Keeping text out of the gutter on Amazon KDPP

Question

I need some clarity on print novel formatting errors from KDPP. Amazon suddenly started rejecting print manuscripts due to infringement on the gutter by text. (I've never had this issue before). I have always set all the margins and gutter to their specification, but still, the problem persists. I tweaked it enough last time to get the project through, but i have another thirty-two novels of mine that i will be updating in ID, and need to understand why this is happening and how to avoid it. Adobe support has been no help at all on this. They either address something i did not ask, or they condescend by explaining to me what a gutter is.
Here's the screenshot from Amazon KDPP

and here are my settings.

So perhaps the question is, what is the difference between margin/gutter settings AND the text frame that might be on the page? I place my text frames according to the guides created by the settings. Since most of these issues with KDPP seem to be about text infringing on the gutter, even when the page settings are correct, how do I keep this from happening? Don't the guides for the text frames match the appropriate space where text is allowed? If the proper settings won't do it, what will?

I appreciate any insight.

James Gifford—NitroPress · Answer

Just for any future reference, this post is confusing a couple of different book layout terms. What KDP refers to as "the gutter" is what most publishers and designers would simply call "the inside margin." This misuse comes, probably, from Word, which has a completely confusing double definition of "the inside margin" and a separately settable value called "the gutter" — which is almost/kinda accurate. In absolutely strict terms, the inside margin is the space between the text and other live content and the inner edge of the sheet/page. The "gutter" is a variable amount that is lost to reader view from the bound edge to the point where text etc. can be clearly read. Designers set the inner margin; the gutter is mostly determined by the binding process. But, probably courtesty of MS-speak, KDP has blurred and confused the two so that even somewhat experienced designers have no freakin' idea what they're talking about.

And, of course, the "gutter" on the above menu refers to the space between columns and has nothing to do with margins — which again is completely correct, but somewhat antiquated usage.

Back to 2024, now.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded