The Complete EDDM Guide
Every Door Direct Mail, explained the way we explain it at the counter: what qualifies, what it costs, how routes work, and where it beats (or loses to) a mailing list. Built on official USPS rules and twenty years of running EDDM campaigns from Houston.
Last updated: June 2026 · Facts sourced from USPS documentation
Plan, price, design, and mail — in order
Each chapter answers one question fully. Follow the stages top to bottom and you've planned a campaign.
Decide If EDDM Fits
Whether saturation suits your business, what EDDM can and can't target, and the honest math on results.
What businesses get the best results from EDDM?
EDDM rewards neighborhood businesses like restaurants, home services, dental, and retail; here's the honest fit test.
Read the answerCan EDDM target specific households?
EDDM delivers to every address on a route with no cherry-picking. When that's fine, and when a mailing list wins.
Read the answerShould I use EDDM or a targeted mailing list?
The complete side-by-side: postage, lists, targeting, and size rules, plus ten real business scenarios with a verdict for each.
Read the answerIs EDDM worth it? What results should I expect?
Why we don't quote response-rate averages, what actually drives EDDM results, how to measure yours, and when to skip the program entirely.
Read the answerPlan & Price the Campaign
What it costs, how to pick carrier routes with data, how often to mail, and the play for your industry.
How do I pick the right carrier routes for EDDM?
The USPS mapping tool shows age, household income, and household size for every route; here's how to use them.
Read the answerHow often should I mail the same neighborhood?
One-and-done mailings underperform; how to plan a repeat schedule without blowing the budget.
Read the answerHow much does direct mail cost?
Printing, postage, mailing lists, and mail prep — the real 2026 numbers, from $0.247 EDDM postage up, and where the savings hide.
Read the answerWhat's the best EDDM play for my industry?
The proven EDDM formula for restaurants, home services, dental, real estate, gyms, and nonprofits: format, offer, routes, and timing for each.
Read the answerDesign & USPS Rules
Qualifying sizes, the indicia and address panel, and the design choices that earn a second look.
What size does an EDDM mailer have to be?
The exact USPS dimension rules for EDDM flats, the most popular sizes, and the mistakes that get mailings turned away.
Read the answerWhat has to be printed on an EDDM mailer?
The approved indicia format, the "Local Postal Customer" address block, and where the label must sit on the piece.
Read the answerHow do I design an EDDM postcard that gets a response?
The compliance layout USPS requires, the anatomy of a high-response piece, and headline, offer, and CTA patterns that work by goal.
Read the answerPrint, Prep & Mail
Retail vs. BMEU entry, bundling and drop-off, and the mistakes to catch before anything prints.
EDDM Retail vs. BMEU: which one do I need?
Permit rules, piece limits, weight limits, and payment differences between the two ways to enter an EDDM mailing.
Read the answerHow do I bundle and drop off an EDDM mailing?
The 50 to 100 piece bundle rule, facing slips, paperwork, and what happens at the Post Office counter.
Read the answerWhat are the most common EDDM mistakes?
The errors we catch most before they cost money: wrong sizes, misplaced labels, one-and-done drops, and the route-picking habits that waste budgets.
Read the answerWant your neighborhoods priced instead of explained?
Postage is a pass-through at Catdi — you pay exactly what USPS charges. Get a free postage estimate or an itemized quote for your routes.