Canva
Recommended for most ReadKidz users
Follow the seven steps above: full-bleed custom size, one PNG per page, guides for safe content, then PDF Print with Crop marks and bleed turned off.
Build the KDP interior PDF in Canva
Place one ReadKidz page image on each correctly sized Canva page, protect text with guides, and export one interior PDF.
You will leave with a single interior PDF containing only the inside pages in reading order.
Recommended for most users
Use Canva to build the print-ready interior
1. Download the ReadKidz PNG ZIP
Use the individual PNG pages as your Canva source. Keep the reading order, but leave the standalone front-cover and back-cover pages out of the interior.
2. Create a custom-size Canva design
Choose Create a design → Custom size, switch the unit to inches, and enter the full-bleed page size from the calculator — for example 8.625 × 8.75 in for an 8.5 × 8.5 in book with bleed.
3. Put one book page on each Canva page
Upload the interior PNGs, add the same number of Canva pages, and place one image on each page in reading order. Do not combine two book pages into one spread.
4. Fill the bleed but protect the important content
Make edge-to-edge artwork fill the whole Canva page. Press Shift + R to show rulers and guides; keep text, faces, and important details at least 0.375 in inside the final trim edge for a typical 24–150 page bleed book.
5. Check pixels only when needed
Canva PDF Print cannot create detail that is missing from the ReadKidz PNG. If KDP reports Low resolution, use the calculator above, choose a smaller print size, or upscale the source as a last resort before rebuilding the Canva PDF.
6. Download PDF Print with crop marks off
Choose Share → Download → PDF Print and select all interior pages. Because this Canva file already uses the exact KDP bleed page size, leave Crop marks and bleed turned off; KDP does not want trim or crop marks in the manuscript.
7. Inspect the downloaded PDF
Confirm the PDF contains only interior pages, one page at a time, at the expected physical size. Check page order and zoom to 100% before uploading it to KDP Print Previewer.
Build file 1
Turn the ReadKidz pages into the interior PDF.
Canva is the recommended route for most users. The workflow above gives it the exact KDP page size before the PNGs are placed, so the final PDF does not depend on a DPI label alone.
Choose the KDP trim size and decide bleed before creating the document.
Create one document page at trim size, or at the larger bleed page size from the formula above.
Import the ReadKidz PNG pages in reading order, but omit the standalone cover and back-cover pages from the interior.
Extend edge-to-edge illustrations through the bleed area; keep text and important details inside the safe margins.
Export one PDF with one book page per PDF page. Do not export spreads, template guides, crop marks, comments, or transparent layers.
Open the PDF and verify its physical page size, page count, order, embedded fonts, and image clarity before KDP upload.
Use Canva unless you already know a publishing tool
Affinity Publisher or Adobe InDesign
Precise multi-page layout
Set physical page size, bleed, facing-page margins, and image placement explicitly, then export a flattened print PDF.
Scribus
Free desktop publishing
Build the pages at exact dimensions, embed fonts, flatten transparency where needed, and export PDF without printer marks.
If KDP flags a file
Match the warning to the source you need to fix.
Do not keep clicking through the same warning. Correct the Canva document, source image, or cover template that caused it, export a new PDF, and run Print Previewer again.
| What KDP shows | Likely cause | Direct fix |
|---|---|---|
| Text or important content is outside the margins | The Canva guides do not match the selected trim and bleed settings, or an important element sits too close to a cut or gutter edge. | Confirm the KDP trim and bleed choice, then move text, faces, and essential details inside the safe area before downloading a new PDF Print file. |
| Bleed is missing, or a white edge appears | Artwork stops at the trim line, the whole interior was not set to bleed, or the Canva page uses trim dimensions instead of full-bleed dimensions. | Use the calculator's full-bleed page size, extend artwork to every outer page edge, keep Crop marks and bleed off at download, and make the KDP bleed setting match. |
| An image is low resolution | The placed PNG does not have enough real pixels for its printed width or height. | Check the PNG above. Re-export a larger source or reduce the print size; changing only a 72/300 DPI label will not create detail. |
KDP publishing questions
Can I turn a 72 DPI image into 300 DPI by changing one setting?
No. Changing the DPI label does not create new pixels. Check the image's pixel width and height against its printed size. If there are not enough pixels, re-export a larger source, print the image smaller, or carefully upscale it and inspect the result at 100%.