EDDM Printing & Mailing in St. Louis
Every Door Direct Mail Made Simple
Reach every address in your target neighborhoods — no mailing list required. MCI prints your EDDM postcards, bundles them by carrier route, handles the USPS paperwork, and delivers everything to the post office. You just pick the neighborhoods and approve the design.
Why EDDM Works for Local Businesses
- No mailing list to buy — USPS delivers to every door
- Lowest postage rate available — around $0.21 per piece
- Target by ZIP code, neighborhood, and demographics
- No bulk mailing permit required (EDDM Retail)
- MCI handles printing, bundling, and USPS delivery
What Is Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)?
Every Door Direct Mail is a USPS program that lets you send mail to every address on selected postal carrier routes — without buying a mailing list. You choose the ZIP codes and routes you want to target, and USPS mail carriers deliver your postcard, flyer, or menu to every residential or business mailbox on those routes.
Think of it as blanket coverage for your neighborhood. Instead of guessing which addresses to mail, you saturate entire carrier routes. A restaurant in Kirkwood can hit every household within a two-mile radius. A dentist in Clayton can reach every door in the 63105 ZIP code. A new gym in Brentwood can announce its grand opening to every address on the routes surrounding its location.
The program was specifically designed for small and medium businesses that want to reach local customers without the cost and complexity of traditional direct mail. No mailing list to purchase. No bulk mailing permit to apply for. No per-name data fees. Just postcards delivered to every door on the routes you choose.
EDDM postage rates are the lowest USPS offers — currently around $0.21 per piece, compared to $0.50+ for first-class postcards. For a local business on a budget, that's the difference between reaching 5,000 households and reaching 12,000 for the same postage spend.
How EDDM Works — Step by Step
Five steps from "I want to reach my neighborhood" to postcards in mailboxes. MCI handles steps 2 through 5 so you can focus on running your business.
Choose Your Routes
Tell us the neighborhoods and ZIP codes you want to reach. We help you select USPS carrier routes based on demographics, household count, and your budget. Or use the USPS EDDM tool yourself and send us your route selections.
Design Your Postcard
Send us your print-ready PDF or work with our team to create your design. We make sure everything meets USPS EDDM specs — correct size, proper indicia placement, and compliant mail panel layout.
Proof Approval
We send you a digital proof showing exactly what your EDDM postcard will look like. You approve it, and we go to press. No surprises.
Print & Bundle
Your postcards print on our in-house presses on premium card stock. We then bundle them by carrier route, apply facing slips, and prepare all USPS paperwork — the tedious part that we handle so you do not have to.
Deliver to USPS
We deliver your bundled, route-sorted EDDM mail directly to your local post office. USPS carriers deliver to every address on your selected routes within 3-10 business days.
EDDM Postcard Sizes & Specs
USPS requires EDDM pieces to be larger than standard letter mail. Your piece must be at least 11.5" long OR 6.125" tall OR 0.25" thick to qualify. Here are the most popular USPS-approved EDDM sizes we print:
6.5" x 9"
The most popular EDDM size. Cost-effective printing and postage. Enough room for a strong headline, key offer, and map to your business.
Best for: Budget-conscious campaigns, grand openings, coupons
6.5" x 12"
Extra-wide format that stands out in the mailbox. Great for showcasing multiple services or a before-and-after layout.
Best for: Home services, remodeling, landscaping
8.5" x 11"
Letter-size postcard with maximum design real estate. Feels substantial in hand. Room for detailed information, menus, or service lists.
Best for: Restaurants, medical practices, full-service businesses
12" x 15"
The largest EDDM-approved flat. Impossible to miss. Often used for high-impact grand opening announcements or political mailings.
Best for: Grand openings, political campaigns, major events
Paper Stock & Finishing Options
We print EDDM postcards on premium card stocks designed to survive the mail stream and feel substantial in hand:
- 14pt gloss card stock — our most popular EDDM stock
- 14pt matte card stock — elegant, easy to write on
- 16pt card stock — extra thick, premium feel
- UV coating — high-gloss protective finish
- Soft-touch lamination — velvety matte finish
- Spot UV — glossy accents on a matte background
How to Choose EDDM Routes in St. Louis
Route selection is where EDDM gets strategic. The USPS EDDM Route Mapping Tool at eddm.usps.com lets you search by ZIP code and see every carrier route on a map. For each route, you can view the number of residential addresses, business addresses, average household income, average household size, and age distribution.
For St. Louis businesses, here's how to think about route selection:
Start with Your Best ZIP Codes
If your business is in Kirkwood (63122), start with routes in that ZIP code and expand outward to Webster Groves (63119), Glendale (63122), and Sunset Hills (63127). A restaurant in The Hill neighborhood might focus on 63110 and 63139. A home services company in Chesterfield could cover 63017 and expand into Wildwood (63005) and Ballwin (63011).
Use Demographics to Refine
The EDDM tool shows average household income and size for each route. A luxury home remodeler might select routes in Ladue (63124) and Town and Country (63141) with higher household incomes. A family dentist might prioritize routes in Florissant (63031) or Mehlville (63125) with larger household sizes indicating families with children.
Consider Drive-Time Radius
Most local businesses draw customers from within a 10-15 minute drive. Map your location, identify every ZIP code within that radius, and then select the routes with the best demographic fit. This gives you concentrated coverage where it matters most — the neighborhoods most likely to walk through your door.
Don't Forget the Metro East
If your business serves the full St. Louis metro, routes in Belleville (62220), O'Fallon IL (62269), and Edwardsville (62025) are often overlooked by competitors focused only on the Missouri side. Less competition in the mailbox means your piece gets more attention.
Not sure where to start? Tell us your business location and target customer profile, and we'll recommend routes for you. We've been mailing in the St. Louis metro for 40+ years — we know which ZIP codes and carrier routes perform for different types of businesses.
