Set page size and margins

For books without bleed

1. In the main menu, click File and Page Setup... This opens a dialog box. Click Paper Size and choose Manage Custom Sizes... at the bottom of the list.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Click the + button to create a size. Name the size and enter your book’s trim size into the Width and Height fields. Set the margins to 0 in.
   
   
   
   
3. In the Document sidebar, click the Document tab at the top.
   
   
4. Under Printer & Paper Size, make sure that your custom size is selected. If not, click the drop-down menu and find your size at the bottom.
   
   
5. Choose a Page Orientation (portrait or landscape). You can use only one page orientation for your document. Pages doesn’t support a mix of pages in portrait and landscape in the same document.
   
   
   
   
6. In the same panel, go to the Document Margins section and choose Facing Pages.
   
   
7. Use the margin size chart to identify your margin sizes based on page count.
   
   
8. Enter your Top, Bottom, Inside, and Outside margins based on your book's page count. (We used 0.38 in for our Outside margin for a professional look.) Set the Top and Bottom to 1 in.
   
   

For books with bleed

1. In the main menu, click File and Page Setup... This opens a dialog box. Click Paper Size and choose Manage Custom Sizes... at the bottom of the list.
   
   
   
   
2. Click the + button to create a size. Name the size and enter your book’s trim size into the Width and Height fields (with bleed added). Add 0.125 in (3.2 mm) to the width and 0.25 in (6.4 mm) to the height. For example, if your trim size is 6 x 9 in (15.24 x 22.86 cm), set the page size to 6.125 x 9.25 in (15.54 x 23.46 cm). Pages might round 0.125 in to 0.13 in. This is fine. Set the margins to 0 in.
   
   
   
   
3. In the Document sidebar, click the Document tab at the top.
   
   
4. Under Printer & Paper Size, make sure that your custom size is selected. If not, click the drop-down menu and find your size at the bottom.
   
   
5. Choose a Page Orientation (portrait or landscape). You can use only one page orientation for your document. Pages doesn’t support a mix of pages in portrait and landscape in the same document.
   
   
   
   
6. In the same panel, go to the Document Margins section and choose Facing Pages.
   
   
7. Use the margin size chart to identify your margin sizes based on page count.
   
   
8. Enter your Top, Bottom, Inside, and Outside margins based on your book's page count. Set Outside to at least 0.375 in (9.6 mm) and Top and Bottom to 1.25 in (3.2 mm) to accommodate for the bleed.

Margin size chart

Modify styles for a custom look

Add a normal style

1. With the body text selected, in the Format sidebar, select the style and click the + button to create a style. Call it Normal.
   
   
   
   
2. Select your Font and Font Size from the options. For example, set Font Size to 10 and select the Garamond font.
   
   
3. Under Alignment, select Justify text.
   
   
4. Under Spacing, set the Before Paragraph and After Paragraph to 0 with Spacing select Lines 1.25.
   
   
5. Click the Layout tab. Under Indents, enter 0.2 in in the First field.
   
   
6. Click Update in the style preview area to set these settings as the format for all body text.
   
   

Set the Heading 1 style

1. Highlight the chapter 1 title.
2. In the Format sidebar, select the style Heading.
3. Select your Font, Font Size, and Color, and set the Alignment to Center. For example, select black, Lucida Grande, Bold, 24 pt, Centered.
4. Under Spacing, set Before Paragraph and After Paragraph to 60 pt to move the title about a third of the way down the page and separate it from the first paragraph.
5. Click Update in the styles window.
   
   

Format chapters (section breaks and chapter titles)

• Section breaks. To ensure that your content begins on the correct page, use section breaks. Section breaks allow you to change the formatting of a specific section without affecting other sections. Add a section break between the front matter and book body to distinguish these parts of the book. Also, use section breaks so each chapter title page starts on its own page.
• Chapter titles. When you format each chapter title page, apply the Heading 1 style to each chapter title. In addition to the consistent look that Heading 1 provides throughout your book, using Heading 1 tags the chapter title so that it will appear in the table of contents, which is explained in Step 9.

