Short answer. On Amazon.com, the KDP paperback print cost for a black ink book at a regular trim size is $2.30 up to 110 pages. Above that it is $1.00 plus $0.012 a page, so 300 pages costs $4.60. Large trims, color ink and more pages raise it. Bleed and a glossy or matte cover wrap do not.
Key points
- KDP takes the print cost out of your royalty. You pay nothing upfront.
- The formula is a fixed cost plus page count times a per-page cost.
- Page count drives the cost, and your formatting decides the page count.
- Our paperback interior formatting tells you the page count before you set a price.
How is the KDP paperback print cost worked out?
KDP uses one formula: fixed cost + (page count x per-page cost). The numbers change with trim size, ink, paper and the Amazon store where the reader buys. For Amazon.com, black ink on cream or white paper:
| Page count | Regular trim | Large trim |
|---|---|---|
| 24 to 110 | $2.30 flat | $2.84 flat |
| 110 to 828 | $1.00 + $0.012 a page | $1.00 + $0.017 a page |
A large trim is wider than 6.12 inches or taller than 9 inches. Our post on KDP paperback trim sizes lists which sizes those are.
What does a 150, 210, 300 or 400 page book cost to print?
At a regular trim, black ink, sold on Amazon.com:
| Pages | Print cost |
|---|---|
| 150 | $2.80 |
| 210 | $3.52 |
| 300 | $4.60 |
| 400 | $5.80 |
The 300-page line is KDP's own example. The others are the same formula. Every extra 100 pages adds $1.20 a copy.
How much more does color or groundwood paper cost?
Color costs much more. Premium color is $1.00 plus $0.065 a page, so a 210-page book is $14.65 to print. Standard color is $1.00 plus $0.0255 a page, or $6.36 at 210 pages, and starts at 72 pages.
Groundwood paper goes the other way. KDP says it is about 5% cheaper per page than cream or white. At 210 pages it comes to $3.39 against $3.52.
What is the lowest price KDP lets you set?
KDP's minimum list price is the print cost divided by your royalty rate. On Amazon.com a paperback under $9.99 earns 50%, so a 210-page book costing $3.52 cannot be listed below $7.04.
The floor only stops you losing money on each copy. Your real price should leave a royalty worth having, so check what books like yours sell for. If you are thinking of a hardcover edition too, our post on whether a KDP hardcover is worth it works out the cost and royalty per copy.
How does formatting change the print cost?
Formatting sets the page count, and the page count sets the cost. Our sample book is a small example. Our sample manuscript was a Word export of 12 Letter pages. Set at 6 x 9 in EB Garamond, the same words came to 14 pages with the title pages (pdfinfo, 14 Oct 2026). Chapter VI alone, 4,035 words, filled 12 body pages, about 336 words a page. At that rate 80,000 words is about 238 pages, or $3.86 a copy by the formula above. That is a projection from one chapter, not a measured book.
Tighter type or a bigger trim lowers the count. Too tight and the book is hard to read, which costs you reviews instead.
How we do it for you: we set your interior at your trim size, tell you the page count, and check it against KDP's print specs before you price the book. Send us a chapter for a free formatted sample.
Does bleed or the cover finish change the price?
No. KDP's help says bleed settings and cover finish do not affect the print cost. If you are unsure about bleed for other reasons, our post on KDP bleed vs no bleed covers when you need it.
What else do authors ask about KDP paperback print cost?
No. KDP takes the print cost out of each sale's royalty.
KDP charges only the fixed $2.30 at a regular trim up to that point.
No. Each Amazon store has its own fixed and per-page cost, in its own currency.
Yes. KDP shows it in the Rights and Pricing step, and its Printing Cost and Royalty Calculator estimates it.
No. They share one price chart.
What should you do next?
Take your word count, divide by about 380, and run the result through the formula above. That gives you a rough print cost for a 6 x 9 novel. For an exact page count from a formatted file, start on our paperback interior formatting page.
