Paperback interior formatting that passes KDP's print check.
- Cancel before work starts for a full refund
- Screenshots with every file
- Free sample first
- We never log in to your KDP
- No call
What does paperback interior formatting look like before and after?
Paperback interior formatting turns your Word or Google Doc into a print-ready PDF at your trim size, checked against KDP's print specs. The slider shows one page before and after. We charge $169 for up to 80,000 words, in 6 business days, and fix it free until KDP accepts it.
Drag to compare. Gutter 0.75 in, outside 0.6 in, 34 lines a page, every font embedded.
What is paperback interior formatting?
Paperback interior formatting sets the inside pages of a print book: trim size, margins, gutter, fonts, chapter openings and page numbers. The result is one PDF at your trim size, the file KDP prints from. The cover is a separate file, with the spine sized to your page count.
What did our sample book look like before and after?
Our sample book started as a Letter size Word file in Times New Roman 12, double spaced, with 406 words on page 2. After formatting, it is 6 x 9 in and 14 pages. On folios 6 and 7 the top margin is 0.437 in, the foot 0.417 in, and both carry 34 lines.
What do we look at on every page?
We look at the last line of each page and the end of each line. Across our 14-page sample book there are 15 hyphenated line ends, never more than 2 in a row, and no name broken across lines. We tightened 4 paragraphs by hand and turned hyphenation off in one.
What does KDP check in a paperback interior PDF?
KDP checks that the page size matches your trim size, that nothing sits inside the margins, that fonts are embedded, and that the gutter fits your page count. The gutter is the one most people miss, because it grows with the book, as the table below shows.
| Page count | KDP inside margin |
|---|---|
| 24 to 150 | 0.375 in |
| 151 to 300 | 0.5 in |
| 301 to 500 | 0.625 in |
| 501 to 700 | 0.75 in |
| 701 to 828 | 0.875 in |
Source: KDP help, Set trim size, bleed and margins (kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GVBQ3CMEQW3W2VL6, checked 2026-10-10).
How many pages will my book be?
At 6 x 9 in, your book runs about one page for every 380 words of plain text. That is what our sample book measured: its body pages held 241 to 450 words, 379 on average across folios 2 to 11. Pages full of dialogue held the fewest.
| Words | Pages at 6 x 9 in (about) | KDP inside margin | Spine on cream paper | Starter price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30,000 | 80 | 0.375 in | 0.20 in | $249 |
| 50,000 | 130 | 0.375 in | 0.33 in | $249 |
| 60,000 | 160 | 0.5 in | 0.40 in | $249 |
| 80,000 | 210 | 0.5 in | 0.53 in | $249 |
| 100,000 | 265 | 0.5 in | 0.66 in | $299 |
| 120,000 | 315 | 0.625 in | 0.79 in | $349 |
Body pages only. Front and back matter add a few more, and a smaller trim size adds many more. Your real count comes with the formatted file, and that is the number the spine is sized from.
How do we set a paperback interior?
We set every paperback interior in the same nine steps, starting with the page size at your trim size. The inside margin comes from your page count, using KDP's table. Every page end and line end gets checked before we embed the fonts, export the PDF and check it against KDP's print specs.
Set the page size to your trim size before anything else.
Flow in your final manuscript and set the body type.
Set the inside margin from your page count, using KDP's table: 0.375 in up to 150 pages, 0.5 in to 300, 0.625 in to 500, 0.75 in to 700, 0.875 in to 828.
Keep the top, bottom and outside margins at or above KDP's minimum.
Add bleed only when an image or background reaches the page edge.
Style chapter openings, scene breaks and page numbers.
Check every page end and line end, and fix what reads badly.
Embed every font and export the PDF.
Check the PDF against KDP's print specs and send you the screenshots with our upload guide. You upload to your own KDP account.
Source for step 3: KDP help, Set trim size, bleed and margins (kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GVBQ3CMEQW3W2VL6, checked 2026-10-10).
What happens if KDP rejects it?
If KDP rejects your paperback for a formatting reason, we fix it free until KDP accepts it, as long as you tell us within 60 days of delivery. That covers margins, gutter, bleed, trim size, fonts and page count. Text changes after you approve the file, and covers we didn't make, are not covered.
The KDP rule behind it: Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins and Print Options, on KDP's help pages (read 11 October 2026).
Can your paperback sell outside Amazon if your ebook is in KDP Select?
Yes. Putting the ebook in KDP Select does not tie up the paperback. KDP lets you keep distributing the print edition anywhere while the ebook is enrolled.
The simplest route is one checkbox. Tick Expanded Distribution in KDP and it offers your paperback to booksellers and libraries. Allow up to 8 weeks after the book is accepted, and know that KDP does not promise a store will order it.
