Bulk Mail & EDDMWe Print It. We Mail It.
Two very different ways to fill a mailbox — EDDM blankets a neighborhood with no list at all, bulk mail targets your own customers by name. We handle both, from design to the Post Office dock.
A Neighborhood, or a Name
Almost every mailing question comes down to one thing: are you trying to reach a neighborhood, or a name? Get that answer right and everything else — cost, size, timeline, paperwork — falls into place behind it. Get it wrong and you either overpay for precision you didn’t need, or blanket six thousand strangers when you were trying to reach four hundred past customers.
EDDM — Every Door Direct Mail — is the neighborhood. You pick carrier routes off a map and every active mailbox on them gets your piece. No list. No names. No permit for the retail version. The address block literally just says “Local Postal Customer.” It’s how a new restaurant on Front Beach Road reaches every household within two miles, or how a roofer works one subdivision at a time after a storm.
Bulk mail — USPS Marketing Mail — is the name. It goes to specific people at specific addresses: your past customers, your donor list, the 800 owners in an association. It costs more per piece to prepare and it needs a permit, but you’re paying to reach people who already know you instead of renting a whole ZIP code.
Here’s the one thing to know before you call: for bulk mail, the address list has to come from you. We’ll take it as an Excel file and handle everything downstream — formatting, validation, presort, barcoding, paperwork, drop-off — but we don’t sell, rent, or build lists. Your best list is almost always one you already own: past customers out of your POS, your CRM, old invoices. Those people bought from you once. If you don’t have a list and don’t want to buy one, that’s not a problem — it just means EDDM is your answer, and EDDM doesn’t need one.
For EDDM, the routes are yours to choose. USPS has a free online mapping tool where you can draw your area, see how many homes and businesses sit on each carrier route, and get a live count. Play with it, find your routes, then bring us the numbers — or just call and we’ll pull it up with you. Most people are surprised how few routes cover the customers they actually want.
We run both kinds in-house and through mail partners, depending on what you’re mailing and how many. Plan on 14 to 21 business days from start to mailbox — design, print, prep, paperwork, drop, and USPS delivery all included. Working backward from a grand opening or an event? Call early. The printing is the easy part; the calendar is what bites people. Need the piece designed first? That’s our in-house studio, and they know the postal rules cold.
Where Mailings Go Wrong
EDDM: It Has to Be a Flat
Longer than 10.5″, taller than 6.125″, or thicker than a quarter inch — and never over 12×15 or 3.3 oz. A normal postcard is too small to qualify.
EDDM: The Indicia Is Fussy
It has to be printed on the piece, upper right, carrying “ECRWSS.” Wrong spot or missing code and the counter rejects the whole drop. We print it right.
EDDM: 5,000 a Day, Per ZIP
EDDM Retail caps there. Bigger than that and you’re into permit territory at a BMEU — still doable, just a different path.
Bulk: You Bring the List
An Excel file of addresses, from you. We don’t sell or source lists. No list and no desire to buy one? Then EDDM is your answer.
Bulk: The List Gets Scrubbed
USPS wants addresses validated and run against the national move database within 95 days. Skip it and you mail empty houses at full price.
Bulk: Not for Invoices
Marketing Mail is for non-urgent, non-personal content. Bills, statements, and personal letters have to ride First-Class. No exceptions.
Three Ways Into the Mailbox
Most shops quietly pick one for you. We’ll tell you which one your job actually wants — even when it’s the cheaper one.
EDDM Retail
The simple one, and where most local businesses land. No list, no names, no permit. 200 to 5,000 pieces per ZIP per day, paid at the counter. Restaurants, realtors, trades, campaigns.
EDDM BMEU
Same no-list simplicity, bigger footprint. No daily cap, multiple ZIPs at once, cheaper per piece — but it needs a permit and enters at a bulk mail facility.
