KDP paperback interior
KDP bleed and margins calculator
With bleed, each PDF page must be 0.125 in wider and 0.25 in taller than the trim size, with at least 0.375 in for the top, bottom and outside margins. Without bleed, the page is the trim size and those margins are at least 0.25 in. The inside (gutter) margin grows with the page count, from 0.375 in to 0.875 in.
- Trim
- Bleed
- KDP safe area
Rules from Amazon KDP Help: Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins. Last checked 7 October 2026.
KDP's minimum margins by page count
Count every page in the final file, blank pages included, then read the inside margin from this table. The top, bottom and outside margins don't change with page count.
| Page count | Inside (gutter) | Outside, no bleed | Outside, with bleed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 to 150 | 0.375 in | 0.25 in | 0.375 in |
| 151 to 300 | 0.5 in | 0.25 in | 0.375 in |
| 301 to 500 | 0.625 in | 0.25 in | 0.375 in |
| 501 to 700 | 0.75 in | 0.25 in | 0.375 in |
| 701 to 828 | 0.875 in | 0.25 in | 0.375 in |
Page size with bleed for every KDP trim size
KDP's formula is trim width + 0.125 in and trim height + 0.25 in: bleed is added to the top, the bottom and the outside edge only, because the spine edge is never trimmed. Points are what PDF tools report (72 points per inch).
| Trim size | Page with bleed | Millimeters | PDF points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 × 8 in | 5.125 × 8.25 in | 130.2 × 209.5 mm | 369 × 594 |
| 5.06 × 7.81 in | 5.185 × 8.06 in | 131.7 × 204.7 mm | 373.32 × 580.32 |
| 5.25 × 8 in | 5.375 × 8.25 in | 136.5 × 209.5 mm | 387 × 594 |
| 5.5 × 8.5 in | 5.625 × 8.75 in | 142.9 × 222.3 mm | 405 × 630 |
| 6 × 9 in | 6.125 × 9.25 in | 155.6 × 234.9 mm | 441 × 666 |
| 6.14 × 9.21 in | 6.265 × 9.46 in | 159.1 × 240.3 mm | 451.08 × 681.12 |
| 6.69 × 9.61 in | 6.815 × 9.86 in | 173.1 × 250.4 mm | 490.68 × 709.92 |
| 7 × 10 in | 7.125 × 10.25 in | 181.0 × 260.3 mm | 513 × 738 |
| 7.44 × 9.69 in | 7.565 × 9.94 in | 192.2 × 252.5 mm | 544.68 × 715.68 |
| 7.5 × 9.25 in | 7.625 × 9.5 in | 193.7 × 241.3 mm | 549 × 684 |
| 8 × 10 in | 8.125 × 10.25 in | 206.4 × 260.3 mm | 585 × 738 |
| 8.25 × 6 in | 8.375 × 6.25 in | 212.7 × 158.8 mm | 603 × 450 |
| 8.25 × 8.25 in | 8.375 × 8.5 in | 212.7 × 215.9 mm | 603 × 612 |
| 8.5 × 8.5 in | 8.625 × 8.75 in | 219.1 × 222.3 mm | 621 × 630 |
| 8.5 × 11 in | 8.625 × 11.25 in | 219.1 × 285.8 mm | 621 × 810 |
| 8.27 × 11.69 in (A4) | 8.395 × 11.94 in | 213.2 × 303.3 mm | 604.44 × 859.68 |
KDP's own table prints 5.626 in for 5.5 × 8.5 in; its formula gives 5.625 in, which is what this page and the maker use.
Bleed or no bleed for a coloring book?
Choose bleed only if something should print right to the edge of the paper: a full-page pattern, a frame that runs off the page, a dark background. Line art that sits on white with a margin around it doesn't need bleed.
Two KDP rules decide the rest. If even one page bleeds, the whole file has to be set up with bleed. And bleed doesn't change the printing cost; KDP's cost depends on trim size, page count, ink and paper only.
Bleed also needs a PDF. KDP converts Word and other formats for books without bleed, but a bleed interior has to be uploaded as a PDF.
How the margins are measured
With bleed, the 0.375 in top, bottom and outside margins are measured from the edge of the PDF page, which is 0.125 in outside the trim line. KDP's layout diagram shows it as 0.125 in bleed plus 0.25 in margin. After trimming, the art sits at least 0.25 in from the edge.
The gutter is measured from the spine edge, which has no bleed. On odd (right-hand) pages it is on the left; on even (left-hand) pages it is on the right.
One detail if you compare with KDP's diagram for a 6 × 9 in book at 333 pages: it labels the safe zone 5.375 in wide, which is the trim width minus the 0.625 in gutter only. Subtracting the 0.375 in outside margin it also shows gives 5.125 in, the width this calculator reports.
Mistakes that get coloring book files sent back
- Picking the gutter before adding blank pages. Seventy-six designs is 76 pages double-sided but 152 with blank backs, which moves the book into the 0.5 in gutter band. Work out the margins from the final page count.
- Adding bleed to both sides of the width. An 8.5 × 11 in bleed page is 8.625 in wide, not 8.75 in. The extra 0.125 in goes on the outside edge only.
- Bleed on only some pages. KDP asks for the whole file to be set up with bleed if any page bleeds, so one full-bleed design means bleed-sized pages throughout.
- Art running to the edge without bleed. Without bleed, KDP's minimum top, bottom and outside margin is 0.25 in, so art has to stop at least that far from the edge.
The KDP coloring book interior maker applies these rules to your own PNG or JPG pages and recalculates the gutter as the page count changes. For everything else KDP checks, see the requirements checklist.
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