How Much Does EDDM Cost? A Real Pricing Breakdown

The number I hear most often from business owners who have tried EDDM on their own: “I thought it was supposed to be cheap.” It is inexpensive — especially compared to targeted direct mail — but “postage is $0.247 per piece” is not the full picture. By the time you add printing, production, and design, the all-in cost is two to three times the postage rate.

Here is an honest breakdown of every cost involved in an EDDM campaign, based on what we actually charge at Cornerstone Services in New Paltz and what Hudson Valley businesses typically spend.

The Three Cost Components

Every EDDM campaign has three cost buckets: postage, printing, and design. Some clients have their own designer and supply print-ready files, which eliminates the design cost. Most clients need all three.

1. Postage: $0.247 Per Piece (Flat Rate)

EDDM Retail postage is a flat $0.247 per piece regardless of piece size. An 8.5x11 flat costs the same to mail as a 6x9 card. There is no permit fee and no annual fee for EDDM Retail — you pay postage at the post office counter when you drop.

Quantity	Postage Cost
2,500 pieces	$617.50
5,000 pieces	$1,235.00
7,500 pieces	$1,852.50
10,000 pieces	$2,470.00

This is the hard floor — you cannot mail for less than this per piece regardless of printing discounts or volume.

2. Printing: Varies by Size and Quantity

Printing is where size, quantity, paper stock, and coating choices drive the actual cost variation. Here are real price ranges from our shop:

6.5x9 Inch Postcard, 100 lb. gloss cover, UV coating:

• 2,500 pieces: $220–$280
• 5,000 pieces: $320–$400
• 10,000 pieces: $500–$620

8.5x11 Inch Flat, 100 lb. gloss cover, UV coating:

• 2,500 pieces: $350–$450
• 5,000 pieces: $520–$650
• 10,000 pieces: $800–$1,000

6x11 Inch Postcard, 100 lb. gloss cover:

• 2,500 pieces: $240–$310
• 5,000 pieces: $360–$440
• 10,000 pieces: $560–$680

These ranges reflect real production costs from our New Paltz facility for Hudson Valley clients. Lower end assumes supplied print-ready files with no bleeds to correct; upper end includes minor file prep and adjustments. Significant file corrections or full redesign are quoted separately as part of our graphic design services.

3. Design: $150–$350 (One-Time)

Design for an EDDM postcard is a one-time cost if you’re going to run the same creative multiple times. A standard EDDM postcard design — front and back, single offer, one photo or illustration — runs $150–$250 at Cornerstone. More complex pieces with multiple photos, product specs, or menu-style content run $250–$350.

Design is not required if you provide a print-ready PDF that meets our specs. Many clients supply their own files.

All-In Pricing: What You’ll Actually Spend

These are realistic all-in budgets for complete EDDM campaigns at common quantities and sizes:

6.5x9 inch, 5,000 pieces, with design:

• Postage: $1,235
• Printing: $360
• Design: $200
• Total: ~$1,795 ($0.36/piece)

6.5x9 inch, 5,000 pieces, client-supplied files:

• Postage: $1,235
• Printing: $360
• Total: ~$1,595 ($0.32/piece)

8.5x11 inch, 5,000 pieces, with design:

• Postage: $1,235
• Printing: $580
• Design: $250
• Total: ~$2,065 ($0.41/piece)

8.5x11 inch, 10,000 pieces, client-supplied files:

• Postage: $2,470
• Printing: $900
• Total: ~$3,370 ($0.34/piece)

How EDDM Cost Compares to Other Marketing Channels

This is the comparison that makes EDDM make sense for most small businesses:

Google Ads (local, home services): Cost per click typically $8–$25 for competitive local service terms. If 5% of clicks convert to a lead and the average click costs $15, you’re paying $300 per lead.

Facebook/Instagram Ads: Highly variable. Local service businesses typically see $15–$50 per lead in competitive markets, with significant campaign management overhead.

EDDM at 5,000 pieces, 8.5x11: $2,000 total. If 0.5% of recipients respond (25 people), cost per response is $80. If 1% respond (50 people), cost per response is $40.

EDDM response rates for well-designed pieces with strong offers typically run 0.5–2% depending on the category, offer strength, and how well the audience fits the product. Home service businesses running recurring EDDM to the same routes consistently — not as a one-time test — see response rates at the higher end of this range as their name becomes familiar in the neighborhood.