EDDM vs. Targeted Direct Mail — Which Is Right for You?
Both get your message into mailboxes. The right choice depends on who you need to reach and how precise your targeting needs to be.
EDDM (Every Door)
- Mailing ListNot required
- Postage~$0.21/piece
- Mailing PermitNot required (EDDM Retail)
- TargetingBy carrier route & ZIP code
- Minimum Quantity200 per route
- PersonalizationNot available
- Best ForLocal businesses, restaurants, grand openings, home services
Targeted Direct Mail
- Mailing ListRequired (purchase or provide your own)
- Postage~$0.30-0.50+/piece
- Mailing PermitRequired for bulk rates
- TargetingBy demographics, income, age, homeowner status
- Minimum Quantity200+ (for bulk rates)
- PersonalizationAvailable (names, offers, variable data)
- Best ForNiche audiences, high-value services, B2B, real estate
The Bottom Line
Choose EDDM when you want to reach everyone in a geographic area at the lowest cost per piece. Ideal for businesses where almost anyone nearby is a potential customer — restaurants, dentists, HVAC companies, retail stores, and fitness studios.
Choose targeted mail when you need to reach a specific audience defined by demographics, purchase behavior, or other data points. Better for high-ticket services like luxury remodeling, financial planning, or B2B sales where you want precision over volume.
Not sure which approach fits your campaign? MCI does both. We can help you figure out the right strategy based on your business, budget, and goals. Learn more about all our direct mail services.
How MCI Makes EDDM Easy
You could do EDDM yourself. Print postcards somewhere, figure out the USPS facing slips, bundle everything by carrier route, fill out the paperwork, drive to the post office, and hope you got the specs right. Some businesses do exactly that — once. Then they call us.
MCI handles your entire EDDM campaign from design to delivery. One vendor. One invoice. No trips to the post office. Here's what that looks like:
Route Selection Help
Tell us your target area and customer profile. We recommend the best carrier routes based on demographics, household count, and your budget.
Design & USPS Compliance
Our design team creates EDDM-compliant postcards or reviews your files to make sure they meet USPS specs. No rejected mailings.
In-House Printing
Your postcards print on our own presses in our St. Louis shop. Premium card stock, full color, professional quality. No outsourcing.
Bundling & Paperwork
We bundle by carrier route, apply facing slips, and complete all USPS paperwork. This is the part most businesses hate — and we do it every day.
Post Office Delivery
We deliver your bundled, route-sorted EDDM mail directly to the post office. You never touch a bundle or stand in a postal line.
Repeat Campaign Discounts
Running EDDM monthly or quarterly? We store your design templates and route selections for fast reordering at volume pricing.
MCI is a WBE certified union shop that's been printing and mailing in St. Louis since 1984. Your EDDM campaign is printed by skilled craftspeople on our own equipment, bundled by our experienced mail team, and delivered to USPS by us — not a subcontractor.
When you call MCI, you talk to a real person who knows EDDM inside and out. No chatbots. No ticket queues. Just a quick conversation with someone who can answer your questions and get your campaign moving.
EDDM Printing FAQs
How much does EDDM cost per piece?▼
EDDM postage is currently around $0.21 per piece through USPS — significantly cheaper than first-class or standard presorted mail. Printing costs depend on size, paper stock, and quantity, but a typical EDDM postcard on 14pt card stock runs a few cents per piece for quantities of 5,000 or more. MCI provides all-in quotes that break out printing, bundling, and postage separately so you know exactly what you are paying.
What size postcards qualify for EDDM?▼
USPS requires EDDM mail pieces to be larger than standard letter size. Approved sizes include 6.5"x9", 6.5"x12", 8.5"x11", and 12"x15". The piece must be at least 11.5" long OR 6.125" tall OR 0.25" thick to qualify. The most popular EDDM sizes are 6.5"x9" (cost-effective) and 8.5"x11" (maximum impact). We print all USPS-approved EDDM sizes on premium card stocks.
How do I select EDDM routes?▼
USPS provides a free online tool called the EDDM Route Mapping Tool (eddm.usps.com) where you can search by ZIP code and see carrier routes on a map. Each route shows the number of residential and business addresses, average household income, and household size. You select the routes you want and USPS delivers to every address on those routes. MCI can help you select routes based on your target demographics and budget.
Is EDDM cheaper than targeted direct mail?▼
Yes, EDDM is almost always cheaper per piece than targeted mail. EDDM postage is around $0.21/piece with no mailing list to purchase. Targeted mail requires buying a mailing list ($50-$150+ per thousand names) plus higher postage rates. However, targeted mail reaches only the people most likely to respond, so cost-per-response can be lower. EDDM works best for businesses that serve everyone in a neighborhood — restaurants, dentists, home services, retail stores.
How long does EDDM take to deliver?▼
From proof approval to mailbox delivery, a typical EDDM campaign takes 10-14 business days. That breaks down to 3-5 business days for printing and bundling at MCI, plus 3-10 business days for USPS delivery after we drop your bundles at the post office. For rush jobs, we can compress the printing and prep timeline to 2 business days.
Can I use EDDM for my small business?▼
Absolutely. EDDM was designed specifically for small businesses. There is no minimum quantity required by USPS — you can mail as few as 200 pieces on a single carrier route. You do not need a bulk mailing permit when you use EDDM Retail (the version most small businesses use). MCI handles all the bundling and paperwork, so you just tell us where you want to mail and we take care of the rest.
Get Started with EDDM in St. Louis
Tell us your target area and we'll recommend routes and provide a quote.
Whether you're mailing 500 postcards to your block or 50,000 across the metro — we'll give you an honest price with printing, bundling, and postage broken out clearly. Most quotes within 4 hours.