InDesign - single pages for PDF export for KDP with many bleeds and images that cross over a spread.

Report · Sep 02, 2023

Of course, I just started designing before learning how to set anything up beforehand and now I'm wondering if there is an easier way to fix all this instead of starting completely over.

I have a book with many photos (some bleeds, some go across a 2-page spread) that I need to export as a single-page PDF for upload to KDP. Exporting with pages is fine unless I have a bleed and the extra part is on the other page instead of as a bleed on the page it should be on. When I try to remove facing pages in ID so that I can drag the bleed off the page it should be on, it changes all my margins to be the same instead of mirrored and shifts my elements. Any thoughts as to what I can do about that? Can I have different margins as a single-page layout? And is there an easy way to split an image across 2 pages? Thanks so much!

Report · Sep 04, 2023

This is normal - bleed is required on the inside for some printers as some of the pages will be burried into the spine area.

If printers don't need this extra bleed on the inside their imposition software will automatically crop the pages to ensure it's not used.

In short - export with the PDF settings as per the KDP and send it as it is.

Don't worry about the print side of it - set it up correctly and it will print correctly.