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KDP Interior Checker

Check your paperback interior the way KDP does, before you upload. Pick your book size and paper, then your manuscript PDF: every page is checked on your computer, and the pages with problems are shown with the margins drawn in.

Your book

The page count and bleed are read from your file.

Your interior file

Checked on your computer. Files are never uploaded.

What we check

  • Page count for your size and paper
  • Every page the right size (with or without bleed)
  • Text and pictures inside the margins
  • Picture resolution (300 DPI)
  • Fonts embedded
  • Blank pages
  • Text size (7 pt minimum)
  • Comments and annotations

Choose your interior PDF on the left to start. Big books take a few seconds: every page is checked on your computer.

How to use it

  1. 1

    Pick your size and paper

    Choose the trim size and paper you will pick on KDP. The page count and bleed are read from your file.

  2. 2

    Choose your PDF

    Pick or drop your interior PDF. A progress bar shows each page being read. Nothing is uploaded.

  3. 3

    Fix the marked pages

    Each check lists the pages it is about. Click a page number to see it with the margins and problems marked.

What KDP checks inside your book

KDP looks at every page of your interior file before your book goes live. The most common problems are pages that are the wrong size, text that sits too close to the binding, pictures that touch the page edge without bleed, and long runs of blank pages. This checker looks for all of them on every page.

Page size and bleed

Every page must be the same size. Without bleed that is your trim size, for example 6 × 9 in. With bleed, each page is 0.125 in wider and 0.25 in taller: 6.125 × 9.25 in. KDP needs single pages, not two-page spreads. The checker works out from your file whether it is set up with bleed, so you don’t have to say.

Margins and the gutter

The top, bottom and outside margins must be at least 0.25 in (0.375 in with bleed). The inside margin, the gutter, grows with your page count:

  • 24–150 pages: at least 0.375 in
  • 151–300 pages: at least 0.5 in
  • 301–500 pages: at least 0.625 in
  • 501–700 pages: at least 0.75 in
  • 701–828 pages: at least 0.875 in

The checker uses the right gutter for your page count, and puts it on the left of right-hand pages (1, 3, 5…) and on the right of left-hand pages. Text outside the margins is a fail. A picture that touches the page edge in a book without bleed is a fail too: either set the file up with bleed or shrink the picture inside the margins.

Pictures, fonts and text size

Pictures should be placed at 300 DPI or more; KDP suggests no more than 600 DPI to keep the file small. Every font must be embedded in the PDF. Text should be at least 7 pt. The checker lists the pages where any of these fail.

Blank pages

KDP rejects books with too many blank pages in a row: more than 4 at the start or in the middle, or more than 10 at the end. A blank page here and there, like the back of the title page, is normal.

Check the cover too

Your cover’s spine depends on the page count of this file. Take the page count this checker gives you to the cover checker.Check my book, part of Pro (coming soon), will do both in one report.

Questions and answers

What does the KDP interior checker check?

Page count for your size and paper, that every page is the right size (with or without bleed) and not a spread, text and pictures inside the margins on every page, picture resolution, embedded fonts, blank pages, text under 7 pt, and comments left in the file.

How does it count my pages?

The way KDP does: every page in the PDF, rounded up to an even number. A 211-page file counts as 212, because KDP adds a blank page at the end.

How many blank pages does KDP allow?

No more than 4 blank pages in a row at the start or in the middle of the book, and no more than 10 in a row at the end. Single blank pages, such as the back of a title page, are fine.

How does it know which side the gutter is on?

Page 1 of a KDP book is a right-hand page, so odd pages have the gutter on the left and even pages on the right. The checker uses the gutter for your page count: from 0.375 in for 24–150 pages to 0.875 in for 701–828.

Can I check a Word file?

Not directly. KDP turns Word files into PDF when you upload. Save your Word file as a PDF (File → Save As → PDF) and check that. If your book has bleed, KDP needs a PDF anyway.

Is my manuscript uploaded?

No. Your browser reads the file on your own computer. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else.

Will a big book freeze my browser?

No. Pages are read one by one in the background with a progress bar. A 300-page novel usually takes a few seconds; large picture books can take longer.

Related tools

  • Margins calculator

    Find out how much space to leave around your text so nothing gets cut off.

    Open tool

  • Check my book

    Check cover and inside pages together, so the spine fits your real page count.

    Open tool

  • Interior template

    A free page template with the safe margins already marked for your book size.

    Open tool