KDP Print Cost Calculator

How to use the KDP print cost calculator

1. Pick the marketplace. Each Amazon store has its own printing costs and currency. Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands share one euro price list.
2. Choose the interior and trim size. These are the same choices KDP shows under Print Options: black ink on white, cream or groundwood paper, standard color or premium color, and KDP's trim sizes (or a custom size).
3. Enter the page count. The calculator checks it against KDP's limits for that interior and size.
4. Add a list price to see your royalty per sale, or a royalty you want per sale to see the price you'd need. Leave both blank to see just the printing cost and the lowest price KDP allows.

The rates come from KDP's printing cost page and paperback royalty page. The date we last checked them is shown under the calculator.

How KDP printing cost is worked out

KDP uses one formula for every paperback: a fixed cost per book, plus a cost for every page. Four things set those two numbers:

• Ink and paper. Black ink costs least, standard color more, premium color most. Groundwood paper costs a little less per page than white or cream; KDP puts it at about 5%.
• Page count. Short black-ink books (up to 110 pages, or 108 on Amazon.com.au) and short premium color books (up to 40 pages) pay only the fixed cost. Above that, every page adds to the price.
• Trim size. A book wider than 6.12 inches or taller than 9 inches is a large trim and costs more per page.
• Marketplace. The cost depends on the store the reader buys from, in that store's currency.

KDP rounds an odd page count up to the next even number, because every sheet has two sides. It rounds costs and royalties to two decimal places, or to the whole yen in Japan.

Your royalty is then the royalty rate times the list price, minus the printing cost. On Amazon the rate is 60% when the list price is at or above a set amount in each marketplace, and 50% below it. Through Expanded Distribution (bookstores and libraries, for the US and UK stores) it's 40%.

The minimum list price is the printing cost divided by that royalty rate, so the royalty never goes below zero. KDP won't accept a lower price. You can work out ebook royalties with the KDP royalty calculator.

How to lower your printing cost

• Stay in a regular trim size. 6 x 9 inches is KDP's default and the largest of its regular sizes. Going even slightly wider or taller moves you to large trim pricing.
• Use black ink unless the book needs color. If it does, standard color costs much less than premium color for most books. Standard color needs at least 72 pages.
• Try groundwood paper for text-only books. It's cheaper per page, though it's thinner and not every size can use Expanded Distribution with it.
• Cut pages you don't need. Blank pages, very large fonts and wide spacing all add pages. Keep KDP's margins, but a tighter layout can save a lot on a long book. Check your spine with the spine width calculator if the page count changes.
• Price at or above the 60% threshold if your book can carry it. The calculator's sample table shows where the rate changes.
• Check the result in KDP. KDP shows the exact printing cost and minimum price for your title on the Rights & Pricing page, and that's the one that counts.

For the full publishing steps, see how to publish an ebook on Amazon KDP.