Extra blank pages

Due to KDP's unique print-on-demand model, your book may have blank pages placed at the end. Blank pages result as part of printing. Blank pages are an expected variance, and copies containing blank pages aren’t eligible for refunds.

Extra gutter or interior margin (white space in middle of the book)

To accommodate the binding process, we add about .13" (3.3 mm) of white space to the inside margin (gutter, or book's bound edge) of full bleed color ink books.

The white space is an expected part of printing and may appear even if the margins are set correctly.

To learn how to set your margins, visit Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins.

Cover shifting

Spine not centered

Wrong trim size

Shifting less than 0.125" (3.2mm)

Universally, in printing, there is an allowable amount of variance in shift and trim that could occur during production. Someone comparing more than one copy of a book may notice small differences between two copies. Our allowable variance is 0.125" (3.2mm).

Cover curling / book is wavy

Since we print books on demand, we store book paper in a very dry environment. When we ship books, our customers typically receive them within 24 hours of printing, which means they're seeing the books within the first 24 hours that the book has been exposed to normal humidity, and normal humidity can cause the book to appear wavy. This is a by-product of the dry paper storage, and not a sign of damage. Within a month your book will adjust to normal humidity and the waves in the paper will straighten out again.

Issues present in the manuscript file

If any issues with your printed copy are also present in the manuscript (e.g. typos, streaks, blurry images), they will not be considered manufacturing defects.

To fix common formatting issues, visit Fix Paperback and Hardcover Formatting Issues.

Copy printed from a previous manuscript file

If you recently updated your book, and ordered a new copy, you may receive a copy from inventory that was printed prior to the changes.

While KDP is a print-on-demand model, when a copy is printed on demand and later canceled, that copy remains in inventory until sold.

You can check the printing date in the copy to confirm whether the copy was printed prior to the changes you submitted.

Note:

• If you re-use an ISBN for your book that was previously published outside of KDP, any orders placed for your book may be fulfilled with copies that don’t reflect the most recent content you uploaded to KDP.
• Printing date is not available for copies printed through Amazon.co.jp.