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How KDP calculates paperback and hardcover printing costs

Checked against Amazon’s pages on 2026-11-09. Not affiliated with Amazon.

How much does Amazon KDP charge to print a paperback or hardcover?

KDP charges a fixed cost per book plus a per-page cost, set by format, ink, paper, regular or large trim and the marketplace of the order, and subtracts it from your royalty. On Amazon.com a black ink regular trim paperback of 110 to 828 pages costs $1.00 plus $0.012 per page, so 300 pages cost $4.60; the same hardcover costs $5.65 plus $0.012 per page, or $9.25.

Key facts
FormulaFixed cost + (page count x per-page cost)
US paperback, black ink, 24-110 pages$2.30 flat (large trim $2.84)
US paperback, black ink, 110-828 pages$1.00 + $0.012/page (large $0.017)
US paperback, premium color, 42-828 pages$1.00 + $0.065/page (large $0.08)
US paperback, standard color, 72-600 pages$1.00 + $0.0255/page (large $0.0402)
US hardcover, black ink, 110-550 pages$5.65 + $0.012/page (large $0.017)
Large trimWider than 6.12 in or taller than 9 in
No effect on costBleed and cover finish

Free calculator: KDP royalty and printing cost calculator

Terms on this page: Large trim · Printing cost

The formula

Printing cost = fixed cost + (page count × per-page cost). Short books pay only a flat fixed cost; longer books pay a lower fixed cost plus a per-page charge. The cost depends on format, ink (black, standard color, premium color), paper, trim category and the marketplace the reader ordered from. Bleed and cover finish do not change it.

A trim size counts as large if it is more than 6.12 in (155.5 mm) wide or more than 9 in (228.6 mm) tall, and large trims have higher costs.

Amazon.com paperback costs

Paperback (US) Regular trim Large trim
Black ink, cream/white, 24-110 pages $2.30 $2.84
Black ink, cream/white, 110-828 pages $1.00 + $0.012/page $1.00 + $0.017/page
Black ink, groundwood, 24-112 pages $2.23 $2.75
Black ink, groundwood, 114-828 pages $1.00 + $0.0114/page $1.00 + $0.0162/page
Premium color, 24-40 pages $3.60 $4.20
Premium color, 42-828 pages $1.00 + $0.065/page $1.00 + $0.08/page
Standard color, 72-600 pages $1.00 + $0.0255/page $1.00 + $0.0402/page

Amazon.com hardcover costs

Black ink hardcovers cost $6.80 flat (large $7.49) at 75 to 108 pages and $5.65 + $0.012 per page (large $0.017) at 110 to 550 pages. Premium color hardcovers cost $5.65 + $0.065 per page (large $0.080) at 75 to 550 pages. Standard color is not offered for hardcover.

Worked example

A 300-page black ink 6 x 9 in paperback sold on Amazon.com: $1.00 + (300 × $0.012) = $4.60. The same book in premium color: $1.00 + (300 × $0.065) = $20.50.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming trim size never matters. Only the regular/large category does, but crossing it (6.14 x 9.21 in is large) raises the per-page cost by over 40% for black ink.
  • Choosing color ink for a book with a few color images. Every page is billed at the color rate.

Amazon changes these rules; the linked KDP help pages are the authority.

Questions

Is groundwood paper cheaper?
Yes. KDP says groundwood per-page costs are about 5% lower than cream or white; on Amazon.com it is $1.00 plus $0.0114 per page from 114 pages, and $2.23 flat for 24 to 112 pages (regular trim).
Do I pay printing costs upfront?
No. KDP prints on demand and subtracts the printing cost from your royalties, so there are no upfront costs or inventory.
Why is the printing cost different in each marketplace?
KDP sets separate fixed and per-page costs for each marketplace where the book is ordered, in local currency, so a UK order uses the GBP table.

Related tools

Sources

More on print books

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