EDDM Facing Slip: How to Fill It Out (Example)

The facing slip is the least exciting piece of paper in this whole business. It's also the one that decides whether the clerk takes your mail or slides it back across the counter. So here's the EDDM facing slip the way I'd explain it on the phone: what it is, where you get it, every field, a filled-in example, and the mistakes that send people home with a trunk full of bundles.

What is an EDDM facing slip?

A facing slip is a small sheet that sits on top of every bundle of EDDM mail, under the straps. It tells the Post Office which ZIP Code and carrier route that bundle belongs to and how many pieces are in it.

Here's why it matters. EDDM pieces have no street addresses, just "Postal Customer." So the slip is the only thing on the bundle that says where it goes. USPS requires a facing slip on top of each bundle, under the straps, with the number of pieces in that bundle written on it (DMM 145.1.3), and the slip has to show where the bundle is going, like the 5-digit ZIP Code and route number (DMM 602.3.2.3).

This is for you if you're doing the mailing yourself, like on a Print Only order. Brand new to EDDM? Start with how EDDM works. The EDDM drop-off checklist covers the whole Post Office trip, and this post zooms in on the slip.

Where to get an EDDM facing slip

Two places, both free from USPS:

• The EDDM Online Tool. After you place your EDDM Retail order, the Order Confirmation screen lets you print "the right EDDM facing slip" along with your other forms (USPS EDDM page). The EDDM User Guide says those forms come prefilled with your order information, and it prints one facing slip for each route you selected.
• The blank PDF. USPS posts a fillable EDDM Retail facing slip you can print and complete yourself.

From that same screen you also print your PS Form 3587 postage statement and a Retail Post Office Listing form. The user guide says you must bring your printed forms to the drop-off.

How to fill out EDDM facing slip fields, box by box

If you searched how to fill out EDDM facing slip boxes, here's every one on the current USPS form. If you printed slips from your order, some of this is already done.

Field on the slip	What goes there	Notes
5-Digit ZIP Code (Required)	The ZIP Code of the route	Prefilled on slips from the tool
Route Number (Required)	The carrier route, like C003	C is a city route. You'll also see R (rural), H (highway contract), and B (P.O. Box section)
Delivery Type	Comes from your order	The tool's delivery types are Business & Residential, or Residential only
Date	Your mailing date	The day you drop it off
Total # of Mailpieces per Bundle	The count in this one bundle	USPS says to write it on every slip
Total # of Bundles: ___ of ___	This bundle's number, out of the route's total	2 of 5
Do Not Deliver Address	Anyone who asked to stop getting your mail	Leave blank if nobody did
Company Name	You or your business
Post Office of Mailing	The Post Office where you drop it off	It's on your order and listing form

That "Do Not Deliver" box is real. USPS says that if someone has asked to be removed from your mailing list, you put their address in the "Do Not Deliver Address" column on the facing slip. DMM 144.2.2 also counts a "do not deliver" list as part of your mailing documentation.

The form also has a "Saturation Mail Description" box. USPS doesn't publish instructions for it that I could find, so if you're filling out a blank slip by hand, ask your Post Office what they want there.

The 5-step version

1. Print your order's forms from the Order Confirmation screen, including one facing slip per route.
2. Count out each route's cards (its delivery count from your order) and split them into even bundles of 50 to 100.
3. Copy that route's slip once for every bundle in the route.
4. On each copy, fill in that bundle's piece count, its number ("2 of 5"), the date, your company name, the Post Office of mailing, and any Do Not Deliver addresses.
5. Lay the slip on top of its bundle, cards all facing the same way, then cross-strap the bundle with the slip under the straps.

EDDM facing slip example: one route, five bundles

Let's do a full EDDM facing slip example. Made-up numbers: you're mailing route C003 in ZIP Code 12345, and your order says that route has 437 deliveries. You're dropping off at the Anytown Post Office, and one neighbor called and asked you to stop mailing them.

First, the bundles. 437 cards can't go in four bundles of 100 plus a leftover 37, because 37 is under the 50-piece minimum. So you go five even bundles: two of 88 and three of 87. Here are the five slips:

Slip	ZIP Code / Route	Pieces per bundle	Bundles
Slip 1	12345 / C003	88	1 of 5
Slip 2	12345 / C003	88	2 of 5
Slip 3	12345 / C003	87	3 of 5
Slip 4	12345 / C003	87	4 of 5
Slip 5	12345 / C003	87	5 of 5
Route total	12345 / C003	437	5 bundles

All five slips also get the same date, delivery type, company name (say, Main Street Shared Card), Post Office of mailing (Anytown), and the one Do Not Deliver address.

Then check your math against the paperwork. The back of PS Form 3587 lists each route's ZIP Code, route number, and number of mailpieces (PS Form 3587). Add up the slips for a route and you should land on that route's number exactly. 88 + 88 + 87 + 87 + 87 = 437. Done.

