KDP Bleed Settings Explained — When You Need Them and How to Fix Bleed Errors

Bleed is the extra area beyond your trim size that gets cut off during printing — it ensures images and colors extend cleanly to the page edge with no white border. KDP offers two bleed options: “no bleed” (default) and “bleed.” If your PDF dimensions don’t match your bleed selection in the KDP dashboard, you’ll get a rejection. The most common mistake: enabling bleed in KDP but submitting a PDF at the standard trim size without the extra 0.125” bleed area, or vice versa.

When you need bleed

Enable bleed if: your book has images, colors, or graphics that run to the edge of the page. Children’s picture books, cookbooks, photography books, coloring books, and any layout with full-page illustrations need bleed.

Disable bleed if: your book is text-only or all images/graphics have white space around them. Most fiction, memoir, and text-heavy nonfiction do not need bleed. According to KDP’s bleed specifications, the default “no bleed” setting is appropriate for the majority of books.

PDF dimensions with and without bleed

For a 5.5” × 8.5” book:

Setting	PDF Page Size	Bleed Area
No bleed	5.5” × 8.5”	None
With bleed	5.75” × 8.75”	0.125” on outside, top, and bottom

Important: bleed is added to the outside, top, and bottom edges only. The inside (gutter) edge has no bleed because it’s in the binding.

Bleed dimensions for all common trims

Trim	No Bleed PDF Size	With Bleed PDF Size
5” × 8”	5” × 8”	5.25” × 8.25”
5.25” × 8”	5.25” × 8”	5.5” × 8.25”
5.5” × 8.5”	5.5” × 8.5”	5.75” × 8.75”
6” × 9”	6” × 9”	6.25” × 9.25”
8.5” × 11”	8.5” × 11”	8.75” × 11.25”

The most common bleed errors

1. Bleed enabled in KDP, PDF at trim size

You checked “bleed” in the KDP dashboard but your PDF is 5.5” × 8.5” instead of 5.75” × 8.75”. KDP expects the larger dimensions.

Fix: Either re-export your PDF with 0.125” bleed on outside/top/bottom, or change your KDP setting to “no bleed.”

2. Bleed in PDF, not enabled in KDP

Your PDF is 5.75” × 8.75” but KDP is set to “no bleed.” KDP expects 5.5” × 8.5”.

Fix: Enable bleed in the KDP dashboard, or re-export without the bleed area.

3. Bleed on the wrong edges

Some export tools add bleed to all four edges. KDP only wants bleed on three edges (outside, top, bottom) — the gutter side has no bleed.

Fix: Check your export settings. Most book formatting tools handle this correctly, but generic design tools (Canva, Photoshop) may add bleed everywhere.

How to set up bleed correctly

Design rules with bleed enabled

1. Extend images 0.125” past the trim line on any edge where the image should touch the page border
2. Keep important content at least 0.25” inside the trim line — the “safe zone.” Content near the trim edge may be cut slightly off-center.
3. The gutter side has no bleed — don’t extend content past the gutter margin

Export settings by tool

Word: Cannot set bleed dimensions. Use a page size that includes the bleed area (e.g., 5.75” × 8.75” for a 5.5×8.5 book).

InDesign: File → Document Setup → Bleed: 0.125” on Top, Bottom, Outside. Inside: 0.

Affinity Publisher: File → Document Setup → Bleed: 3mm (≈0.125”) on relevant edges.

Cambric: Select bleed in your edition profile — the PDF export automatically includes the correct bleed dimensions for your trim.

Minimum margins with bleed

When bleed is enabled, KDP’s minimum outside margin increases from 0.25” to 0.375”. Top and bottom minimums stay at 0.25”. The inside (gutter) margin requirements don’t change.

Edge	No Bleed Min	With Bleed Min
Inside (gutter)	0.375”–0.875”	0.375”–0.875”
Outside	0.25”	0.375”
Top	0.25”	0.25”
Bottom	0.25”	0.25”

Related guides

• KDP file rejection fixes — all common errors
• Book bleed explained — complete bleed guide
• KDP Book Calculator — specs and cost
• Cover Size Calculator — cover dimensions with bleed