The book preflight checklist (24 checks)

Run through this list before you upload. Every item is something a printer really checks. If you can tick all 24, your files are in very good shape.

Quick answer

Check the interior (page size, margins, fonts, pictures, color, blank pages) and the cover (full size with spine, 0.125" bleed, safe zone, barcode space, spine text, color and ink) against your printer's own numbers, then save both as print PDFs.

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Tip: decide your printer, trim size, paper and page count before you start. Half of these checks depend on them, and changing any one later means checking again.

Before you start

☐ 1. Printer chosen. KDP, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble Press or Lulu. Their rules differ.
☐ 2. Trim size chosen. For example 5.5" x 8.5" or 6" x 9". Your printer must offer it for your paper and binding.
☐ 3. Paper chosen. White or cream, black and white or color. Cream is thicker, so it makes a wider spine.
☐ 4. Final page count known. Count the PDF pages, not Word's page count. They often differ.

Interior (the inside pages)

☐ 5. PDF page size = trim size. A 6" x 9" book needs a 6" x 9" PDF, not letter size. (If pictures run off the edge, add 0.125" to the width and 0.25" to the height.)
☐ 6. Inside margin fits your page count. Thicker books need a bigger margin by the spine. See the table.
☐ 7. Outside, top and bottom margins. At least 0.25" for KDP (0.375" with bleed), 0.5" for IngramSpark.
☐ 8. Page numbers and headers inside the margins. They count as content.
☐ 9. All fonts embedded. Check in Acrobat: File → Properties → Fonts. Every font says "Embedded".
☐ 10. Pictures are 300 DPI at the size they print.
☐ 11. Black and white book has no color. Blue links, colored logos and "black" text saved as RGB all count as color.
☐ 12. No blank pages in a row beyond what your printer allows (KDP flags long runs of blank pages).
☐ 13. Odd pages on the right. Page 1 and every new chapter you want on a right-hand page should be odd-numbered.
☐ 14. Saved as a print PDF (PDF/X-1a is safest, especially for IngramSpark).

Cover

☐ 15. Full cover size is right. Width = bleed + back + spine + front + bleed. Height = bleed + book height + bleed. How it's built.
☐ 16. Spine width matches your page count and paper, from this printer's own numbers.
☐ 17. 0.125" bleed on every outer edge. The background runs past the trim line.
☐ 18. Words and faces inside the safe zone, well away from the trim and the spine folds.
☐ 19. Barcode space left clear on the back: 2" x 1.2" for KDP, 1.75" x 1" for IngramSpark.
☐ 20. Spine text allowed? KDP needs more than 79 pages; IngramSpark paperbacks need at least 48.
☐ 21. Template guides deleted. Printer templates have colored guide lines that must not print.
☐ 22. Cover art is 300 DPI at full cover size.
☐ 23. CMYK, and under 240% total ink if you print with IngramSpark.
☐ 24. ISBN on the cover matches the ISBN for this exact edition.

The checks that need special software

Items 9, 11, 22 and 23 are hard to see with your eyes. You need Adobe Acrobat Pro (Output Preview and Preflight) or a tool that reads the PDF for you. That's exactly the part SparkPrep automates: it reads every page and the whole cover, runs all 24 checks for your printer, and shows you each failure in plain English.

Something failed? Each item above links to a fix on our print file fixes site.

Find out what's wrong with your files before the printer does

SparkPrep checks your cover and every interior page against the exact rules Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble Press and Lulu use, tells you each problem in plain English, and can fix it for you.

Scan my book free See how SparkPrep works

The scan is free and shows how many problems your files have. To see every problem and where it is, the audit is $1.99 ($3.99 after January 1). The Advanced Audit checks every page, up to 300, for $9.99.

Questions people ask

What should I check before uploading to KDP?

Page size, margins for your page count, embedded fonts, 300 DPI pictures, full cover size with the right spine width, 0.125 inch bleed, barcode space and spine text rules.

Do I need Adobe Acrobat to preflight a book?

For a few checks (embedded fonts, ink coverage and true color), Acrobat Pro or a preflight tool such as SparkPrep is the reliable way. The rest you can check by eye with the right numbers.

More on this site

What is book preflight?Book preflight means checking your cover and interior files against your printer's rules before you upload, so KDP or IngramSpark doesn't send them back.Who needs book preflight?First book, going wide, hardcover, color or picture book: what to check for each.Preflight vs. a proof copyWhat each check catches, and why skipping preflight costs time.What SparkPrep checksEvery check, in plain English, and which ones SparkPrep fixes for you.KDP vs. IngramSpark file rulesThe numbers that differ between KDP and IngramSpark, in one table.

Free help from SparkPrep

Print File FixesStep-by-step fixes for bleed, margins, fonts, transparency, picture quality, color and spine problems.Print Cover SizesFull cover size charts, spine widths, barcode space and hardcover rules for KDP and IngramSpark.Rejection Messages DecodedWhat KDP and IngramSpark rejection messages really mean, in plain English, and what to do next.First Book GuideYour first print book, step by step: costs, timeline, words to know and the mistakes to skip.Free book toolsCover calculator, spine width, margins, DPI checker and page count, on sparkprep.legenddary.com.

Last updated 2026-11-01. Written by Joshua Davis, founder of SparkPrep. Numbers come from each printer's own published guides; always double-check your printer's current rules before you upload.