# Too many blank pages: KDP's limits, Lulu's two-page rule, and how to fix them

How many blank pages in a row KDP and Lulu allow, why Word sometimes adds blank pages you can't see, and how to remove them.

Facts last checked 4 October 2026. https://bervet.com/forum/guides/214/too-many-blank-pages-kdps-limits-lulus-two-page-rule-and-how-to-fix-them

A few blank pages are normal in a printed book: the back of a title page, the page before a chapter that starts on the right. But long runs of empty pages look like a printing mistake to a reader, so platforms limit them.

### The limits (as at 4 October 2026)

**KDP** allows no more than **4 blank pages in a row** at the start or in the middle of your book, and no more than **10 in a row at the end**. You don't need to add a blank page to make the page count even: KDP rounds it up itself.

**Lulu** allows no more than **2 blank pages in a row** for books going into retail distribution. It says pages with "Page Intentionally Left Blank" on them, or lines for taking notes, are accepted. Lulu may also add blank pages at the end of a printed book itself, at no extra cost.

**IngramSpark** wants the last page blank, because it prints its own production details there; if your last page isn't blank, it adds one. It prints page counts in multiples of two, and says that if you want no blank pages added beyond that last one, make your page count divisible by 12. It doesn't publish a limit on blank pages in a row.

**Barnes & Noble Press** explains that blank pages at the back of a printed book come from how the paper is folded and bound.

### Where unexpected blank pages come from in Word

- **Odd Page section breaks.** Used to start each chapter on a right-hand page, they make Word add a blank page whenever a chapter would otherwise start on the left. Word doesn't always show that page in the normal view, but it appears in print preview and in the PDF.
- A page break and a section break stacked together, which gives you two new pages instead of one.
- Empty paragraphs at the end of a chapter that spill onto a page of their own.
- Blank pages typed in by hand, for spacing.

### How to fix it in Word

1. Go to File > Print to see the print preview, or open your PDF and scroll through. Note any runs of blank pages.
2. Turn on the ¶ button (Home tab) to show breaks and empty paragraphs.
3. Where a Page Break sits right next to a Section Break, delete the Page Break.
4. Delete empty paragraphs at the end of chapters.
5. To change an Odd Page section break, click just after it, open the Page Setup box (the small arrow at the corner of Layout > Page Setup), go to the Layout tab, and set Section start to **New page**.
6. Save as PDF and check again.

Fewer pages means a thinner spine, so rebuild your cover for the new page count. See [fixing a cover that's the wrong size](/guides/fix-cover-wrong-size).

**Planned blank pages,** for a journal or workbook? For Lulu, put lines or "Page Intentionally Left Blank" on them. KDP's help pages we checked don't say whether that changes how KDP counts them, so check your proof.

**Using a designer, InDesign, Affinity or Canva?** Delete unused pages, check your master (parent) pages aren't adding empty ones, and set chapter starts in the document rather than with filler pages.

### Check before you upload

Once your page count has settled, Bervet's free [spine width calculator](https://bervet.com/tools/spine-width-calculator) works out the new spine and cover size, and checks your interior and cover PDFs. The check runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded; checking a PDF needs a free Bervet account.

### Sources
- Sourced from https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834260, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G202145060, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201857950, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://help.lulu.com/en/support/solutions/articles/64000255462-mandatory-print-book-distribution-requirements, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://help.lulu.com/en/support/solutions/articles/64000255590-interior-formatting-the-basics, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://help.ingramspark.com/hc/en-us/articles/35306907207821, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://help.ingramspark.com/hc/en-us/articles/35305043101453, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://www.ingramspark.com/hubfs/downloads/file-creation-guide.pdf, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://help-press.barnesandnoble.com/hc/en-us/articles/47339015547419, as at 4 October 2026.

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From Bervet (bervet.com), indie books straight from the people who wrote them. Page: https://bervet.com/forum/guides/214/too-many-blank-pages-kdps-limits-lulus-two-page-rule-and-how-to-fix-them
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