KDP paperback sizes, bleed and margins for coloring books

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) prints paperbacks on demand, which makes it a popular home for self-published coloring books. Its file rules are precise, and a file that misses them is sent back. This article collects the numbers that matter for a coloring book interior. All of them come from KDP's own help pages, linked below, and we show the date we read them.

Choose a trim size

Trim size is the finished size of the book after cutting. Coloring books are often large, because big pages leave room for big shapes. These five sizes are in KDP's list of standard paperback trims, and they are the ones our app can export:

Page limits depend on the paper too. For 8.5 x 11 in on white paper KDP allows 24 to 590 pages. Cream paper and colour interiors have their own limits, which our page count planner looks up for you.

Bleed or no bleed

Bleed means the artwork runs right to the edge of the paper. Printers cannot cut exactly on a line, so a bleed file extends 0.125 in (3.2 mm) past the trim on the top, bottom and outside edges, and that strip is cut away. KDP asks for a page 0.125 in wider and 0.25 in taller than the trim size when you choose bleed.

Most coloring pages do not need bleed. A white border around the picture is normal, and it means nothing important can be trimmed off. Choose bleed only if a design is meant to run off the edge, such as a full-page pattern.

Margins

Outside, top and bottom

KDP's minimum margin on the outside, top and bottom is 0.25 in (6.4 mm) without bleed and 0.375 in (9.6 mm) with bleed. Anything important, such as the edge of the main subject, should sit inside those lines.

Inside, next to the spine

The inside margin, or gutter, grows with the page count, because thicker books curve more into the binding:

These are minimums. A coloring picture right up against the minimum can still feel cramped near the spine, so leaving extra room is sensible. That is a design opinion, not a KDP rule.

Page count, blank backs and resolution

• KDP needs an even page count and will round an odd count up. It is cleaner to add the blank page yourself.
• Many coloring books print a blank page behind each picture so marker ink does not show through onto the next design. That doubles the picture pages.
• KDP asks for images of at least 300 DPI at the size they are printed.
• Fonts must be embedded in the PDF, which most export tools, including ours, do for you.

Covers are a separate file

A KDP paperback cover is one wide image: back cover, spine and front cover, with 0.125 in of bleed all round. The spine width depends on the page count and paper. KDP only allows text on the spine from 80 pages, so many thin coloring books have a blank spine. Our cover size calculator works out the full size for you.

Is a coloring book a low-content book?

KDP has a "low-content" category for things like journals and planners, which have different rules about ISBNs and previews. KDP's help page says coloring and puzzle books are generally not treated as low-content. Read the page and decide for your own book rather than assuming either way.

Kids Books Maker can export a KDP paperback interior for these trim sizes, with a separate full-wrap cover, as well as A4 and US Letter PDFs for printing at home. Always order a printed proof before you publish.