Bleed
Also called: print bleed, bleed area
Definition
Bleed is the 0.125 inch (3.2 mm) extension of artwork past the trim line of a KDP paperback page. It exists so that small variations in the cutting machine do not produce a thin white sliver at the page edge. Coloring books with full-page line art must include bleed or risk KDP rejection.
What is bleed in a KDP coloring book?
Bleed is the strip of artwork that extends past the final trim line of a paperback page. KDP requires 0.125 inch (3.2 mm) of bleed on the three outer edges (top, bottom, and the side opposite the spine) for any page whose artwork touches the edge.
When does a coloring book need bleed?
A coloring book needs bleed any time the line art, color block, or any visual element runs to the edge of the page. If every page has a clean margin between the illustration and the edge (typically 0.25 inch or more of white space), bleed is technically not required, but most KDP coloring books opt into bleed for visual safety.
How big is the bleed area?
The bleed area is 0.125 inch on all three outer edges. The full document size grows by 0.25 inch in width (0.125 inch outer side only, since the spine side has no bleed) and 0.25 inch in height (0.125 inch top + 0.125 inch bottom). An 8.5 x 11 trim with bleed is uploaded as 8.625 x 11.25 inches.
What happens if bleed is wrong?
Wrong bleed is one of the top three KDP rejection reasons for coloring books. Common mistakes: uploading 8.5 x 11 artwork while the file specs say "with bleed" (creates a 0.125 inch white strip after trim), placing critical line-art elements in the bleed area (gets cropped off), or asymmetric bleed (e.g., bleed on the spine side, which is wrong because facing pages share that edge).
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Related terms
Trim size
Trim size is the final physical dimensions of a KDP paperback after cutting, measured in inches (US) and rounded to 0.001 inch. The most common KDP coloring book trim sizes are 8.5 x 11 inches (standard letter), 8 x 10 inches (compact), and 8.5 x 8.5 inches (square). Trim size is set at title creation and cannot change later.
Gutter
The gutter is the inside margin near the spine where two facing pages meet. KDP requires a minimum gutter margin that scales with page count: 0.375 inch for 24 to 150 pages, 0.5 inch for 151 to 400 pages, and 0.625 inch for 401+ pages. Putting critical art in the gutter leaves it hidden in the spine.
DPI
DPI (dots per inch) is the print-resolution measure of a coloring book page. KDP requires a minimum 300 DPI on every interior image at the page's printed size. A 300 DPI 8.5 x 11 inch page is 2550 x 3300 pixels. Files below 300 DPI print fuzzy and trigger a quality warning at upload.
Manuscript
The manuscript is the interior PDF file uploaded to KDP, distinct from the cover file. For coloring books, the manuscript contains all the line-art pages, any front matter (title page, copyright), and any back matter (about the artist, also-by). KDP requires a print-ready PDF at 300 DPI with embedded fonts and bleed.
Spine
The spine is the bound edge of a paperback, including the visible spine strip on the cover. Spine width is calculated from page count: KDP's formula is page count x 0.002252 inch for white interior paper, x 0.0025 inch for cream. A 100-page coloring book has a 0.2252 inch spine on white paper.