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Troubleshooting

A plain-language reference, organized by symptom. Find what you're seeing below and jump straight to the cause and the fix, no file upload, just answers.

• 01

  Incorrect page size, margins, or gutter

  Your print proof (or the KDP/IngramSpark previewer) shows text sitting too close to the edge of the page, an odd amount …

• 02

  Missing bleed

  A full-page image or edge-to-edge design element shows a thin white sliver along one or more edges after printing or tri…

• 03

  Low-resolution images

  Images look sharp on your screen but come out blurry, pixelated, or fuzzy in the printed proof, or KDP/IngramSpark flags…

• 04

  Embedded-font problems

  Text that looked correct on your computer displays in a different, generic font (often a plain serif or sans-serif subst…

• 05

  Unintended blank pages

  The previewer or printed proof shows a completely blank page where you didn't expect one, often right before a chapter, …

• 06

  Misplaced page numbers

  Page numbers appear on the wrong side of the page (e.g. always bottom-left instead of alternating with facing pages), sh…

• 07

  Headers appearing on chapter-opening pages

  The book title or chapter title running header shows up at the top of the very first page of a chapter, which looks clut…

• 08

  Inconsistent fonts or paragraph styles throughout the manuscript

  Scrolling through the manuscript, some paragraphs are a slightly different font, size, or line spacing than the rest, of…

• 09

  Manual tabs/spaces used for paragraph indentation instead of proper paragraph styles

  Paragraph indents look slightly inconsistent from one paragraph to the next, or reflow strangely (extra space appearing …

• 10

  Incorrect line spacing or chapter breaks

  Lines of text look cramped or unusually loose compared to a typical printed book, or chapters don't consistently start a…

• 11

  Widows and orphans

  A single short line of a paragraph sits alone at the very top of a page (a "widow") or alone at the very bottom of a pag…

• 12

  Missing or misordered front/back matter

  Flipping through the file, the title page, copyright page, dedication, or table of contents is missing entirely, appears…

• 13

  Incorrect PDF export settings

  The exported PDF looks fine on screen but gets rejected by KDP or IngramSpark, or looks noticeably different once printe…

• 14

  Common reasons KDP or IngramSpark reject an uploaded file

  You upload your interior or cover PDF and the platform returns an error instead of accepting the file for review, often …

• 15

  KDP won't let you choose Standard Color for a paperback

  You have a color interior and go to select Standard Color ink, but KDP won't offer it, or shows Premium Color as the onl…

• 16

  KDP rejects a custom full-wrap cover even though the dimensions look correct

  You've double-checked your cover's dimensions against KDP's cover template for your trim size and page count, they match…

• 17

  Uploaded the wrong ebook file type (a Word doc where a real EPUB was needed, or vice versa)

  An ebook upload fails, gets flagged as invalid, or a platform simply won't accept the file you selected, and the underly…