Guide
How to format a Word manuscript for a KDP paperback
A KDP paperback interior is a PDF whose pages are exactly the trim size, with margins that follow KDP's table for your page count, every font embedded and no text under 7 pt. Word can produce that. These are the settings, in the order that saves you redoing work.
The menu names below are from Word for Windows and Word for Mac (Microsoft 365). Older versions put the same settings in the same dialogs.
Before you start: pick the trim size
Everything else depends on it, because the page count (and so the inside margin) changes with the page size. For a novel, 5.5 x 8.5 in and 6 x 9 in are the usual choices; 5 x 8 in suits shorter books. If you're unsure how long each would print, see word count to page count by trim size.
The settings, in order
Work on a copy
Save your manuscript as a new file, for example
My Novel - print 6x9.docx. You'll want the plain version for the ebook later.Set the page size to the trim size
Layout > Size > More Paper Sizes (Windows) or File > Page Setup > Paper Size > Manage Custom Sizes (Mac). Enter the width and height, for example 6 in by 9 in, and apply it to the whole document. Without bleed, the PDF page must be exactly this size.
Turn on mirror margins and set them from KDP's table
Layout > Margins > Custom Margins. Under Pages > Multiple pages, choose Mirror margins; the Left and Right fields become Inside and Outside. Set Inside from the table below for your expected page count, Outside, Top and Bottom to at least 0.25 in, and set Apply to: Whole document.
Leave the Gutter field at 0, or count it
Word's Gutter is extra space added to the inside margin. KDP's inside figure is the total. If you type Inside 0.5 in and Gutter 0.25 in, your real inside margin is 0.75 in. Keeping Gutter at 0 and putting the whole number in Inside avoids double counting.
Fix the body text with styles, not by hand
Right-click Normal in the Styles gallery, choose Modify, then Format > Paragraph. A common book setting: a serif face at 10.5 to 12 pt, justified, first-line indent around 0.3 in, spacing before and after 0, line spacing Multiple at about 1.15 to 1.3. Use Heading 1 for every chapter title and tick Line and Page Breaks > Page break before in its paragraph settings, so each chapter starts on a new page.
Clean out manual spacing
Turn on Home > Show/Hide ¶. Delete runs of empty paragraphs used to push text down, tabs used as indents, and double spaces after full stops. They shift when the page size changes and cause most "why did this move" problems.
Split front matter and chapters with section breaks
Put a Layout > Breaks > Next Page section break after the title page, copyright page, dedication and contents. To make every chapter open on a right-hand page, use Breaks > Odd Page before each chapter instead; Word inserts a blank left page when needed.
Add page numbers and running heads
Double-click the header area, then in the Header & Footer tab tick Different Odd & Even Pages (author name on even pages, book title on odd pages is the usual pattern) and Different First Page (no header on chapter openers). In the first chapter's section, turn off Link to Previous, then use Page Number > Format Page Numbers > Start at 1. Leave the front matter without numbers. KDP expects odd numbers on right-hand pages.
Check widows and orphans
Widow/Orphan control is on by default in Paragraph > Line and Page Breaks. Leave it on so a paragraph's single first or last line doesn't sit alone at the bottom or top of a page.
Update the table of contents last
Page numbers only settle once everything above is done. If you used Heading 1 for chapters, References > Table of Contents builds it, and Update Table refreshes it.
Save as PDF with every font embedded
Windows: File > Save As, type PDF, Options, tick PDF/A compliant (older versions: ISO 19005-1 compliant), which forces every font to be embedded. Mac: File > Save As, File Format PDF, Best for printing. Then open the PDF, look at File > Properties > Fonts in a PDF reader, and check that every font says Embedded or Embedded Subset.
Upload it and read the Print Previewer
KDP's previewer flags text in the margins, missing fonts and wrong page sizes. If it complains, see fixing KDP's paperback formatting errors.
The margin numbers to use
| Page count | Inside (gutter) margin | Outside, top, bottom: no bleed | Outside, top, bottom: with bleed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 to 150 | 0.375 in (9.6 mm) | 0.25 in (6.4 mm) | 0.375 in (9.6 mm) |
| 151 to 300 | 0.5 in (12.7 mm) | 0.25 in (6.4 mm) | 0.375 in (9.6 mm) |
| 301 to 500 | 0.625 in (15.9 mm) | 0.25 in (6.4 mm) | 0.375 in (9.6 mm) |
| 501 to 700 | 0.75 in (19.1 mm) | 0.25 in (6.4 mm) | 0.375 in (9.6 mm) |
| 701 to 828 | 0.875 in (22.3 mm) | 0.25 in (6.4 mm) | 0.375 in (9.6 mm) |
Source: KDP Help, Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins. These are minimums. KDP's Print Previewer flags anything inside them.
Your page count isn't final until the formatting is done, so pick the band you expect, check the page count of the finished PDF, and move to the next band if you crossed a boundary. A 300-page book that grows to 304 pages needs 0.625 in inside instead of 0.5 in. More detail in KDP gutter and margins by page count.
The free shortcut: KDP's own Word templates
KDP publishes Word templates for each trim size, blank or with sample chapters, with page size and margins already set. Download the one for your trim size, paste your text in chapter by chapter with Paste > Keep Text Only so the template's styles apply, and delete the sample sections you don't need. KDP says to save the result as a PDF with fonts embedded. KDP Help, paperback manuscript templates.
The template's margins are fixed for its page range, so check the inside margin against your final page count before you upload.
Mistakes that get a file sent back
- Leaving the page size at Letter or A4. KDP needs the PDF page to be the trim size (plus bleed if you chose bleed).
- Using the minimum inside margin for a book that ends up longer than the band you set it for.
- Italic or decorative text that pokes past the margin. KDP suggests margins a little larger than the minimum so italic overhang stays inside.
- Fonts that aren't embedded, or whose license doesn't allow embedding.
- Runs of blank pages: KDP allows at most 4 in a row at the start or middle of the book and 10 at the end.
Or let Bookcut do the setup
Bookcut reads the .docx you wrote the book in, finds the chapters and front matter, and typesets every page at your trim size with KDP's margin table for your page count already applied. You can look at every page free, and download your first chapter as a PDF to print at home (it has a light "Preview" watermark). When it looks right, the clean print PDF and an EPUB are $12, once for that book. It runs in your browser; the manuscript isn't uploaded.
Open Bookcut