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Charly6764
Inspiring
June 30, 2024
Answered

Book Cover Error on KDP

  • June 30, 2024
  • 1 reply
  • 2068 views

Hi everyone,

 

I have formatted a book cover and interior for a client using InDesign, to upload onto KDP. The book itself is fine, but the cover keeps erroring saying 'insufficient gutter'. I have attached a screenshot of the error. 

 

The margins I have used on InDesign are,

Front and back - 0.5 top, bottom and outside/ 0.625 inside

Spine - 0.625 top and bottom / 0.0625 inside and outside 

 

The book is 347 pages, and 5.5 x 8.5. Spine size is 0.8675 width. 

 

Bleed - 0.125

Gutter - 0.625

 

I have extended the background to the bleed. I have ensured elements are within the margins. 

 

I can't work out where I am going wrong, so I am seeking advice to see if anyone else knows? I am wondering whether it's because I should be using the page size 6x9 or if it's to do with the design itself. I used illustrator to create the design and the elements, so perhaps something went wrong there? But I didn't think transferring a design from illustrator to InDesign would cause any problems. 

 

Any help would be appreciated! 

 

Thanks,

Charley

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Charly6764

Hi James, thanks for your reply! sorry I thought I had attached! This is what I thought. I am looking at my client's screenshot again, and I am realising what the issue is. She had only sent me a screenshot of the front cover, and asked me to fix the cover margins. But I have done a 'test' upload on KDP my end, and can see it is the manuscript that is causing the issue, not the cover. 

 

I knew it would be something obvious, sorry James. I appreciate your advice however, it is very helpful! 

 

I am going to adjust the inner margin of the manuscript, and then it should be all good to go, fingers crossed. 

1 reply

James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
June 30, 2024

I don't see a screenshot. I am also a bit confused in that "gutter," as KDP uses it, almost always applies to the interior pages and not the cover. (It's a widely misused term, especially in that MS Word applies it as a separate element from inside page margin, which is just nonsensical.)

 

A cover layout should be simple: trim height + 1/4 inch bleed total, and trim width * 2 + spine width + 1/4 inch bleed, total. Any other size will be rejected. (Or, for very small variations, usually related to spine width, given an error but allowed to pass if you okay it.)

 

If your exported PDF — without any crop or bleed marks, KDP doesn't want them — isn't exactly this value, you will get an error.

 

I can't really figure out why a "gutter" error would come into play unless you have what they regard as live content (text, usually) extending into the spine flex/bind area.

 

The simplest check and guide is to go back to the KDP spine width calculator page, carefully enter your book information, and download the template it offers. Take that (JPEG or PDF, as I recall) and Place it in a layer behind all your current cover elements. It should be exact size to your bleed margins, with no adjustment or scaling required.

 

Then use it to verify you have all margins, layout, clearances from spine, etc. correct. This is a fairly absolute check and if there's something out of place (like text extending too close to the spine fold, which is the only relevant meaning of "gutter" here)... you'll see it.

 

Check back if there's no obvious fault to correct.

    C
    Charly6764AuthorCorrect answer
    Inspiring
    July 1, 2024

    Hi James, thanks for your reply! sorry I thought I had attached! This is what I thought. I am looking at my client's screenshot again, and I am realising what the issue is. She had only sent me a screenshot of the front cover, and asked me to fix the cover margins. But I have done a 'test' upload on KDP my end, and can see it is the manuscript that is causing the issue, not the cover. 

     

    I knew it would be something obvious, sorry James. I appreciate your advice however, it is very helpful! 

     

    I am going to adjust the inner margin of the manuscript, and then it should be all good to go, fingers crossed. 

      James Gifford—NitroPress
      James Gifford—NitroPress
      Legend
      July 3, 2024

      Thanks Peter and James,

      I have now adjusted the inner margins to 1 inch for the inside and the rest 0.7. I used word previously for formatting, but find InDesign a lot easier. However there are still some aspects I need to learn/master. Such as, I'm not sure if there is a quicker way to adjust the text frames to fit within the new margin size? Rather than going through page by page. Or a quicker way to ensure the text is above and below the header/page numbers once applied from the master pages, without manually shifting the text.

       

      But perhaps I need to start a new thread for these questions, and sorry if they seem like stupid questions! I have tried researching but I was struggling to find the answer.


      As Peter has noted, this can/should be an automated thing, but I've struggeled with it for years — it's a bit fussy. In theory, if you have all your pages defined by facing-pages Parent pages, and enable Adjust Layout, and all the existing frames are touching at least one margin of the original layout... changing page sizes or margins will make the text frames adjust automatically. You might back up to a backup copy, if you have one, and make your changes through the Layout | Adjust Layout menu. It might take a pass or two, so be prepared to revert and try again. Otherwise, it's manually fix all those pages, although there might be a script out there for it.

       

      Peter's note about reflowing all the content into a new document with the margins etc. set up is a good one, too. After a file has been hacked at a certain amount, a "fresh pour" can be a good idea. If the content is one continuous flow, it might be the way to go.

       

      And since you're still hacking at it... 0.7 might be a bit wide for the outside margin. A layout I've used for many books is 1 inch inside, 0.5 inch outside, and then 0.375 for a top or bottom without a header/footer, and 0.75 to make room for either or both. Experiment a little before you do the full conversion and lock it down. Really, though, it's that deep inside margin that's most important. It looks enormous on the layout and print proofs, but once KDP eats up flex space, especially in a thick book, it's 'just enough.'

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