The numbers
| Option | Paper weight | Spine per page | Max pages (most trims) | Bindings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium color · white paper | 60–71 lb (88–105 GSM) | 0.002347 in | 828 | Paperback, Hardcover |
| Standard color · white paper | 50–61 lb (74–90 GSM) | 0.002252 in | 600 | Paperback |
| Black & white · white paper | 50–61 lb (74–90 GSM) | 0.002252 in | 828 | Paperback, Hardcover |
| Black & white · cream paper | 50–61 lb (74–90 GSM) | 0.0025 in | 776 | Paperback, Hardcover |
| Black & white · groundwood paper | 45 lb (60 GSM) | 0.00235 in | 812 | Paperback |
Color books are always on white
KDP prints color interiors on white paper only, so cream is a black-and-white choice. Standard color uses the same weight of white paper as black-and-white books; premium color uses a heavier white stock.
The third option: groundwood
KDP also offers a lighter 45 lb (60 GSM) groundwood paper for black-and-white paperbacks, about 5% cheaper per page than white or cream on Amazon.com. It isn't available for hardcovers.
Paper and Expanded Distribution
Paper affects Expanded Distribution: cream is eligible only at 5 × 8, 5.25 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5 and 6 × 9 in, while white paper is eligible on 12 of the 16 standard paperback trims.
Example: a 300-page novel
A 300-page, 5.5 × 8.5 in novel costs $4.60 to print on Amazon.com on either paper. Its spine is 0.75 in on cream and 0.676 in on white, so the full cover is 12 in wide on cream and 11.926 in on white.
Common mistakes
- Choosing cream for a large-format book meant for bookstores: cream is only eligible for Expanded Distribution at 5 × 8, 5.25 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5 and 6 × 9 in.
- Switching paper without resizing the cover. KDP lets a black-and-white paperback move between cream, white and groundwood, even after publishing, but the spine width changes with the paper, so the cover has to change too.
- Planning a very long book on cream: the maximum is 776 pages on most trims, 550 at 8.5 in wide.
- Printing a coloring book or a photo-heavy guide on cream when readers expect bright white pages.