KDP says insufficient bleed, or my pages have white edges: how to fix it

Bleed is extra picture that runs past the edge of the finished page. Books are printed on bigger sheets and then cut down, and the cut is never perfectly exact. If a picture or coloured background stops exactly at the edge, a cut that's slightly off leaves a thin white line. Bleed gives the blade something to cut through.

The trim is the finished size of your book after cutting, such as 6 x 9 inches.

You only need bleed if something on a page is meant to reach the edge: a full-page photo, a coloured background, a map that runs off the page. A novel with plain text pages doesn't need it. Every print cover does.

What KDP says

When KDP's Print Previewer finds a problem here, the message usually reads something like "insufficient bleed". KDP's help page on formatting issues also warns that white edges can make a file fail the bleed check.

KDP cuts 0.125 in (3.2 mm) from the top, bottom and outside edge of each page. Nothing is cut from the inside edge by the spine. So an interior with bleed must be:

• 0.125 in wider than the trim
• 0.25 in taller than the trim

A 6 x 9 in book needs 6.125 x 9.25 in pages. A 5 x 8 in book needs 5.125 x 8.25 in.

Three KDP rules catch people out (as at 4 October 2026):

• If even one page needs bleed, the whole file must be set up with bleed.
• Bleed only works when you upload a PDF.
• You choose Bleed in the print options when you set up the paperback. A bleed-sized file uploaded with No bleed selected won't match.

Print covers need 0.125 in of bleed on every side.

Lulu's white bleed warning

Lulu asks for 0.125 in of bleed on every file. For interiors it adds it on all four sides, spine edge included, so a 6 x 9 in Lulu book with bleed needs 6.25 x 9.25 in pages. That's different from KDP.

If nothing in your file reaches the edge, you can upload at trim size and Lulu adds a white bleed itself. You'll see an orange warning (Lulu's warnings are orange, its errors red) that a white bleed margin has been added. For a plain text book that's fine. If you meant pictures to reach the edge, it means a white strip may show: rebuild the file with bleed.

IngramSpark

IngramSpark adds 0.125 in at the top, bottom and outside only, like KDP, and asks you not to add bleed on the spine edge because it shifts the page.

How to fix it in Word

1. Go to Layout > Size > More Paper Sizes. Set the width and height to your trim plus bleed (for KDP, 6.125 x 9.25 in for a 6 x 9 book). Under "Apply to", choose Whole document.
2. Check your margins. KDP asks for at least 0.375 in at the top, bottom and outside on books with bleed, so your text stays well clear of the cut.
3. For each picture that should reach the edge, right-click it and choose Wrap Text > Behind Text. Then drag its edges a little past the edge of the page on every side that should bleed.
4. Save as PDF (File > Save As, then choose PDF). Open it and check the page size is the bleed size.
5. In KDP's paperback setup, choose Bleed.

Using a designer, InDesign, Affinity or Canva? Set the document to your trim size with 0.125 in of bleed (on all four sides for Lulu), stretch backgrounds right out to the bleed line, and export with bleed included and no crop marks.

Check before you upload

Bervet's free spine width calculator works out cover sizes with bleed, and checks print PDFs for page size and bleed against each printer's rules. The check runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded; checking a PDF needs a free Bervet account. Book trim sizes lists each printer's trims.