Choosing paper and ink on KDP

Paper and ink are one choice on KDP: you pick an interior type, and it sets the paper, the ink, the print cost and the spine width. Decide before you make the files, because the files depend on it.

The five interiors

Which one fits your book

• Black ink, cream paper: the usual choice for novels and memoirs. It is a little thicker, so the spine is wider.
• Black ink, white paper: non-fiction, workbooks, puzzle books and coloring books.
• Black ink, groundwood paper: the lightest paper (45 lb); paperback only.
• Standard color: color on the same white paper as black-and-white books. It needs at least 72 pages and is paperback only.
• Premium color: heavier paper and richer color, for picture books and photo books.

What it costs to print

Print costs on Amazon.com for a 6 × 9 in paperback:

How these numbers are made is in print cost explained.

Spine width

Each paper adds a different thickness per page. At 200 pages the spine is 0.450 in on white paper and 0.500 in on cream. See spine width.