KDP Paperback Requirements Explained (Trim, Bleed, Margins)

Before you format a single page for Amazon KDP, make five decisions: trim size, ink and paper, bleed, a gutter that fits your page count, and outside margins. Here's what KDP requires for each, and how to set them once in PodoLay. Episode 1 of Season 1, "From Word to KDP in Your Browser": we make one public-domain book (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 6 × 9 in) from manuscript to printed proof. ▶ Season 1 trailer:    • Publish a KDP Paperback, Cover & eBook — A...   ▶ Full playlist:    • From Word to KDP in Your Browser — Season 1   KDP's numbers (from KDP Help, October 2026): • Bleed: 0.125 in on the top, bottom and outside edge. A 6 × 9 in page becomes 6.125 × 9.25 in. • Minimum gutter: 0.375 in (24–150 pages), 0.5 in (151–300), 0.625 in (301–500), 0.75 in (501–700), 0.875 in (701–828) • Outside, top and bottom: at least 0.25 in, or 0.375 in with bleed Try PodoLay free: https://podolay.com/en/?utm_source=yo... KDP paperback guide: https://podolay.com/en/guides/kdp-pap... Cover size & spine width calculator: https://podolay.com/en/tools/cover-ca... Manual — Document Setup: https://podolay.com/en/support/manual... The free plan covers documents up to 30 pages; the 92-page example book in this series uses a paid plan. EPUB export is free on every plan. In this video 0:00 Five decisions before you format 0:39 1. Trim size 1:31 2. Ink & paper 2:21 3. Bleed 3:20 4. The gutter (inside margin) 4:10 5. Outside, top & bottom margins 4:55 Set it up in PodoLay 5:57 Checklist Made by the PodoLay developer. Narration is AI-generated (text-to-speech) from a script written by a person. The example book (Lewis Carroll, 1865, illustrations by John Tenniel) is in the public domain in the US; it is not offered for sale.