Add section breaks

1. Place the cursor at the end of the front matter.
2. Either in the toolbar or main menu, click Insert and Section Break
3. Repeat the previous step at the end of each chapter.
   
   

Format chapter title pages

1. Highlight the title of the first chapter.
2. Under Format, within the Styles area, click the drop-down arrow and create a style by clicking the + icon. Call this style Chapter title.
3. Select your Font, Font Size, Color, alignment, and so on, and click Update when finished.
4. Repeat the previous steps for each chapter title.
   
   

Format front matter

Add section breaks and blank pages

1. Place the cursor at the top of the page that will follow the new blank page.
2. Either in the toolbar or main menu, click Insert and Section Break.
3. To create a placeholder page for the table of contents, add a right-facing blank page immediately before Chapter 1 and name it Table of Contents.
4. Before you start applying styles, make sure that you've added section breaks in between pages of your front matter as described in Step 3.

Format front matter pages

Half title page

1. Highlight the title text. In the Style tab, change the alignment to Center.
2. In the Font group, select your Font, Font Size, and Color. For example, select black, Lucida Grande, 32 pt, centered.
3. Under Spacing, set Before Paragraph to 32 pt and After Paragraph to 16 pt to move the chapter title about a third of the way down the page and separate it from the first paragraph.
   
   

Title page

1. To format the title, repeat the steps in the Half title page section with the same choices of font, size, color, alignment, and spacing.
   
   
2. To format the subtitle:
• Choose the same Font as your title and then select Italicized, a smaller Font Size (example: 24 pt), and Center alignment.
• Under Spacing, set Before Paragraph and After Paragraph to 16 pt.
3. To format the author name:
• Choose the same Font as your subtitle, a smaller Font Size (example: 16 pt), and Center alignment.
• Under Spacing, set Before Paragraph to 16 pt and After Paragraph to 0 pt.
  
  

Copyright page

Dedication

1. To format the dedication, apply Heading 1 to the dedication title.
2. Select all of the dedication content. Under Alignment, select Center.

Table of contents (TOC)

Preface, acknowledgments, and prologue pages

1. Apply Heading 1 to the titles of these pages.
2. Apply the Normal style to the content of these pages.

Add pagination

1. Click in a page where you want to add headers and footers.
   
   
2. Move the pointer over the top or bottom of the page until you see the three header or footer fields, then click one. You can use any combination of fields to complete your header or footer.
   
   Tip: If you don’t see the fields, turn on headers and footers for the document (click the Document button in the toolbar, click the Document tab at the top of the sidebar, then select the Header and Footer checkboxes).
   
   
3. Click the Insert Page Number pop-up menu and choose the numbering style at the top of the list.
   
   
   
   
4. To set the distance from the top and bottom page margins, view the Document settings and click the arrows or enter values in the fields next to Top and Bottom (below the Header and Footer checkboxes in the sidebar).
   
   
   
   
5. Click the Section tab at the top of the sidebar, then choose any of the following:
• Hide on first page of section: Hide the header or footer on the first page. If the document has more than one section, it applies only to the first page of this section.
• Match previous section: Use the same headers and footers from one section to the next. Clear this checkbox if you want to use different headers and footers for this section.
• Update the Page Numbering Format to either be regular numbers or Roman numerals.
• Left and right pages are different: When this checkbox is selected in a document using facing pages, the headers and footers on left and right pages can be different. To set up facing pages, see Step 1.
  
  

6. To change the font, font size, color, and alignment of header and footer text, select the text, then use the controls in the Format sidebar.
   
   

Unlink footers between front matter and book body

1. Select the page number within the footer of the front matter, before the book body.
2. In the Section tab, clear the checkbox labeled Hide on first page of section under Headers & Footers.

Fix page numbering issues

Add headers (advanced)

Add headers

1. Click in a page where you want to add a header.
2. Move the cursor over the top of the page until you see the three header or footer fields. Then click one. You can use any combination of fields to complete your header or footer.
   Tip: If you don’t see the fields, turn on headers and footers for the document (click the Document button in the toolbar, click the Document tab at the top of the sidebar, then select the Header and Footer checkboxes).
3. Input your header text and format the text under the style section.

