How to Set Margins for KDP Paperbacks

Setting margins for KDP paperbacks is a major item on your publication checklist when self-publishing through the Amazon KDP platform. KDP and Kindle Create offer great resources for authors to format their books for a professional-looking finished product. If you're having trouble finding information on how to set margins for KDP paperbacks, here's a simple guide with videos and step-by-step instructions.

Setting Margins for KDP Paperbacks

Specifically when working with KDP and Kindle Create, setting your margins requires you to choose whether your book will be formatted for bleed or no bleed pages. What does this mean?

No Bleed - for books with text and content that will be contained within the confines of the set margins. Best for novels, fiction books, general literature.
Bleed - for books with images and content that will stretch to the edge of the page, outside of the set margins. Works with cookbooks, comics, some non-fiction featuring large photos.

Once you decide on the type of book you're working with, you can set your margins. KDP offers resources to help self-published authors set margins according to their book types. The videos below, produced by KDP, will show you how.

Setting Margins for NO BLEED Paperbacks in KDP

On the Layout Tab, in the Page Setup group, click Size, and then select More Paper Sizes. a dialog box will appear.
Enter the trim size of your book into the Width and Height option fields.
For the Apply option, click Whole Document and then OK. Your page count will adjust and resize. You need to know this to set your margins.
On the Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, select Margins followed by Custom Margins. A dialogue box will appear.
Within the Multiple pages list, click Mirror margins.
for the Apply option, click Whole document.
Identify your margin sizes based on page count using the chart at the end of this step.
Enter your Top, Bottom, Inside, and Outside margins based on your book's page count. (The video above by KDP used .375 for the outside margin.) Do not enter any value into the Gutter field. Click OK.

Tip: If your page count changes, go back and check the inside margin because it may also need to change.

Video:

Setting Margins for BLEED Paperbacks in KDP

Within the Layout Tab, seek the Page Setup group, select Size, then More Paper Sizes. A dialogue box will appear.
Fill in Width and Height data for the trim size with bleed added. Add 0.125" (3.2 mm) to the width and 0.25" (6.4 mm) to the height. For example, if the trim size is 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm) (15.24 x 22.86 cm), the page size should be 6.125" x 9.25" (15.54 x 23.46 cm) (15.54 x 23.46 cm). Microsoft Word may round 0.125" to 0.13"; this is acceptable.
For the Apply to List option, click Whole Document, then select OK. Your page count will adjust and resize. You need to know this to set your margins.
In the Layout Tab, in the Page Setup group, select Margins, then click Custom Margins. A dialogue box will appear.
In the Multiple Pages List, click Mirror Margins.
For the Apply to List option, click Whole Document.
Identify your margin sizes using the chart at the end of this section. The chart provides the minimum requirements for margin sizes, but KDP recommends for the top and bottom margins to be 1" if you're including headers. KDP also recommends an outside margin of 0.375" (9.6 mm).
Fill in data for Top, Bottom, Inside, and Outside margins based on the book's page count. Do not enter any value into the Gutter field. Select OK.