IngramSpark is the second route, with more than 45,000 libraries and stores on its list.
Our $169 paperback PDF is set and checked to KDP's print specs, which is the file Expanded Distribution uses. Going to IngramSpark too? Its file rules are separate from KDP's, so check the PDF against them first.
Checked in October 2026 against KDP's help pages on KDP Select and Expanded Distribution, and IngramSpark's How it Works page.
What does paperback interior formatting cost?
A paperback interior costs $169 for up to 80,000 words, in 6 business days. The price covers the PDF at your trim size, the KDP print-spec check, screenshots, our upload guide and the guarantee. Need the ebook too? Starter makes both files for $249 in 10 business days.
$169
| Service | Price | Business days |
|---|---|---|
| Paperback interior only (PDF at your trim size, KDP print-spec check, screenshots, upload guide, guarantee) | $169 | 6 |
| Starter: paperback and ebook together | $249 | 10 |
| Hardcover interior from the paperback file | $59 | 3 |
| Full-wrap paperback cover sized to your final page count | $249 | 7 |
Each started 10,000 words over 80,000 adds $25.
Going to hardcover as well? Add it for $59. Need the cover sized to the spine? A new full wrap is $249, or $99 to convert your ebook cover.
Our guarantee: Rejected by KDP for a formatting reason? Tell us within 60 days of delivery and the fix costs nothing.
How do I order?
You order online, with no account and no call. Pay the posted price by card through Stripe and send your manuscript on the page that opens after payment. We email you your start date, you approve your first chapter, and your PDF arrives 6 business days from that date with the KDP print-spec screenshots.
Pay the posted price.
By card through Stripe. No account, no call.
Today
Send what we need.
The page after payment asks for your file and a few details. Or send them in Messenger.
Right after you pay
Get your start date.
We check every order ourselves and email you your start date. You approve your first chapter before we set the rest.
By email
Get your files, checked.
KDP print-spec screenshots come with them, so you see what we saw before you upload.
6 business days
Who is this not for?
It is not for photo books, workbooks, cookbooks or books with many charts, which need a different layout and get a quote from a person. Illustrated children's books need an illustrator first. We don't draw in-house, but ask and we tell you who we would work with and the cost per spread.
Do you need a proofread first?
If your manuscript still has typos, get the proofread first. We proofread for $16 per 1,000 words, in 5 business days per 50,000 words, before formatting starts, so your pages are set once. A proofread catches spelling, punctuation and typos. It doesn't rewrite your sentences.
We do it before formatting on purpose. Every fix after the pages are set can move a line, and a moved line can move a page end.
A 70,000-word novel costs $1,120 to proofread. The proofread runs first, and its days come before the formatting days.
If you want grammar, consistency and clarity checked too, a copyedit is $24 per 1,000 words and includes the proofread.
| Service | Price | Business days |
|---|---|---|
| Proofread (spelling, punctuation, typos) | $16 per 1,000 words | 5 per 50,000 words |
| Copyedit (grammar, consistency, clarity; includes proofread) | $24 per 1,000 words | 10 per 50,000 words |
What else do authors ask?
What is the average price for proofreading 1,000 words?
Clean Page Press charges $16 per 1,000 words, so a 70,000-word book is $1,120. Proofreading takes 5 business days per 50,000 words and is done before formatting.
How much does paperback formatting cost?
Clean Page Press formats a paperback interior for $169, up to 80,000 words, in 6 business days, checked against KDP's print specs and fixed free until KDP accepts it.
How do I know you're any good?
Ask for the free sample: we format up to 1,300 words of your own manuscript at your trim size, back in 2 business days, before you pay. Every paperback comes with the print-spec screenshots we checked, and we fix it free if KDP rejects it for a formatting reason.
What margins does KDP need for a paperback?
The inside margin depends on page count: 0.375 in for 24 to 150 pages, rising to 0.875 in for 701 to 828 pages. The top, bottom and outside margins need at least 0.25 in, or 0.375 in if the book has bleed.
What trim size should my paperback be?
You choose the trim size in KDP. We set the PDF to the trim size you pick in KDP, and the page count follows from it.
How many pages can a KDP paperback have?
A black ink paperback can run 24 to 828 pages on white paper and 24 to 776 on cream.
What comes after this?
Cover
Front cover, or a full wrap with the spine sized to your page count.
Get a free sample of your own book
Up to 1,300 words of your manuscript, set at your trim size, back in 2 business days. No card.
- We pick the 1,300 words that show your layout best.
- Your price comes with the sample.
- You only pay if you order.