Bleed Guide for KDP

Does your book need bleed? Find out in seconds. Interactive decision tree, visual comparison, and exact dimensions for every KDP trim size.

Do I Need Bleed?
Interactive Decision Tree Visual Comparison All Trim Sizes 100% Free

How It Works

Three steps to determine if your book needs bleed

1

Answer Questions

Our decision tree asks about your book content to determine bleed requirements.

2

See the Difference

Compare bleed vs. no-bleed visually with labeled diagrams and animated views.

3

Get Your Specs

Look up exact dimensions for your trim size in inches, mm, and pixels at 300 DPI.

Do You Need Bleed?

Answer a few questions to find out

1
Does your book have images, colors, or designs that go to the very edge of the page?
2
Is your book text-only (novel, journal, planner with borders)?
3
Does your book have colored backgrounds on some pages?
BLEED REQUIRED
You need bleed for your book
Your book has content that extends to the edge of the page. You must add 0.125" (3.175 mm) of bleed on all sides of every page.
Extra per side
0.125" (3.175 mm)
Total added to width
0.25" (6.35 mm)
Total added to height
0.25" (6.35 mm)
Safe zone from trim
0.25" (6.35 mm)
NO BLEED NEEDED
You do not need bleed
Your book content stays within the page margins. Use the standard trim size dimensions with no extra bleed area.
Extra per side
None
Page dimensions
Exact trim size
Minimum margins
0.25" (6.35 mm)
Best for
Text, journals, planners

Bleed vs. No Bleed

See the difference at a glance

With Bleed

Trim
Area
Bleed 0.125" Safe zone 0.25" 0.125" 0.125"
Bleed zone
Trim edge
Safe zone

Without Bleed

Page
Area
Trim edge Margin 0.25"
Trim edge
Minimum margin

Bleed Specs Reference

Everything you need to know in one table

Specification With Bleed Without Bleed
Extra area per side 0.125" (3.175 mm) None
Total added to width 0.25" (6.35 mm) None
Total added to height 0.25" (6.35 mm) None
Safe zone from trim edge 0.25" (6.35 mm) N/A
Minimum outside margins 0.25" (6.35 mm) 0.25" (6.35 mm)
Inside margin (gutter) Varies by page count (0.375" – 0.875")
Best for Coloring books, photo books, activity books Novels, journals, text-heavy books
File format PDF PDF

Quick Dimension Calculator

Select a trim size to see exact file dimensions with and without bleed

With Bleed

in
mm
px

Without Bleed

in
mm
px

Why Use This Guide

Everything you need for KDP bleed settings

🎯

Instant Decision

Answer 1–3 quick questions and know immediately whether your book requires bleed or not. No guesswork.

📐

Visual Diagrams

See exactly where the bleed zone, trim edge, and safe zone are. Toggle between design view and trimmed result.

📋

Complete Specs

All KDP bleed specifications in one table — extra area, safe zones, margins, and recommended use cases.

📐

Dimension Calculator

Pick your trim size and instantly get exact file dimensions in inches, millimeters, and pixels at 300 DPI.

Understanding Bleed for Amazon KDP

When you publish a paperback on Amazon KDP, you choose between two PDF settings: bleed and no bleed. This choice affects the dimensions of your PDF file and how your book looks after printing and trimming.

Bleed means your artwork extends beyond the final trim edge of the page. Amazon requires 0.125 inches (3.175 mm) of extra content on all four sides. After printing, the pages are cut along the trim line, leaving a clean edge-to-edge design with no white borders. This is essential for coloring books, photo books, art books, and any layout where colors or images reach the page edge.

No bleed means your content stays within the page margins. The PDF file matches the exact trim size of your book. This is the standard choice for novels, journals, planners, and any text-heavy book where a white border around the content is acceptable and expected.

Choosing the wrong setting is one of the most common KDP formatting mistakes. If you select "bleed" but your PDF is the standard trim size, Amazon will reject it. If you select "no bleed" but your design goes to the edge, you will get white strips along the trimmed sides.

What is bleed in book printing?
Bleed is the area beyond the final trim edge of a page that gets cut off after printing. For Amazon KDP, bleed is 0.125" (3.175 mm) on each side. You extend your artwork into this zone so that after trimming there are no unprinted white edges.
How much extra do I add for bleed on KDP?
Add 0.25" (6.35 mm) to both the total width and total height of your file. That is 0.125" extra on each of the four sides. For example, a 6" × 9" trim size becomes 6.25" × 9.25" with bleed.
What is the safe zone?
The safe zone is the area 0.25" (6.35 mm) inside the trim line. Keep all important text and critical design elements within this zone. During trimming, slight shifts can occur, so content too close to the edge may be cut off.
Do coloring books need bleed?
Yes, almost always. Coloring book pages typically have designs that extend to the edge of the page, or colored backgrounds. You should select bleed to ensure clean edge-to-edge printing.
Can I change from bleed to no-bleed after publishing?
Yes, but you will need to upload a new PDF with the correct dimensions. Switching from bleed to no-bleed (or vice versa) changes the required file size, so your existing PDF will not match.
What happens if I upload the wrong size?
Amazon KDP will reject your file during the review process and display an error message about incorrect dimensions. You will need to resize your PDF and re-upload it.

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