Full Page High Quality Images Using Microsoft Word and Kindle Direct Publishing

Printing full-page images in a book is a bit like printing a cover. It’s expected that the outer edges of the images will be cut, so avoid placing anything critical near the edges.

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) supports page bleed for printing full page images. While there’s documentation, designers may be left asking questions, such as:

  • What template should I use?
  • What changes should I make to an existing document(s)?
  • What book size should I select when submitting for publishing?

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Definitions

Let’s define some terms. For clarity we employ the same terminology used by KDP.

  • Trim Size. The book’s height and width as published.
  • Bleed. Is the Trim Size plus an additional amount the images can spill onto. This additional content will be later cut to match the trim size.
  • Margins. Padding around the outer edges of the trim size that regular images and text are confined to.
    • Gutter/Inside. Margin(s) along the binding that changes based on the thickness of the book.
    • Outside/Top/Bottom. Margins along the visible edges of the page.
Diagram showing the various sizes and margins.
Figure 1. Diagram showing the various sizes and margins.
Mock-up of a print preview with margins and bleeds in place.
Figure 2. Mock-up of a print preview with margins and bleeds in place.

Trim and Bleed

For KDP the bleed is added over and above your chosen trim size on the outer edges. That amount is 0.125” or 3.2mm regardless of page size, paperback or hardcover.

Note

Microsoft Word does not support three decimal points. It rounds the bleed up to 0.13".

According to KDP their most common size of paperback is 6" x 9" or 152.4mm x 228.6mm. To calculate the working page size of your document bleed needs to be added to the outer edges:

Width

There’s only one outer edge due to the binding.

(Trim width) + (Bleed) = Page width with bleed
6" + 0.125" (Outer) = 6.125"
152.4mm + 3.2mm (Outer) = 155.6mm

Height

Height has two outer edges which are added to the trim height.

(Trim height) + (Bleed) x 2 = Page height with bleed

Another way to look at it is.

9" + (Top Bleed) + (Bottom Bleed) = Page height with bleed
9" + 0.125" (Top) + 0.125" (Bottom) = 9.25"
228.6mm + 3.2mm (Top) + 3.2mm (Bottom) = 235mm

Note

Based on these calculations, KDP doesn’t carry templates with bleed. Use the template with the desired trim size and alter its page size and margins to suit your needs.

Margins

Margins prevent content from flowing off the place and cut when the book is trimmed to size. For KDP the minimum size is 0.25" or 6.35mm for books without bleed and 0.375" or 9.6mm for books with.

The last margin is your minimum inside or gutter margin. KDP provides a detailed guide on which to use based on the number of pages. The following are simply a summary:

  • 24 to 150 pages. 0.375" or 9.6mm
  • 151 to 300 pages. 0.5" or 12.7mm
  • 301 to 500 pages. 0.625" or 15.9mm
  • 501 to 700 pages. 0.75" or 19.1mm
  • 701 to 828 pages. 0.875" or 22.3mm

These margin sizes are a minimum. Nothing prevents a designer from using larger margins, or opting for different numbers for each.

Setting Page Size and Dimensions

Even when using a template, it’s wise confirm that the trim, bleed, and margins are as correct. Under Microsoft Word you would:

  1. Click on Layout in your ribbon.
  2. Expand Page Setup Expansion Icon. A new window will appear.
  3. Click on the Margins tab.
  4. Select Mirror margins under Multiple Pages. This will change the Margin names to reflect a print book.
  5. Select Whole document under Apply to. Doing this first will prevent you from having to re-enter the margins later if there is a mismatch.
  6. Set Top, Bottom, Inside, and Outside margins.
  7. Click on the Page tab.
  8. Set Width to Trim + Bleed.
  9. Set Height to Trim + (Bleed x 2).
  10. Click on OK.

Note

KDP uses a single number for the binding-side margin, instead of a combination of Inside and Gutter. For the sake of simplicity, adjust the Inside margin to meet requirements and keep the Gutter as 0. This matches the examples provides by KDP.

Adding Images

Images are naturally contained within the margins. Pushing them outside of the margins with consistency can be achieved through certain settings. Here are three likely scenarios.

Full Page Images

These are images that take up the full page.

Mock-up showing a full-page image in a manuscript.
Figure No. 3. Mock-up showing a full-page image in a manuscript.
  1. Click on the image.
  2. Click on Picture Format in the Ribbon.
  3. Expand Size Expansion Icon. This will open a new window.
  4. Click on the Text Wrapping Tab.
  5. Change Wrapping Style to In Front of Text or Behind Text based on need.
  6. Click on the Size tab.
  7. Adjust Absolute size for Height and Width to match page dimensions.
  8. Click on the Position tab.
  9. Adjust Horizontal and Vertical Alignment to Centered relative to Page.
  10. Click on OK.