Remove headers and footers from chapter title pages

1. Select the chapter title page from which you would like to remove the header.
2. Under the Section tab, click the Create new section drop-down and choose Starting with this page.
3. On the next body text page, update the header once again either with a new heading or the same as previous to continue it from this point.

Format chapter title pages (advanced)

1. Go to the chapter title page on which you would like to add a drop cap. Click the Text button or Insert then Text Box.
   
   
2. Type in the letter you would like to have as your drop cap. Our example uses "L".
   
   
3. Roughly position the text box at the beginning of the paragraph. Make sure that Text Wrap is set to Automatic and Text Fit is Wrap text around the object’s rectangular boundary. Set the Spacing to 0 pt.
   
   
   
   
4. Update your text box’s format to match the rest of the paragraph, but increase the font size so that it becomes as tall as three lines of text.
   
   
5. Continue increasing and decreasing the size of the text box until there is adequate spacing created by the text wrap and the font size is correct.
   
   
   
   
6. Copy and paste the text box onto any other new paragraph that requires a drop cap to keep the same formatting.

Add images (advanced)

Insert images for books without bleed

1. Go to the area where you would like to add an image. Click Media and select Choose... to choose your image.
   
   
2. Under the Format tab, select Arrange and make sure that the Constrain proportions checkbox is selected. Adjust the Height or Width as desired either by the number fields or using the toggles on the edges of the image.
   
   
3. Set the image positioning to have text wrap around it. This allows you to reposition the image on the page. Select Automatic under the Text Wrap section in Arrange.
   
   
4. Make sure that the image is inside all four margins. You can turn on gridlines to show where your margins begin by going to the View tab and clicking Show Layout. You can manually resize and position the image so that it snaps to these areas for ease. If the image is sized so that it is close to the margins, do the math. Subtract your inside and outside margins from the trim size for width and subtract top and bottom from the trim size for height. The image size cannot be larger than:

• Image Size Width (No Bleed) = Trim Size – Inside Margin – Outside Margin
• Image Size Height (No Bleed) = Trim Size – Top Margin – Bottom Margin
  
  
  
  

Insert images for books with bleed

1. To size an image for bleed, under the Format tab, select Arrange and make sure that the Constrain proportions checkbox is selected. Then adjust the Height or Width as needed to make the image bleed to the edge of the page.
   
   
2. Set the image positioning to have text wrap around it. This allows you to reposition the image on the page. Select Automatic under the Text Wrap section in Arrange.
   
   
3. To have the image bleed from side to side, set the width of your image to the width of your trim size plus 0.125 in (3.2 mm). For our example book, we sized our image width to 6.125 in (15.54 cm).
   
   
4. If you want your image to bleed from top to bottom, set the height of your image to 0.25 in (6.4 mm) plus the book's trim size height. For a 6 x 9 in (15.24 x 22.86 cm) book, set the height to 9.25 in (23.46 cm).
   
   
   
   
5. Before you upload your interior file to KDP, make sure that you choose Bleed in the KDP paperback options, on the Paperback Content tab, in the Print Options section.

Apply a style to an image

1. Click the image to open the tab bar. Select Style.
2. Either choose from existing presets or create your own style using Borders, Shadow, Reflection, and Opacity.
3. If you would like to keep a particular style, save it by clicking the + icon in the presets.

Create a table of contents (TOC)

1. Go to your blank page (TOC placeholder).
   
   
2. Click Insert, Table of Contents, and Document. This will automatically generate your TOC.
   
   
   
   
3. Select the checkboxes for all relevant paragraph styles that indicate a new chapter within the right-hand tab area. For example, Chapter Title.
   
   
   
   
4. After all correct pages are being shown in the TOC, format the text to match your document and add a title to indicate that it is the TOC.
   
   

Proof and export to PDF

• Proofread your manuscript using formatting symbols (paragraph marks)
• Turn off downsampling to ensure that images are the highest resolution
• Export (print) your file as a PDF

Turn on paragraph marks

Downsample images

Print to PDF

1. Go to File in the main menu and select Print then PDF...
2. Choose Save as PDF from the drop-down menu.
3. Click Save and save the file.