# What is the live area (safe area) on a KDP page?

Source: https://kdpbook.io/glossary/live-area · Updated 2026-09-28

**Live area (safe area)**: The part of the page inside the margins where text and important details must stay, so nothing is cut off or lost in the gutter.

Checked against KDP Help on 2026-09-28.

The live area, or safe area, is the part of a page where text, page numbers and other important details must stay. On a KDP interior it begins at least 0.25 in from the outside, top and bottom trim edges (0.375 in with bleed) and at least 0.375 in from the binding edge, more in thicker books.

Also called: safe area, safe zone, type area.

## The numbers

Minimum distance from the trim edge, interior pages:

| Edge | Without bleed | With bleed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Outside | 0.25 in | 0.375 in |
| Top | 0.25 in | 0.375 in |
| Bottom | 0.25 in | 0.375 in |
| Inside (gutter) | 0.375 in–0.875 in by page count | 0.375 in–0.875 in by page count |

Safe zones on the cover:

| Zone | Rule |
| --- | --- |
| Paperback front and back text | at least 0.125 in inside the trim lines |
| Spine text | at least 0.0625 in (1.6 mm) from each spine edge |
| Barcode area | 2 × 1.2 in, lower right of the back cover |
| Hardcover hinge | 10 mm on each side of the spine: no text or barcode |
| Smallest cover text | 7 pt |

## What must stay inside it

Everything a reader needs: body text, headings, page numbers, running heads, captions, puzzle grids and answer keys, and the parts of an illustration that matter, such as faces and speech bubbles. Backgrounds and decorative art may run past it into the margins and the bleed. KDP doesn't allow text to bleed off the page: all text has to appear within the margins.

## Minimums are not a design target

KDP's numbers are minimums. A novel set to the minimum margins is legal but looks cramped; most printed books leave noticeably more white space. What KDP checks is that nothing important is closer to the edge than the minimum.

The cover has its own safe area: on a paperback, keep text at least 0.125 in inside the trim lines and leave the barcode area clear. On a hardcover, the hinge next to the spine is off-limits for text too.

## Example: live area of two books

A 6 × 9 in paperback of 200 pages without bleed: minimums of 0.5 in inside and 0.25 in on the other three sides give a live area of at most 5.25 × 8.5 in.

A 32-page, 8.5 × 8.5 in picture book with bleed: 0.375 in inside and 0.375 in elsewhere leave 7.75 × 7.75 in for text and key details, on a PDF page of 8.625 × 8.75 in.

## Common mistakes

- Placing page numbers close to the bottom edge, outside the live area.
- Putting speech bubbles or a character's face near the gutter of a picture book page.
- Using the no-bleed minimum (0.25 in) in a book with bleed (0.375 in).
- Treating KDP's minimums as the target margins: the file passes, but the book is hard to read.
- Running a cover title to the trim line, where it can be cut.

In kdpbook.io: kdpbook keeps text inside KDP's margins by code and its preflight flags anything placed outside them.