The short answer
Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is a USPS Marketing Mail service that delivers a flat-size flyer or large postcard to every address on the carrier routes you choose, with no names or addresses printed on the pieces. EDDM Retail postage is $0.260 per piece for flats up to 3.3 ounces (Notice 123 prices effective July 12, 2026), for 200 to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code, and printing is extra. IRIS does not offer EDDM; it mails individually addressed letters and postcards, one recipient per order.
How Every Door Direct Mail works
EDDM is saturation mail. Instead of buying or building a mailing list, you pick whole carrier routes in the USPS EDDM Online Tool, and USPS delivers one piece to every address on each route you select. The tool maps ZIP Codes and neighborhoods and lets you filter routes by age, income, or household size using U.S. Census data, and by residential or total deliveries.
Pieces carry a simplified address such as “Postal Customer” and an EDDM Retail indicia in place of a stamp. You print the pieces, bundle them by route with facing slips, and take them to the Post Office that delivers those routes, or ship them there by Priority Mail addressed to the Postmaster.
Because the route is the unit, you cannot choose individual households. The one exception runs the other way: if a customer has asked to be removed from your mailings, USPS lets you list that address in the “Do Not Deliver Address” column on the facing slip.
EDDM Retail requirements at a glance
EDDM Retail standards are in DMM 140 through 146, with the general flat-size limits in DMM 101. These are the rules most likely to affect a design or budget.
| Requirement | EDDM Retail rule |
|---|---|
| Mail class | USPS Marketing Mail flats. Delivery time is not guaranteed and pieces may receive deferred handling. |
| Size | Longer than 10-1/2 inches, or taller than 6-1/8 inches, or thicker than 1/4 inch; no larger than 15 × 12 × 3/4 inches. |
| Weight | No more than 3.3 ounces per piece. |
| Quantity | At least 200 pieces (or 50 pounds) per mailing, up to 5,000 pieces per day per 5-digit ZIP Code. |
| Addressing | Simplified address, such as “Postal Customer,” on every piece; every piece on a route is mailed. |
| Preparation | Bundles of 50–100 pieces, each with a facing slip, separated by route; PS Form 3587 accompanies the mailing. |
| Entry | At the Post Office (or delivery unit) responsible for the selected routes, or shipped there by Priority Mail. |
| Forwarding, return, extra services | None. Undeliverable pieces are not returned, and Certified Mail or tracking cannot be added. |
| Content limits | No personal information, no bills or statements of account, and no handwritten or typewritten matter. |
EDDM Retail vs. EDDM BMEU
USPS offers two ways to enter an EDDM mailing. Retail is designed for a small business mailing a few routes; BMEU entry is a commercial bulk mailing through a Business Mail Entry Unit.
| Feature | EDDM Retail | EDDM BMEU |
|---|---|---|
| Account | USPS.com account | Business Customer Gateway account |
| Volume | 200 to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code | No volume limit; multiple ZIP Codes |
| Drop-off | Post Office that delivers the routes | Business Mail Entry Unit at a mail processing facility |
| Permit | No special mailing permit | Bulk mailing permit |
| Postage (effective July 12, 2026) | $0.260 per flat up to 3.3 oz | EDDM flats up to 4 oz: $0.309 with no entry discount, $0.268 at a destination sectional center facility, $0.259 at a destination delivery unit |
How much does EDDM cost?
Postage is the predictable part. At the EDDM Retail price of $0.260 per piece, effective July 12, 2026, 1,000 pieces cost $260 in postage, 2,500 cost $650, and the 5,000-piece daily maximum for one ZIP Code costs $1,300. USPS changes prices periodically, so check Notice 123 before you budget.
Printing, design, and preparation are separate, and they often cost more than postage. Quotes vary with size, paper, quantity, and finishing, so get one from a printer for your exact piece; USPS lists affiliate vendors and a printer directory on its EDDM page. Add the cost of shipping bundles by Priority Mail if you mail to a distant ZIP Code.
A low cost per piece is not the same as a low cost per customer. Every household on a route receives the piece, including people who will never buy from you, so judge EDDM by the response you expect from the whole route rather than by postage alone.
Is Every Door Direct Mail worth it?
EDDM suits offers that genuinely apply to a whole neighborhood: a restaurant opening, a seasonal service, a local event. It is a weaker fit when only some households are real prospects.
- Advantages: no mailing list to buy or maintain, low postage per piece, route selection with Census filters, and no permit for Retail mailings.
- Limits: no names or personalization, delivery to non-prospects, no forwarding, returns, tracking, or Certified Mail, no guaranteed delivery date, and printing, bundling, and drop-off work for you.
- Common mistakes: designing a piece too small to be a flat (a standard 6 × 9 inch postcard is neither longer than 10-1/2 inches nor taller than 6-1/8 inches), exceeding 3.3 ounces, leaving off the indicia, bundling outside 50–100 pieces, and taking the mailing to the wrong Post Office.
When individually addressed mail is the better choice
Addressed mail goes to a named person, so it fits existing customers, a short list of prospects, or anyone you need to reach individually. It can carry personal details that EDDM prohibits, such as a name, a past order, or an appointment, and First-Class Mail is returned to you if it cannot be delivered or forwarded.
Choose an addressed letter when the content is private or when you need a mailing record. EDDM offers no extra services, while a First-Class letter can carry Certified Mail and Return Receipt.
| Question | EDDM Retail | Addressed IRIS postcard |
|---|---|---|
| Who receives it | Every address on the routes you select | The one named recipient you enter |
| Minimum order | 200 pieces (or 50 pounds) | One postcard |
| Personalization | No personal information allowed | Your own message to that person |
| Price per piece | $0.260 postage, plus printing and preparation | $3.49 for 4 × 6 or Small; $4.49 for 6 × 9 or Pro, including full-color printing and First-Class Mail postage |
| Mail class and timing | USPS Marketing Mail; no guaranteed delivery time | First-Class Mail; USPS estimates 1–5 business days after mailing |
| Undeliverable pieces | Not returned | Returned to the return address you enter |
| Who prints and mails | You print, bundle, and drop off | IRIS prints and mails it |
What IRIS does and does not offer
IRIS does not provide Every Door Direct Mail, saturation mailings, mailing lists, USPS Marketing Mail, or bulk campaign tools. It prints and mails individually addressed letters and postcards to US addresses, one recipient per order on the website, with the price shown before you pay. Developers can create individual mailings through the IRIS API.
If you are comparing a neighborhood EDDM drop with sending addressed postcards to the customers you already know, price the addressed option with the direct mail cost calculator guide, which uses the same IRIS line items as checkout.
Sources & further reading
Product details checked against the IRIS API contract when this article was published. Platform references can change; consult the linked documentation when implementing.
- USPS, Every Door Direct Mail
- USPS DMM 143, EDDM Retail prices and eligibility
- USPS DMM 145, EDDM Retail mail preparation
- USPS DMM 146, EDDM Retail entry and deposit
- USPS DMM 101, Physical standards for flats
- USPS Notice 123 price list, effective July 12, 2026
- USPS DMM 507, treatment of undeliverable mail
Published by IRIS Postal Forms, operated by Great Lakes Computing Office LLC. Send a correction.