Book Formatting for KDP: Print and Ebook Specs
Trim sizes, margins, bleed, and reflowable files — the exact specs that keep KDP from rejecting your book or printing it wrong.
Formatting is the stage where good manuscripts get quietly ruined. A brilliant book with broken margins, a too-narrow gutter, or an eBook that won’t reflow reads as amateur the moment a reader opens it — and KDP will sometimes reject files outright. Print and eBook are two different formatting jobs with different rules. Here are the specs that matter for both in 2026.
Print formatting: the specs KDP enforces
KDP prints on demand, which means your interior PDF has to be exactly right before it ever hits paper. The essentials:
- Trim size. Pick a standard size for your genre — 5″×8″ and 5.5″×8.5″ are common for fiction and memoir; 6″×9″ is the workhorse for nonfiction and is easiest to source.
- Margins and gutter. The gutter (inside margin) must grow with page count so text isn’t swallowed by the spine. A 300-page book needs a wider gutter than a 120-page one.
- Bleed. If any image touches the page edge, it must extend past the trim as bleed. Text-only interiors usually don’t need bleed.
- Embedded fonts and PDF export. Export a print-ready PDF with all fonts embedded, or KDP may substitute or reject.
The full-cover file for print
Print covers are a single wraparound PDF — back cover, spine, and front — and the spine width depends on your exact page count and paper type. Get the page count wrong and the spine text drifts onto the cover. Because this is fiddly and unforgiving, many authors hand it to a professional cover designer who builds to KDP’s calculated template.
Ebook formatting: think reflowable, not fixed
A Kindle eBook is not a PDF. It’s a reflowable file that adapts to any screen size and reader font setting, so you cannot control page breaks the way you do in print. Good eBook formatting means:
- Styles, not manual spacing. Use proper paragraph and heading styles instead of hitting Enter and Tab, which break on reflow.
- A linked table of contents that jumps to chapters.
- Clean chapter breaks using page-break markup, not stacks of blank lines.
- Lean images — oversized files inflate the delivery fee on the 70% royalty plan.
We go deeper on the Kindle side in how to format a book for Kindle.
Always use the previewer
Before publishing, run both files through KDP’s Online Previewer and check every page — print for margin and spine issues, eBook for reflow and broken formatting. This free step catches the errors that otherwise reach readers. Skipping it is the most common self-publishing regret.
When to hand it off
If you’re comfortable in Word or a tool like Vellum and your book is straightforward text, you can format it yourself. If it has tables, images, footnotes, or you simply want it to look professionally typeset, professional formatting is inexpensive insurance against a book that looks homemade. Either way, avoid the common formatting mistakes that get files rejected.
Helpful resources
Frequently asked questions
What trim size should I use for KDP?
Pick a standard size for your genre: 5″×8″ or 5.5″×8.5″ suit fiction and memoir, while 6″×9″ is the standard for nonfiction and the easiest to work with. Standard sizes print reliably and look familiar to readers.
Do I need bleed for a KDP print book?
Only if images or design elements touch the edge of the page — those must extend past the trim as bleed. Text-only interiors generally don’t need bleed. Covers are handled as a separate full-wrap file.
Why did KDP reject my formatted file?
Common causes are non-embedded fonts, incorrect margins or gutter for the page count, a wrong spine width on the cover, or a PDF that isn’t print-ready. Run files through KDP’s Online Previewer to catch these before publishing.
Is eBook formatting the same as print?
No. Print is a fixed PDF; a Kindle eBook is reflowable and adapts to any screen and font setting. eBooks need style-based formatting, a linked table of contents, and proper page-break markup rather than manual spacing.
Want a book that looks professionally typeset?
Author’s Craft formats print and eBook files to KDP spec — correct margins, spine, reflow, and a linked TOC — so your book looks polished on every device and in print. Get a formatting quote.