Free guide · Print book formatting

Free Book Formatting Guide: Get Your Book Ready to Print

Formatting turns your manuscript into real book pages: the right size, margins, fonts and page numbers, saved as a PDF your printer accepts. Here's how to do it yourself, step by step, for free.

Short on time? SparkPrep's free Interior Studio imports your Word file and lays out real printed pages for you, with margins set to your printer's own rules.

Step 1: Pick your trim size

Trim size is your book's finished size. 6" x 9" is the most common for novels and nonfiction. 5.5" x 8.5" and 5" x 8" are popular for fiction. Pick it first, because everything else depends on it. In Word: Layout → Size → More Paper Sizes.

Step 2: Set your margins

Use mirror margins (Layout → Margins → Custom Margins → Multiple pages: Mirror margins). KDP's inside margin grows with your page count, from 0.375" up to 0.875". IngramSpark wants everything at least 0.5" from every edge. Our free margin calculator gives you the exact numbers.

Step 3: Choose a readable font

Most printed books use a serif font at 10.5 to 12 pt, like Garamond, Georgia or Palatino, with line spacing around 1.15 to 1.3. Use the same font for all body text. Make sure the font's license lets you embed it in a PDF.

Step 4: Put the front matter in order

A simple, standard order: title page, copyright page, dedication (optional), table of contents (common in nonfiction, optional in fiction), then Chapter 1. Chapter 1 usually starts on a right-hand (odd) page.

Step 5: Start every chapter on a new page

Use Insert → Page Break (or Layout → Breaks → Next Page) instead of pressing Enter many times. Hitting Enter to push text down breaks the moment anything changes.

Step 6: Add headers and page numbers

Use section breaks so the title page and chapter openers have no page number or header. Odd page numbers belong on right-hand pages. Turn on "Different odd and even" to put the book title on one side and the author on the other.

Step 7: Check every picture

Pictures must be at least 300 DPI at the size they print. In a black and white book, convert them to grayscale. Our free DPI checker tells you if a picture is sharp enough.

Step 8: Export a print-ready PDF

Save as PDF with all fonts embedded. In Word: File → Save As → PDF → Options → tick "PDF/A compliant". If you use InDesign, export with the PDF/X-1a preset. Then open the PDF and check that the page size matches your trim size (or trim plus bleed).

Step 9: Check it before you upload

Printers check page size, margins, fonts, image resolution and ink. A rejection costs you days. Run your files through a preflight check first, so you fix problems once instead of waiting on the printer again and again.

You can do every step above by hand in Word. Or import your manuscript into SparkPrep, and let it lay out the pages and check them against your printer's rules in minutes. Try it free.

The formatting mistakes printers reject most

Formatted? Check it before the printer does.

SparkPrep checks your interior and cover against Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble Press and Lulu rules, explains every problem in plain English, and fixes what it can for you. It was built by an author whose own book was rejected 18 times.

Check my book files Get the free checklist

Quick answers

How do I format a book for KDP for free?

Set your trim size and mirror margins in Word, use one readable serif font, start chapters with page breaks, add page numbers with section breaks, and save a PDF with fonts embedded. SparkPrep's Interior Studio does this layout for you, free.

What font size should a printed book use?

Most printed books use 10.5 to 12 point serif type. 11 point is a safe middle for a 6 by 9 inch book.

Do I need special software to format a book?

No. Word can do it with the steps above. SparkPrep's free Interior Studio lets you import a Word file and see real printed pages as you go.

More free resources

SparkPrep is an independent tool and is not affiliated with Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble Press or Lulu.