Print royalty and printing cost calculator
KDP printing cost for any page count and trim, and what each paperback or hardcover sale earns.
Printing cost and earnings per copy
- KDP printing cost
- $4.60
- Lowest price KDP allows
- $9.20
| Channel | Per copy | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon KDP paperback | $4.39 | 60% of $14.99 minus $4.60 printing |
| KDP Expanded Distribution | $1.40 | 40% minus printing, for sales through other bookshops |
| IngramSpark at 55% discount | $1.86 | wholesale price minus KDP's $4.60 as a stand-in print cost and the 1.875% distribution fee |
| Barnes & Noble Press print | $3.64 | 55% minus KDP's $4.60 as a stand-in print cost |
| Draft2Digital Print | $2.15 | about 45% minus KDP's $4.60 as a stand-in print cost |
Rates checked against each platform's own help pages on 20 October 2026. US store prices in US dollars, before any tax.
How KDP prices printing
For Amazon.com, KDP charges a fixed amount plus a cost per page. Black-and-white paperbacks of up to 110 pages cost a flat $2.30 at regular trim sizes; longer books cost $1.00 plus $0.012 a page ($0.017 for large trims). A 300-page novel therefore costs $4.60 to print. Premium colour is $1.00 plus $0.065 a page, standard colour (72 to 600 pages) $1.00 plus $0.0255 a page, and the newer groundwood paper is slightly cheaper than white or cream.
Hardcovers start at $6.80 for up to 108 pages and cost $5.65 plus $0.012 a page above that.
How the royalty works
Since June 2025 KDP pays 60% of the list price minus printing for books priced at $9.99 or more, and 50% for books at $9.98 or less. Expanded Distribution, which offers your paperback to other bookshops, pays 40% minus printing. IngramSpark pays the wholesale price (the list price minus the discount you choose, at least 40% in the US) minus printing and a 1.875% distribution fee introduced in February 2026. Barnes & Noble Press pays 55% minus printing and, since April 2026, requires a list price of at least $14.99. IngramSpark, B&N and Draft2Digital don't publish a printing formula, so enter the cost their own calculators quote you.
Questions
How much does KDP charge to print a 300-page paperback?
For a black-and-white paperback at a regular trim size on Amazon.com, KDP charges $1.00 plus $0.012 per page, which is $4.60 for 300 pages.
What royalty does KDP pay on paperbacks?
60% of the list price minus the printing cost for prices of $9.99 or more, and 50% minus printing for prices of $9.98 or less.