The channel comparison that most business owners miss: EDDM reaches people who are not actively searching for your service right now but will need it in the coming weeks or months. Digital ads capture active intent. EDDM builds passive awareness that converts when the need arises. The two channels complement each other, and the most effective local marketing programs we see in the Hudson Valley use both — EDDM for geographic saturation and digital for intent capture. For a deeper comparison, see our direct mail vs. digital marketing guide.

The Cost of Running EDDM Yourself vs. Through a Mail House

Some business owners attempt to run EDDM themselves — printing at a local copy shop, purchasing postage online, bundling at home. The savings are real but smaller than they appear:

Retail copy shop printing (8.5x11, 5,000 pieces): $700–$900. Our price is $520–$650. Savings: $100–$200.

Hidden cost: bundling time. 5,000 pieces bundled in stacks of 50 with facing slips completed for each bundle = 100 bundles. At 3–4 minutes per bundle, that’s 5–7 hours of your time. At any reasonable valuation of your time, this erases the print savings entirely.

Hidden cost: rejection risk. If the pieces are improperly bundled or the facing slips are incomplete, the post office will reject the job at the counter. You leave, fix it, return. That’s half a day gone.

At Cornerstone, the bundling and post office drop is included in every EDDM job we run. It is part of the service, not an add-on.

Reducing EDDM Cost Without Cutting Quality

There are legitimate ways to bring per-piece cost down without compromising the effectiveness of your campaign:

Run recurring campaigns. A business that commits to quarterly or monthly EDDM drops to the same routes can negotiate volume pricing on printing. At Cornerstone, clients running three or more consecutive drops to the same route set receive preferential pricing because we can gang press runs, reuse templates, and streamline production.

Reuse your design. The $150–$350 design cost is a one-time investment. For subsequent drops, you change the offer, date, and any seasonal imagery — which takes 30–60 minutes of design time, not a full redesign. Clients running monthly EDDM typically pay $50–$75 for template updates after the initial design.

Choose the most efficient piece size. The 6.5x9 postcard is the most cost-efficient EDDM format. It prints two-up on a standard press sheet, minimizing paper waste. Larger pieces (8.5x11, 9x12) look more impressive but cost 25–40% more to print per piece. If your message fits on a 6.5x9, the smaller format is the better value.

Supply print-ready files. If you or your designer can produce files that meet our print specifications (CMYK, 300 DPI, proper bleed and safe zones), you eliminate the design charge entirely. We provide file templates for every standard EDDM size at no charge.

Combine with targeted mail. For businesses running both EDDM and targeted direct mail, Cornerstone can coordinate production to share press runs and reduce overall campaign cost. An EDDM saturation drop and a targeted acquisition mailing printed on the same stock can run simultaneously.

What EDDM Cannot Do (and What It Costs You When You Try)

Understanding the limitations of EDDM prevents wasted budget:

No personalization. Every household receives an identical piece addressed to “Postal Customer.” You cannot print the recipient’s name, customize the offer by neighborhood, or vary the content by route. For campaigns where personalization drives response — donor appeals, financial services, healthcare recall — targeted mail is the better investment despite the higher per-piece cost.

No suppression. You cannot exclude your existing customers from an EDDM drop. If your EDDM piece offers “20% off for new customers,” your current customers receive the same piece — which may create confusion or resentment. Factor this into your offer design, or use targeted mail where you can apply a suppress file.

No Informed Delivery. EDDM pieces cannot participate in USPS Informed Delivery — the digital email preview system that adds a second touchpoint to addressed mail. This means EDDM is a single-channel impression; targeted mail with Informed Delivery is a dual-channel impression for the same postage cost difference.

No individual tracking. You cannot track which specific household responded to your EDDM piece. You can track total response by campaign using promo codes, dedicated phone numbers, or unique URLs, but you cannot match responses to individual addresses for follow-up targeting.

Getting a Quote

The fastest way to know exactly what your EDDM campaign will cost: tell us your target geography (ZIP codes or a radius from your location) and the size piece you’re considering. We’ll pull the USPS route data, count the addresses, and send you a complete itemized quote — usually the same day.

What to have ready when you call: Your business address (so we can pull nearby carrier routes), the approximate area you want to reach (ZIP codes, town names, or a radius), the piece size you are considering (or tell us you are not sure and we will recommend one), and whether you have a print-ready design or need graphic design services. With that information, we produce an itemized quote — postage, printing, design if applicable, and total — usually within a few hours.

Call (845) 255-5722 or request a quote online.