- Carrier route
- The set of addresses one mail carrier visits. EDDM areas are made of whole routes.
- Every Door Direct Mail® (EDDM®)
- A USPS service that delivers your piece to every address on the routes you choose, without a list.
- EDDM Retail
- The simple version: set up online, take it to the Post Office, no permit, $0.260 a piece.
- BMEU
- Business Mail Entry Unit, where big mailers drop bulk mail and pay with a permit.
- Flat
- A large mail piece, bigger than a letter. EDDM Retail pieces are flats.
- Postal Customer
- The words printed instead of a name. Reaches every home and business on the route.
- Residential Customer
- Like Postal Customer, but homes only.
- Indicia
- The printed postage mark in the top right corner, used instead of a stamp.
- Bundle
- A stack of 50 to 100 pieces for one route, no taller than 6 inches.
- Facing slip
- The paper on top of each bundle showing the route and how many pieces are in it.
- PS Form 3587
- The EDDM Retail form you bring to the Post Office with your mailing.
- Saturation mail
- Mail that goes to every (or nearly every) address on a route.
- USPS Marketing Mail
- USPS's class for advertising mail. EDDM is part of it.
- Permit
- A USPS account that lets big mailers pay postage without stamps. Not needed for EDDM Retail.
- Size checker
- A tool in the USPS EDDM website that checks whether your piece's size qualifies.
- 3.3 ounces
- The most an EDDM Retail piece can weigh.
- Deferred handling
- Advertising mail can wait behind other mail. There's no promised delivery day.
The EDDM glossary
Every word you'll meet when sending EDDM, in plain language, each with a small drawing.
Checked November 7, 2026