Single-sided coloring pages

Blank back pages for a KDP coloring book

KDP prints on both sides of every sheet, so “single-sided” means adding a blank page behind each design. Put the designs on odd pages: KDP places odd page numbers on the right, so page 1, 3, 5 and onward each open on the right with nothing printed on the back.

Each design sits on a right-hand page. The blank page to its left is the back of the previous design.

Which side does KDP print first?

KDP's pagination rule for left-to-right books is “even numbers on left pages and odd numbers on the right”. Page 1 is therefore the first right-hand page, facing the inside of the front cover, and every odd page is the front of a sheet.

If page 1 is a design, page 2 is its back. Leave page 2 blank, put the next design on page 3, and every design gets its own sheet. Shift that by one page, with a design on page 2, and each design ends up printed on the back of another.

Source: KDP Paperback Submission Guidelines, Pagination. Checked 7 October 2026.

Why single-sided?

Bleed-through. KDP's black-and-white interiors print on 50–61 lb (74–90 GSM) paper. Alcohol markers and some felt pens can soak through paper that thin; with a blank back, they mark a blank page instead of another design.
Cutting out. A finished picture can be removed or framed without losing the one behind it.
Pencils and crayons don't soak through, so double-sided books work for them, at half the page count.

Paper weights: KDP Print Options.

Blank backs compared with double-sided

Enter your number of designs. The page count includes the last blank page KDP adds to make the count even, and any padding to reach the 24-page minimum.

Number of designspcs Trim size Ink and paper Add a “This book belongs to” page

Lay out my pages with blank backs

Blank backs

Double-sided

Print cost is KDP's Amazon.com rate (source); other marketplaces differ. Gutter and spine from KDP's margin table and cover guide.

What blank backs do to the book

Page count and minimum

Blank backs double the pages: 12 designs make 24 pages, KDP's minimum. With fewer designs, KDP's limit of 10 blank pages in a row at the end decides how much padding you can add.

Gutter

The inside margin follows the total page count. 75 designs on blank backs make 150 pages and keep the 0.375 in gutter; 76 designs make 152 pages and need 0.5 in.

Spine

More pages make a thicker spine, and spine text needs 79 or more pages. With blank backs, 40 designs give 80 pages, enough for a title on the spine.

Print cost

For black ink on Amazon.com, KDP charges only a fixed cost up to 110 pages: $2.30 for regular trims and $2.84 for large ones like 8.5 × 11 in. So up to 55 designs, blank backs cost nothing extra to print.

Above 110 pages each page adds $0.012 (regular) or $0.017 (large). 80 designs on 8.5 × 11 in make 160 pages: $1.00 + 160 × $0.017 = $3.72, against $2.84 for the 80-page double-sided version.

Is that many blank pages allowed?

KDP's written limit is about runs: no more than 4 blank pages in a row at the beginning or middle of the book and 10 at the end. Blank backs are single blank pages between designs. KDP doesn't define “excessive blank pages” further; a short book padded out with many blank pages is the obvious case to avoid.

Source: KDP: Fix Paperback and Hardcover Formatting Issues.

Adding blank backs

In the KDP coloring book interior maker blank backs are on by default: drop in your pages and each design lands on an odd page, with the gutter, page count and spine worked out from the final total. Front pages such as “This book belongs to” get the same treatment.

In other software: start the first design on page 1, insert one blank page after every design, and check that the total is even. If your pages have bleed, make the blank pages the same bleed size as the others.

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