Guide
Fixing KDP's paperback formatting errors
When KDP's Print Previewer or the review team sends back a paperback interior, it is almost always one of six problems. Each has a specific cause and a specific fix.
| Problem | KDP's rule | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Text outside margins | All text inside the margins for your page count (0.25 in outside without bleed; inside 0.375 to 0.875 in) | Raise margins slightly above the minimum; check the band for your final page count |
| Fonts not embedded | Every font fully embedded; fonts whose license forbids embedding cause errors | Export with PDF/A, or use a different font |
| Page size doesn't match trim | PDF page = trim size, or trim + 0.125 in wide and + 0.25 in tall with bleed | Set the page size before exporting, not after |
| Text too small | At least 7 pt | Check footnotes, captions and copyright page |
| Too many blank pages | No more than 4 in a row at the start or middle, 10 at the end | Remove extra page and section breaks |
| Page numbers on the wrong side | Odd numbers on right-hand pages, even on left | Start numbering at 1 on a right-hand page |
Source: KDP Help, Fix Paperback and Hardcover Formatting Issues and Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins.
"Text outside margins" when the text looks fine
The previewer checks the shapes of the letters, not the text box. The usual causes:
- Italic overhang. A slanted last letter can lean past the margin by a hair. KDP suggests margins slightly larger than the minimum for exactly this.
- The page count crossed a band. You set 0.5 in inside for a 290-page book, edits took it to 306 pages, and 0.625 in is now the minimum. See the margin table.
- Hidden objects and spaces. An invisible text box, a long run of spaces or a table wider than the text area. Turn on Show/Hide ¶ in Word and look at the flagged page.
- Headers and page numbers too close to the edge. They count as text. They must sit inside the 0.25 in outside minimum too.
"Fonts not embedded"
In Word for Windows, File > Save As > PDF > Options and tick PDF/A compliant. On a Mac, File > Save As, PDF, Best for printing.
Open the PDF and check File > Properties > Fonts. Every font should say Embedded or Embedded Subset.
If one never embeds, its license probably forbids it. Swap it for an open-licensed book face; EB Garamond, Crimson Pro, Libre Baskerville and Source Serif are all under the SIL Open Font License, which allows embedding in a book you sell.
"Page size doesn't match"
The PDF was exported at Letter or A4, or with bleed when the book was set up without it (or the reverse). Set Word's page size to the trim size (Layout > Size) before you format, because changing it later reflows every page. With bleed, a 6 x 9 in book needs 6.125 x 9.25 in pages.
Blank pages
Starting every chapter on a right-hand page inserts a blank left page about half the time, which is fine. Problems come from a page break plus a section break plus empty paragraphs stacking up. Keep one break per chapter. KDP's limit is 4 blank pages in a row at the start or middle and 10 at the end.
Page numbers on the wrong side
Page 1 must be a right-hand page. If the front matter has an odd number of pages, the first chapter starts on a left page and every number lands on the wrong side. Use an Odd Page section break before chapter one, and restart numbering at 1 there.
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