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How to fix “image outside the margins” on KDP

Updated 2026-10-22

“This image is outside the margins” (or “content outside margins”) is the most common Print Previewer error for coloring books, activity books and picture books. It means something on the page – text, line art, or the invisible bounding box of an image – reaches into the margin zone or past the trim line. Here is how to find the cause and fix it, page by page or for the whole book at once.

What KDP checks

KDP’s automated check in the Print Previewer scans the structure of the PDF, not just what you see. In KDP’s own words, it “will sometimes catch formatting errors that are not obvious to someone viewing the manuscript pages” (KDP Help – Fix Paperback and Hardcover Formatting Issues). The margins it applies are: 0.25 in at the top, bottom and outside without bleed, 0.375 in with bleed, and an inside margin from 0.375 in (24–150 pages) to 0.875 in (701–828 pages). Full table: KDP margins and bleed guide.

The six usual causes

  1. Artwork too close to the edge. Frames, borders or drawings that run almost to the paper edge. Fix: scale the art down into the safe area (or extend it into the bleed if it should print to the edge).
  2. Gutter too small for the page count. A 160-page book needs a 0.5 in inside margin, not 0.375 in. Adding pages can push a book into the next bracket and suddenly flag every page.
  3. Bleed setting does not match the file. You chose “No bleed” in KDP but the art runs to the edge, or chose “Bleed” but the PDF is the trim size. KDP suggests: if pages have a background color or graphic and show a margin error, first try changing the Bleed Settings option to “Bleed”.
  4. Wrong page size. The PDF must be exactly the trim size (no bleed) or trim + 0.125 × 0.25 in (bleed). Pages that are 0.125 in larger on both axes, or A4/Letter pages for an 8.5 × 8.5 in book, are measured wrongly. See page sizes for every trim.
  5. Hidden white or transparent image areas. Many coloring pages are a large image with a white background. KDP measures the whole image box, even where it is white or clipped. Fix: trim the image to its visible content.
  6. Image stops short of the trim. With bleed, a picture meant to reach the edge must extend fully past the trim line; one that ends between the margin and the trim is flagged.

Fix it in your design program

KDP’s official route is to correct the layout in the original file (Word, Canva, Affinity, InDesign…) – set the correct page size and mirrored margins, move content inside the margins – and export a new PDF (KDP Help). That works, but means repeating the change on every page.

Fix it in the PDF with KDP Editor (free)

  1. Open the interior PDF in KDP Editor. Trim size and bleed are detected from the first page.
  2. Match KDP’s settings – trim size, bleed and page count as in your KDP setup. The gutter follows the page count automatically.
  3. Review flagged pages – they get a red “!” and red stripes, the same pages KDP flags.
  4. Fix the pages – “Fix flagged pages” scales every problem page into the safe area in one click. Or adjust single pages: drag, crop, scale, “Fit to margins”, or “Fill with bleed” for full-page art.
  5. Export and re-upload – “Export PDF for KDP”, then upload the new manuscript and check the Print Previewer again.

Still flagged? The page probably contains a large white image box (cause 5). Choose the export option “Raster 300 DPI, trimmed to content”: each page image then ends exactly at the visible content. Your PDF stays on your computer the whole time.

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Sources: KDP Help – Fix Paperback and Hardcover Formatting Issues; KDP Help – Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins. KDP Editor is an independent tool and is not affiliated with Amazon.

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