Note

Image dimensions should match the page dimensions or ratio to avoid distortion.

Chapter Art

Images that take up the top part of the page while allowing for chapter headings and prose to follow.

Figure 4. Mock-up showing a chapter art in a manuscript.
Figure 4. Mock-up showing a chapter art in a manuscript.
  1. Click on the image.
  2. Click on Picture Format in the Ribbon.
  3. Expand Size Expansion Icon. This will open a new window.
  4. Click on the Text Wrapping Tab.
  5. Change Wrapping Style to In Front of Text or Behind Text based on need.
  6. Click on the Size tab.
  7. Adjust Absolute size for Width to match page width.
  8. Click on the Position tab.
  9. Adjust Horizontal Alignment to Left relative to Page.
  10. Adjust Vertical Alignment to Top relative to Page.
  11. Click on OK.

Note

Chapter art should be confined to the header. The first page of a chapter can be made to look different from other pages, and avoids repeating this process for every chapter.

Inline with Bleed

Images that are inline with text but extend into the bleed.

Mock-up showing an inline image in a manuscript.
Figure 5. Mock-up showing an inline image in a manuscript.
  1. Click on the image.
  2. Click on Picture Format in the Ribbon.
  3. Expand Size Expansion Icon. This will open a new window.
  4. Click on the Text Wrapping Tab.
  5. Change Wrapping Style to Top and bottom.
  6. Click on the Size tab.
  7. Adjust Absolute size for Width to match page width.
  8. Click on the Position tab.
  9. Adjust Horizontal Alignment to Left relative to Page.
  10. Adjust Vertical Absolute position to the desired number relative to Paragraph.
  11. Click on OK.

Exporting to PDF for Submission

KDP requires a Portable Document Format (PDF) for submission when bleed is used. While Microsoft Word exports directly to PDF there are limitations.

As discussed previously in Word Takes Liberties With Your Images, Microsoft Word does things in the background that are not always obvious. Even if you take every precaution to prevent the program from compressing your images, Microsoft Word will export your bitmap images at 200 Dots Per Inch/Pixels Per Inch (DPI/PPI), even if you opt to optimize for image quality.

Note

KDP recommends that submissions be at least 300 DPI/PPI.

Given the degree of care needed to maintain high DPI/PPI images to ensure print fidelity, it’s curious that this feature can’t be adjusted. So what now?

  • Convert the document to PDF using a third-party tool such as Adobe Acrobat Pro. An excellent choice if you are already invested in such tools.
  • Using a Virtual Printer like Microsoft Print to PDF, PDFCreator, or similar to create a high-density PDF. This is cheaper alternative that doesn’t require licensing. Specifics can be found below.

Microsoft Print to PDF

While Microsoft Print to PDF printer bypasses the DPI/PPI limit, it doesn’t allow custom page sizes by default. The printing process distorts the PDF document to match one of the supported page sizes.

While Microsoft Print to PDF can be made to support custom page sizes, the process can be daunting, requires Administrator privileges, and access to the Registry. The How to Add Custom Page Size Support to Microsoft Print to PDF tutorial goes into detail on how to do it.

PDFCreator

PDFCreator is an Open-Source tool with free and paid variants. The free tool is all you need to get the desired DPI/PPI and page size to ensure the generated PDF meets your needs.

Note

PDFCreator trends towards being Adware and tries to get you to use the paid version or install PDF Architect. Keep this in mind when installing as these tools are intrusive.

Be aware that there are other limits when submitting to KDP for print. For example, KDP will not accept manuscripts with file sizes greater than 650 megabytes. For more information consult the Paperback Submission Guidelines.

Submission to KDP is straightforward once Trim, Bleed, and Margins have been set.

The specific choices for the to submission are made under the Paperback/Hardcover Content section. Once submitted these settings can’t be changed, so ensure they are correct.

  • Ink and Paper Type. Select from the various types offered. Note that colour printing is markedly more expensive.
  • Trim Size. Select the desired Trim Size which does not include Bleed.
  • Bleed Settings. Select Bleed (PDF only).
  • Paperback cover finish. Select your preference in cover finish.

The rest are related to submitting the manuscript and cover, answering questions and doing a Book Preview. This last step is important as it highlights errors (if any). Here are some of the reasons why something may get flagged:

  • Text falling outside of the minimum margins.
  • Images that go beyond minimum margins if Bleed is not selected.
  • Image quality being below the recommended DPI/PPI.
  • Special or hidden characters.

While some of the above can be ignored, content that goes beyond the minimum margins results in rejection. If full page images are desired, then bleed must be set and decided upon prior to publishing.

Note

While Book Preview is useful, it’s never a bad idea to get a proof prior to publishing.

That’s it!



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