# Cream vs white paper on KDP: what's the difference?

Source: https://kdpbook.io/glossary/cream-paper · Updated 2026-09-28

**Cream paper**: A warm, off-white paper used for most novels. It is slightly thicker than white paper (0.0025 in per page) and costs the same to print.

Checked against KDP Help on 2026-09-28.

Cream paper is KDP's warm off-white stock for black-and-white interiors, the classic choice for novels and memoirs; white paper suits non-fiction with images, workbooks and coloring books. Both cost the same to print, but cream is thicker (0.0025 in per page against 0.002252 in), so the spine is wider and the page limit lower: 776 pages instead of 828 on most trims.

Also called: cream vs white paper, off-white paper.

## The numbers

KDP ink and paper options:

| 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.