EDDM packages compared: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond
Five packages, two families
Our EDDM Specials split neatly in two. Bronze and Silver are flat postcards on thick 16pt card with UV gloss on both sides.
Gold, Platinum and Diamond are folded mailers. They print on 100lb coated text with an aqueous coating front and back, and they open up like a small brochure.
Every one of them meets the USPS flat rule for Every Door Direct Mail. The choice comes down to how much you need to say and how much you want to spend per home.
Card stock versus folding paper
The two families use different paper for a reason. Postcards travel through the mail with no envelope, so Bronze and Silver print on stiff 16pt card that survives sorting machines and still feels solid in the hand.
Folded mailers need paper that bends cleanly. Gold, Platinum and Diamond print on 100lb coated text, which folds without cracking and lies flat when opened.
The finishes differ too. UV coating on the postcards gives a high gloss that makes photos pop, while the aqueous coating on the folded pieces is a water-based layer with a softer sheen that guards against scuffs.
Bronze: the slim postcard
Bronze is a 4.25″ × 11″ postcard. It qualifies for EDDM on length alone, and its narrow shape stands out from square mail in the stack.
Prices run $699 for 2,500, $1,299 for 5,000 and $1,699 for 10,000. If all you need is the card itself, compare it with our standard 4.25″ × 11″ postcard, which costs $309 for 2,500, and ask us which one fits your job.
Silver: the photo postcard
Silver is a 6.5″ × 9″ postcard, the size most first-time EDDM mailers pick. It is tall enough to pass the USPS rule and wide enough for a real photo beside a headline.
It costs $359 for 2,500, $579 for 5,000 and $779 for 10,000. At the top tier that works out to about 7.8¢ per card before postage, which is why it suits restaurants, salons and home services sending one strong offer.
Gold: the folded letter sheet
Gold folds an 8.5″ × 11″ sheet in half, giving you four panels instead of two sides. That is room for a cover, a short story about your business, a list of services and an offer.
It is also the least expensive package to start with, at $349 for 2,500, $559 for 5,000 and $679 for 10,000. For a business with more to explain than a postcard allows, it is often the best value of the five.
Platinum: the tabloid fold
Platinum folds an 11″ × 17″ sheet, so each of its four panels is a full letter-size page. A complete take-out menu or a seasonal catalog of services fits without shrinking the type.
Expect $709 for 2,500, $1,139 for 5,000 and $1,379 for 10,000. Restaurants with long menus and contractors with several trades tend to land here.
Diamond: the largest mailer
Diamond prints an 11″ × 25.5″ sheet and folds it down to 11″ × 12.75″. Opened up, it gives you more space than any other piece we mail, enough for a full menu with photos or a product range.
It costs $1,689 for 2,500, $2,798 for 5,000 and $3,598 for 10,000. It is the package for a grand opening or a yearly mailer that has to carry everything at once.
Three quick matches
A carpet cleaner offering three rooms for a set price has one message, so Silver does the job with a before-and-after photo.
A family dentist welcoming new patients wants to introduce the team, list insurance accepted and show a new-patient offer. Gold's four panels hold all of that comfortably.
A Thai restaurant launching delivery wants the whole menu in every kitchen drawer on the route. Platinum fits a long menu, and Diamond adds room for photos of the best dishes.
How to choose in one minute
Start with the message, not the price. One offer and a photo point to Silver, a short brochure points to Gold, and a full menu points to Platinum or Diamond.
Then check the cost per home at the quantity your routes need. The EDDM cost calculator adds printing, delivery and the postage rate you enter, so you can compare two packages on the same routes.
If you would like the pieces counted for you, add shrink-wrapping in bundles of 100, from $30 per run. Every package and size is listed on EDDM Specials.
One thing the packages do not include
Postage is never part of a printing price. USPS charges it per piece when you drop the bundles off, at the current EDDM Retail rate.
All five packages count as flats, and USPS charges the same EDDM Retail rate for each one within the weight limit. So the difference between Bronze and Diamond shows up in printing, not in what you hand over at the post office.
Quick answers
Which EDDM package is the best value?
For most jobs, Gold or Silver. Gold gives four panels for $349 per 2,500, and Silver gives a photo postcard for $359 per 2,500.
Are folded mailers allowed with EDDM?
Yes. Gold, Platinum and Diamond are folded flats that meet the USPS size rule for Every Door Direct Mail.
Does a bigger package cost more postage?
Not under EDDM Retail within the weight limit. The extra cost of a bigger package is in the printing.
Can I get help choosing a package?
Yes. Call 512-573-1977 with your routes and what you want to say, and Corey will suggest a package and quantity.
