How to make a print book from a Word (.docx) file
Your Word file contains all the text of your book. The PDF print layout for Amazon KDP or IngramSpark is generated via Path A, using your selection the trim size, the paper type and other style preferences.
If you have a novel, an essay, or a non-fiction book manuscript in Word, you have already completed the most difficult part: the text - your finished writing your book. What comes next is its physical manifestation as an elegant unforgettable book. Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, and almost any other print-on-demand service cannot use a "nicely formatted" yet "raw" Word document. They require a PDF layout of the book’s interior (everything between the front and back covers), where one file page corresponds to one book page. This PDF must be set to your chosen trim size, with carefully calculated margins that provide enough "breathing room" for the spine glue, and feature fonts that best capture the style of the work - all in a PDF format that preserves these standards, regardless of which computer is used to open it.
For years, I manually laid out books and magazines from Word files, struggling with sections, headers, and page numbering. Since the creation of FormatBookForPrint.com, I no longer have to do that. Now, I just prepare my manuscript with the Word’s native markup, save it as .docx file, and upload it here to the Path A. I ensure that all titles, subtitles, chapters, and sections are correctly tagged using H1, H2, and H3 styles. If I want to include images, I make sure they are sharp, sized and proportioned for their intended print dimensions, and of print-quality resolution - approximately 300 DPI. This automated book formatting program takes the content of the .docx file, calculates the trim size and the inner margin (which increases based on the book's page count), sets up headers, footers, and page numbers, automatically generates the table of contents (TOC), adds extra pages if the existing ones don't complete a 4- or 16- page printer's signature, and - in a matter of minutes - a complete print-ready book layout in PDF format is created and ready for download.
On the Path A page, below the title and introduction, you will find a downloadable guide covering the basics of using Path A, as well as a "Step-by-Step" section.
You begin by uploading your manuscript in Word format (.docx). Under “Specifications,” you select the trim size - that is, the final dimensions of your book. Common options include 6×9 inches (the most popular paperback size in the United States), 5.5×8.5, 5×8, 4×6, 8.5×11, and the square 8.5×8.5 (often used for children’s books). You also choose the paper type: cream (if you don’t plan on including images), standard white, or a thicker white stock. This step is more than just an aesthetic choice - the width of the book’s spine is calculated based on the page count and the thickness of the paper. If afterwards you will design the book cover using the Path D workflow, these specifications are automatically carried over, saving you from having to re-enter them. Don’t rely on guesswork or generic online templates - below in the preview window a technical specification sheet is automatically generated for your book. You can download this for reference – both, for designing your book cover and also it is handy to provide the printing house with all the necessary data when you place the printing order for your book.
If you want your artwork or images to extend all the way to the edge of the page, you should select the “bleed” option. This adds an extra 0.125 inches (approximately 3 mm), extending the image slightly beyond the line where the paper is trimmed. This is a standard requirement for Amazon KDP and many other printing services, ensuring that no white border remains around your images. If your book consists solely of text with standard margins, you do not need to include extra “bleed” for the interior pages.
You can also request an automatically generated table of contents (covering either just chapters, or both chapters and sections), as well as front matter: the half-title page, the title page, the copyright page, and the dedication. Page numbering is also calculated automatically. If you would like the table of contents to appear in a specific location - for example, at the end of the book - you can simply insert a table-of-contents tag into your manuscript, and the system will place it there. Otherwise, by default, it is positioned before the first chapter (which begins with a heading marked as H1).
While you can view the entire book in the viewer, you may also print samples - to check fonts, margins, etc. - up to 10 times per session (each sample is limited to 5 pages and includes a watermark). If you still haven’t made a decision, simply refresh the page to reset the counter (but the already completed design will also be lost). I recommend testing with a shorter file - about 5–10 pages and 2 images - to speed up the PDF preview generation process. Once you are satisfied with all your style choices, upload the full manuscript, generate the file again, and pay to download the complete, watermark-free print-ready book layout (19 USD). In that same session, you can download your PDF in the RGB color code (typically required by Amazon KDP) or, if IngramSpark or another printer requires a different color profile, in various other CMYK formats (such as GRACoL, FOGRA, SWOP, Japan Color, etc.). Do not close or refresh the browser tab until you have downloaded the PDFs with all the color code types that you need. Once you leave the page, the file is deleted, and your payment will no longer be valid.
The book cover is not included in the same Word file as the manuscript. The book’s interior and the cover are two separate layouts: the pages are bound together, while the cover wraps around the book and the spine. Once you know the actual final page count – including the extra pages according to the print signatures (the 4 or 16 pages of your book that fit onto a single press sheet) - you can proceed. For Amazon KDP and IngramSpark, this means increments of 4 pages; for offset printing, the printer may require increments of 16 pages. The layout and design of the cover (including the front cover, spine, and back cover) are handled in the Path D.
In short: don’t try to manually turn your Word document into a book by wrestling with graphic design software intended for marketing materials. Instead, come to Path A, make your style selections and set your preferences, generate a preview, and then download a print-ready PDF. This layout process is specifically designed for the production of physical, paper-printed books.
Do it in the factory
