KDP Publishing Standards

Technical Specification & Production Toolkit

Rondanini Publishing

We are committed to authors who publish with Rondanini, and to supporting writers at every stage of their journey. Our list crosses genres, welcomes work that is experimental in spirit, and includes professional and educational material alongside literary fiction and other forms.

We also know that not every manuscript belongs with a traditional publisher. Many strong projects are better served by self-publishing. Where that is the case, we still want to help: the resources on this page are part of how we offer practical assistance to self-publishers—clear standards, checklists, and tools you can use on your own.

If you need hands-on help with your project—editing, design, typesetting, strategy, or anything in between—our team can step in.

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What's Here

Professional-grade KDP publishing standards used by Rondanini Publishing and 500+ independent publishers. These documents correct industry-wide myths about Kindle eBook and Print on Demand formatting.

Last Updated: March 2026

Resources

📋 KDP Publishing Specification v1.0

The authoritative technical standard. 8,500 words covering Kindle eBook and Print on Demand specifications, failure modes, and compliance requirements.

Corrects: Margins, DPI requirements, leading, fonts, CMYK, EPUB upload, bleed, spine calculation, ISBN strategy.

📥 Download PDF Download Markdown

✅ KDP Production Checklist v1.0

Sign-off form for production teams. 60+ checkboxes covering manuscript prep, images, Kindle specs, print specs, cover design, and pre-submission validation.

Use for: Team workflows, quality gates, compliance certification before KDP upload.

📥 Download PDF Download Markdown

Simplest use: Download PDF or Markdown and work through it in your editor, print it, or paste the Markdown into Google Docs yourself if you want checkboxes—nothing else to maintain here.

🎯 Complete Package Overview

Implementation guide explaining how the specification and checklist work together. Includes deployment timeline, technical corrections summary, and authority positioning strategy.

📥 Download PDF Download Markdown

📖 Medium

Articles and publishing notes from Rondanini Publishing.

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📦 Complete Bundle (Recommended)

ZIP bundle: core PDFs and related files in one download. Unzip and share with your team. (Individual Markdown sources are linked on the cards above.)

⬇️ Download Complete Bundle (ZIP)

Quick Reference FAQ

Do I need CMYK for KDP Print?

CMYK is recommended for colour-critical work, but KDP accepts RGB and converts internally. See Specification Section 4.5 for details.

What DPI should my images be?

Minimum 300 DPI at final print size. This is non-negotiable for print; 300–600 DPI for eBooks. See Specification Section 3.3 and 4.6.

How do I calculate margins?

Never estimate. Use KDP's margin calculator (trim size + page count input). See Specification Section 4.2.

Can I upscale images from 150 DPI to 300 DPI?

No. Upscaling creates pixelation. Always source at 300+ DPI from the start. See Specification Section 4.6 and failure modes.

Do I need to convert EPUB through Calibre?

No. Upload EPUB directly to KDP; Amazon handles conversion internally. See Specification Section 3.1.

Can I update my book after publishing?

Yes. Update your source file, re-export, and upload to KDP. Amazon re-reviews (24 hours typical). See Specification Section 6.2.

Questions?

For consulting on KDP publishing, production workflows, or implementation:

info@rondanini.com