Free tool · KDP & IngramSpark interiors

Book Margin & Bleed Calculator

Get the right inside (gutter) and outside margins for your book, plus the exact page size to use with or without bleed. Uses KDP's own margin table. Free.

Printer

Trim size (book size)

Page count

Do pictures or color run off the page edge?

—Inside margin (gutter), at least

—Top, bottom and outside margins, at least

—Page size to set in your PDF

—That page in pixels at 300 DPI

Your margins are set. What about your fonts, pictures and ink?

Margins are one of many things printers check. SparkPrep reads your real interior PDF page by page and flags anything outside the safe area, fonts that aren't embedded, low-resolution pictures and color in a black-and-white book, all in plain English.

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Why margins and bleed get books rejected

The inside margin (the gutter) is the edge that goes into the fold. Thicker books need a bigger one, or words disappear into the spine. The outside margins keep text away from the edge the printer trims. Bleed is extra picture or color past the edge, so nothing white shows after trimming. If any of these are off, KDP and IngramSpark send the file back.

KDP margins by page count

These are KDP's own minimums from its help page on trim size, bleed and margins.

Page count	Inside margin (gutter)	Outside margins, no bleed	Outside margins, with bleed
24 to 150	0.375"	at least 0.25"	at least 0.375"
151 to 300	0.5"	at least 0.25"	at least 0.375"
301 to 500	0.625"	at least 0.25"	at least 0.375"
501 to 700	0.75"	at least 0.25"	at least 0.375"
701 to 828	0.875"	at least 0.25"	at least 0.375"

IngramSpark margins

IngramSpark's rejection notices say it plainly: "All text, borders, and important elements need to be at least 0.5 inch (13 mm) from trim edges." That goes for every side. A thick book needs extra room on the inside edge, because the fold eats into it.

How bleed changes your page size

If anything runs off the edge of the page, your PDF page must be bigger than your book: 0.125" wider and 0.25" taller. For a 6" x 9" book that's 6.125" x 9.25". If nothing runs off the edge, set your page to the exact trim size and don't add bleed.

How to set margins in Word

Layout → Size → More Paper Sizes: type your trim size (or the bleed size from above).
Layout → Margins → Custom Margins: set Multiple pages to Mirror margins.
Type the inside and outside numbers from this calculator. Top and bottom use the outside number or more.
Save as PDF and check the page size in Acrobat (File → Properties) before you upload.

Margins right? Let SparkPrep check everything else.

SparkPrep checks your actual interior and cover against your printer's rules: margins, bleed, page size, fonts, image quality and ink. It explains each problem in plain English and can fix it for you. It was built by an author whose own book was rejected 18 times.

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Quick answers

What is the minimum gutter margin for KDP?

KDP's minimum inside margin depends on page count: 0.375 inch for 24 to 150 pages, 0.5 inch for 151 to 300, 0.625 inch for 301 to 500, 0.75 inch for 501 to 700, and 0.875 inch for 701 to 828 pages.

What margins does IngramSpark require?

IngramSpark asks for all text and important elements to be at least 0.5 inch (13 mm) from every trim edge.

How much bleed does a print book need?

0.125 inch on the top, bottom and outside edge. So a book with bleed has a PDF page 0.125 inch wider and 0.25 inch taller than its trim size.

More free tools

SparkPrep is an independent tool and is not affiliated with Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble Press or Lulu. Always check your printer's own help pages before you upload.