25×11 formats sized for retail entry. Request a proof before payment on pay-later checkout; revise indicia placement or headline hierarchy without rerunning the whole campaign brief. For mixed mail and handout campaigns, bulk postcards at non-EDDM sizes can support front-desk stacks while EDDM handles the neighborhood.
EDDM glossary and USPS resources
Carrier route: USPS-defined delivery path; EDDM counts are tied to route numbers.
Facing slip: Document on top of a bundle showing route and count.
Indicia: Printed postage permit block replacing stamps.
Retail entry: Drop at a participating post office window.
BMEU: Business Mail Entry Unit for higher-volume drops.
Order our free print sample package to feel paper weights and finishes before you commit to a large run. Cheap, fast, and quality all start with the right stock choice.
Upload EDDM art or notes. We size indicia panels, proof both sides, and ship bundle-ready stacks before your USPS appointment.
Order EDDM postcards
Frequently asked questions
What paper stock should I pick for eddm direct mail guide?
Everyday handouts: 100lb gloss book near 19.5¢ per piece. Outdoor stacks or door bags: 14pt cardstock near 13.6¢. Matte cuts glare in bright your venues. Approve food photos or brand colors on the actual stock, not your monitor.
Do I need a proof before ordering eddm direct mail guide?
Yes when brand color, photos, QR codes, or small type matter. Proof review is the cheapest stage to catch bleed and font issues. Skipping proof to save an hour often triggers a reprint above $76. Approve at 100% zoom on the selected stock.
How many color copies should I order for your promotions?
Count reachable audience, not a round number. For your outreach, start with expected attendance or route households, then add 16% for staff handouts. A 454-piece run at 8.4¢ each totals about $50. Ordering slightly high avoids a second rush fee later.
Does double-sided printing cost twice as much for eddm direct mail guide?
Double-sided 4/4 adds impressions but billing is often per sheet, so the upcharge is usually 13.7¢ to 19.4¢ per piece, not a full double. Put maps or offers on the back when response gain exceeds about $15 in print cost.
What file format works best for eddm direct mail guide?
PDF with embedded fonts and 0.125 inch bleed is the safest upload. Office exports cause substitution at kiosks. Photos need 300 DPI at final trim size. Clean files keep prepress complimentary and hold online pricing near 19.5¢.
How does shipping affect eddm direct mail guide totals?
Ground shipping on a $50 print job might add $19 to $23 depending on ZIP. Model deadline as production days plus transit, not production alone. Expedited ship can exceed savings from a low per-piece teaser.
Where can I order eddm direct mail guide with proof before paying?
Upload at Cheap RUSH Printing, approve a free proof on your stock, then pay after sign-off. Browse color copies once specs are locked. Request the free sample package when choosing between stocks.
What hidden fees appear on eddm direct mail guide quotes?
Watch for setup fees ($27), hard-copy proof charges, cardstock upgrades, and per-side billing surprises. A 19.5¢ teaser rate can become 8.4¢ at checkout. Ask for an itemized cart before approval.