Second route? Same drill. Say route C012 has 612 deliveries. That's at least seven bundles (six would need 102 each), so three of 88 and four of 87. Seven slips, "1 of 7" through "7 of 7."

One footnote. USPS's older EDDM Quick Reference sheet shows a 426-piece mailing as eight bundles of 50 and one of 26. But the current mail manual says EDDM Retail bundles hold 50 to 100. Even bundles follow the current rule, so there's nothing to argue about at the counter.

The bundle rules your facing slip sits on

A perfect slip on a bad bundle still gets handed back. Here's what USPS wants underneath it:

• 50 to 100 pieces per bundle, separated by route using the delivery counts from the EDDM tool (DMM 145.1.3).
• No taller than 6 inches (USPS EDDM page). Our 14 pt cards are 0.014 inch thick, so even 100 of them is only about an inch and a half.
• All cards facing the same way, with the addresses in the same read direction (DMM 203.4.2).
• The slip on top, under the straps (DMM 145.1.3).
• At least two cross-strapped bands around the length and the girth, tight enough to dent the edges. Twine, string, rubber bands, wire, and metal banding aren't allowed (DMM 203.4.5).
• Enough pieces to cover every delivery on the routes you selected (DMM 602.3.2.3).

Clear plastic strapping is a nice touch, because the clerk can read your slip without cutting anything.

Common counter rejections (and how to dodge them)

Full honesty: USPS doesn't publish a list of reasons it turns mail away. But the clerk's section of PS Form 3587 certifies the mailing was checked, where required, for proper preparation and a properly completed postage statement. Every item below breaks a written rule, and any of them can stop your drop:

• One slip per route instead of one per bundle. Five bundles, five slips.
• No piece count on the slip. USPS requires it on every one.
• Mixed-up routes. A C003 slip on top of C004 cards, or one bundle with cards from two routes.
• Counts that don't add up. Your slips for a route should total the piece count for that route on the back of your 3587.
• Bundles out of spec. Under 50, over 100, or taller than 6 inches.
• Rubber bands, or a slip outside the straps.
• The wrong Post Office. EDDM Retail mail goes to the Post Office that delivers those routes (DMM 146). Your order shows which one.
• Missing paperwork. No signed PS Form 3587, or no sample piece. DMM 144.2.2 lists both as part of your documentation.

The Post Office checks the same few things on every mailing. Check them first and drop day is boring. Boring is the goal.

Doing it yourself is totally doable. Leland went Print Only on his first card, handled the Post Office part himself, and still cleared $3,850 in profit. My postcard mailing calendar shows how to build a cushion around drop day, and here's how I pick EDDM routes so a drop stays at one Post Office.

Or let All Inclusive handle the slips

Full transparency, I sell the version where you never touch a facing slip. With All Inclusive from 9x12 Method Printing, we print, pack, bundle, add the facing slips, pay the postage, and handle the drop at your Post Office. You just pick your routes in our EDDM route planner.

So doing the slips and the drop yourself saves about $390 on a 9x12 run and about $160 on a community card run, with postage at $0.26 a piece as of July 12, 2026. All Inclusive includes one drop-off Post Office, and each additional one is $25. Some people happily take the DIY savings. Others would rather spend that evening selling slots. Both are fine.

I also teach the whole mailing process inside the 9x12 Method community, but you don't need it to fill out a facing slip. This page and the USPS links cover it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I get an EDDM facing slip?

From the USPS EDDM Online Tool. After you place an EDDM Retail order, the Order Confirmation screen lets you print your facing slips with your other forms, prefilled with your order details. USPS also posts a blank EDDM Retail facing slip PDF you can fill out yourself.

Do I need a facing slip for every bundle or every route?

Every bundle. USPS requires a facing slip on top of each bundle, under the straps. The EDDM tool prints one per route, so make a copy for every bundle on that route and write each bundle's own piece count on its slip.

What goes in the Do Not Deliver Address section?

The addresses of anyone who contacted you and asked to be taken off your mailing. USPS says to list them in the "Do Not Deliver Address" column on the facing slip. If nobody asked, leave it blank.

Where does the facing slip go on the bundle?

On top of the bundle, under the straps. Stack the cards all facing the same way, put the slip on top, then cross-strap the bundle with at least two plastic bands around the length and width. No rubber bands.

What if a route has fewer than 50 homes?

USPS says EDDM Retail bundles hold 50 to 100 pieces, and the rule doesn't spell out what to do with a very small route. Call the Post Office on your listing form before drop day and ask how they want it prepared.

Does All Inclusive include facing slips?

Yes. With All Inclusive, our team prints, packs, bundles, adds the facing slips, pays the postage, and handles the drop at your Post Office. You pick the routes, and we handle the paperwork.

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Look, nobody started this business because they love facing slips. But get them right once and they turn into a boring little routine. Fill them out, strap them tight, and go collect those wins.

As always, I'm rooting for you. Peace.