Bulk Marketing Mail
When you want specific people, not whole streets. Your Excel list, 200 pieces or 50 lbs minimum, permit required, no ceiling. Past customers, donors, owners.
Rules, Minimums & Timeline
- EDDM size: must be a flat — over 10.5″ long, over 6.125″ high, or over ¼″ thick; max 12×15 and 3.3 oz
- EDDM quantity: 200 minimum; Retail caps at 5,000 per ZIP per day; BMEU has no ceiling
- EDDM addressing: “Local Postal Customer” plus the ECRWSS indicia, printed upper-right
- Bulk mail list: supplied by you as an Excel file — we don’t sell, rent, or build lists
- Bulk mail prep: address validation, national move-update within 95 days, presort, and barcoding
- Bulk mail minimum: 200 identical pieces or 50 lbs, whichever comes first, plus a USPS permit
- Turnaround: 14 to 21 business days start to mailbox — in-house or through our mail partners
Campaigns That Landed
Sorted by Hand, Right Here on Wilkinson Ave
That’s our team presorting a real customer mailing into Post Office trays in our Panama City Beach shop.
We print it, address it, sort it, and get it ready for the Post Office — so your mailing goes out from the same people who printed it.
We Print the Piece, Too
Same shop prints it and mails it — so the size, the stock, and the indicia are right the first time instead of getting bounced at the counter.
Mailing Questions, Answered
What is the difference between EDDM and bulk mail?
EDDM blankets every mailbox on a carrier route and needs no list, no names, and no permit. Bulk mail targets specific people, so it requires your address list, a USPS permit, and list processing. EDDM is a neighborhood. Bulk mail is a name.
Do I need a mailing list for EDDM?
No — that’s the whole point of it. You pick carrier routes on the USPS EDDM map, and every active address on those routes gets a piece. The address block just reads Local Postal Customer. No names, no list, no permit for EDDM Retail.
Do you provide the mailing list for bulk mail?
No. We don’t sell, rent, or build address lists — that has to come from you, as an Excel file. If you don’t have a list and don’t want to buy one, EDDM is almost always the better route since it needs no list at all.
Where do I get a mailing list for bulk mail?
Your best list is usually one you already own — past customers from your POS, CRM, or invoices. Those people already bought from you. If you need to rent a list, commercial list brokers sell them, but start with your own data first.
Do I need a USPS permit to do a mailing?
For EDDM Retail, no — you pay at the Post Office counter. For bulk Marketing Mail, yes, a permit is required and carries an annual fee. Over 5,000 EDDM pieces a day also moves you into permit territory. We’ll walk you through which applies.
What size does an EDDM piece have to be?
It has to qualify as a flat: longer than 10.5 inches, or taller than 6.125 inches, or thicker than a quarter inch. Nothing over 12×15, and under 3.3 ounces. Common winners are 6.5×9, 8.5×11, and 9×12.
How many pieces do I have to mail?
Two hundred is the floor either way. EDDM Retail runs from 200 up to 5,000 per ZIP code per day. Bulk Marketing Mail needs 200 identical pieces or 50 pounds, whichever comes first, with no ceiling.
How long does a bulk mailing take from start to mailbox?
Plan on 14 to 21 business days from the day we start to the day it lands. That covers design, printing, prep, paperwork, drop-off, and USPS delivery time. Working backward from an event date? Call early — the calendar is the hard part.
Can you mail invoices or statements at bulk rates?
No. USPS Marketing Mail is for non-personal, non-urgent content like flyers and announcements. Invoices, statements, and personal correspondence have to go First-Class. Presorted First-Class is an option there, though it needs 500 pieces.
Let’s Get Your Mailing Out.
Tell us who you’re trying to reach and we’ll tell you whether that’s an EDDM drop or a bulk campaign — then print it, prep it, and put it on the dock. Serving Panama City Beach, 30A, and all of Bay County for over 20 years.
“Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you.”
Ecclesiastes 11:1 NLT