How Does EDDM Work

Step 6 of 7

How to Bundle EDDM Mail

Separate your pieces by carrier route, then make bundles of 50 to 100 pieces, each no taller than 6 inches. Put a facing slip on top of every bundle, under the strap or rubber band, with the number of pieces in that bundle written on it.

Last checked against USPS: November 6, 2026

What you need

  • your printed pieces
  • your order summary, which shows how many pieces go to each route
  • the facing slips from your order confirmation, one per bundle
  • rubber bands or straps
  • a pen

Step by step

No tallerthan 6 inFacing slip on top, under the strapsStraps orrubber bands50 to 100 pieces, all from one route
One EDDM Retail bundle. Make one or more bundles for each route, never mixing routes.
  1. Count out each route. Use your order summary to see how many pieces each route needs. Keep each route's pieces in their own stack. Bundles can't mix routes.
  2. Split each route into bundles of 50 to 100. See the worked example below for routes that don't divide neatly.
  3. Check the height. No bundle can be taller than 6 inches. With thick pieces you may hit 6 inches before 100 pieces, so make smaller bundles (still at least 50).
  4. Fill in a facing slip for each bundle. Write the ZIP Code, route number and the number of pieces in that bundle. How to fill out the facing slip
  5. Put the slip on top and strap it. The facing slip goes on the top piece, under the rubber bands or straps, so it stays put and can be read.
  6. Keep each route's bundles together so the Post Office can hand them straight to the right carrier.

Tip: stack every piece the same way up with the address side facing the same direction. It makes counting easier and the bundles neater for the carrier.

Splitting a route into bundles: a worked example

Say a route has 437 addresses. The obvious split is 4 bundles of 100 plus 1 of 37, but that last bundle breaks the 50-piece minimum.

Instead, divide evenly. 437 pieces need at least 5 bundles (because 4 bundles can hold only 400). 437 divided by 5 is about 87, so make 2 bundles of 88 and 3 bundles of 87. Every bundle lands between 50 and 100.

The quick method for any route:

  1. Divide the route's piece count by 100 and round up. That's your number of bundles.
  2. Divide the piece count by that number. That's roughly how many go in each bundle.
Route sizeBundlesPieces per bundle
180290 and 90
437588, 88, 87, 87, 87
612788, 88, 88, 87, 87, 87, 87
1,0501196 (×5) and 95 (×6)

This is our own arithmetic for staying inside USPS's 50 to 100 range, not an official USPS method. If you have a route with fewer than 50 pieces in total, ask your Post Office how they want it bundled.

Why bundles get turned away

  • Taller than 6 inches
  • Fewer than 50 or more than 100 pieces
  • Mixed routes in the same bundle
  • No facing slip, or a slip without the piece count
  • The wrong count on the slip

A few minutes checking each bundle saves a second trip to the Post Office.