EDDM questions, answered plain.

What is EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail)?

EDDM is a USPS program that lets you mail a postcard to every address on a mail carrier's route. No address list needed. You pick the routes, USPS delivers to every door on them. Postage runs 26¢ a piece as of July 2026, so it's a cheap way to blanket a neighborhood.

How much does EDDM cost in 2026?

EDDM Retail postage is 26¢ per piece as of July 12, 2026 (it was 24.7¢ earlier in the year). Printing is separate, commonly 7 to 25¢ a piece depending on size and quantity. All-inclusive services charge roughly 34 to 69¢ a piece total.

Real math: mailing 1,000 postcards yourself is about $260 in postage plus whatever your printer charges. The same 1,000 pieces through a typical all-inclusive service runs $690. Full breakdown with worked examples: what EDDM costs in 2026.

What is a face slip (facing slip)?

A face slip is the paper slip USPS requires on top of every bundle of EDDM mail. It shows the ZIP, carrier route, drop date, pieces in the bundle, and which bundle it is. Think "bundle 3 of 7." Every bundle needs one. Wrong route number or wrong count means the clerk hands the whole thing back.

Most people fill these out by hand, one per bundle. A 5,000-piece mailing means 50 of them. Try our free face slip generator for one route. RouteDrop fills out every slip for your whole mailing automatically, print-ready and correct every time.

How many pieces go in a bundle?

USPS wants bundles of 50 to 100 pieces, no taller than 6 inches. Most people use 100. The last bundle on each route holds whatever's left. Could be 47 pieces, could be 12. Each bundle gets its own face slip.

Do I need a permit?

No. EDDM Retail needs no permit and no mailing license. That's the whole appeal. The limits: at least 200 pieces per ZIP per mailing, at most 5,000 pieces per ZIP per day, and pieces must be "flat" size (a 6.25×9 or 6.5×9 postcard qualifies).

How do I pick which routes to mail?

On the free USPS map, you hover over routes one at a time and read the numbers. Pros filter for streets with higher household income. The classic rule is $100K and up. RouteDrop does that filtering for you: type a ZIP and every route comes back ranked by household income, with piece counts and postage cost on every pick. It's built on official USPS route data, so you see the numbers before you spend a dollar.

What does RouteDrop actually do?

RouteDrop takes the labor out of EDDM. It ranks every carrier route in a ZIP by household income, does the postage and bundle math, and fills out every USPS form and face slip as print-ready PDFs. You print those, stick the face slips on your bundles, and take the mailing statement to the counter.

How much will RouteDrop cost?

Planned launch pricing: $4 a drop (one mailing's paperwork, you print and drop), $79/mo for unlimited mailings, or $149/mo for agencies running multiple clients. Nothing is billed today. These are the rates we plan to launch at, and waitlist members lock them in. Full pricing →

Does RouteDrop mark up postage or printing?

No. You pay USPS postage yourself at the retail rate, 26¢ a piece as of July 2026. You print your own cards. RouteDrop charges for the software, not a cut of your mail.

When does RouteDrop launch?

We're in early access. The waitlist opens a batch at a time, and people who tell us how they mail get in sooner. Joining takes an email. No card, no charge. Get early access →

Want to run a mailing yourself in the meantime? The whole process, step by step: how to do EDDM in 2026.

Who's behind RouteDrop?

RouteDrop is an independent product company focused on making EDDM effortless. Not affiliated with or endorsed by USPS. Built on official USPS EDDM route data.