KDP Print Cost & Royalty Calculator
Estimate Amazon KDP's printing cost, the royalty rate your list price qualifies for (50% or 60%, depending on marketplace and price), your per-copy royalty and the minimum list price — using the formulas and rate tables Amazon publishes.
Large trim = wider than 6.12 in (155.5 mm) or taller than 9 in (228.6 mm). Trim size otherwise does not change printing cost; bleed and cover finish never do.
Printing cost
$2.80
Fixed + per page
Royalty rate at this price
60%
60% from $9.99; 50% at or below $9.98
Royalty per copy (Amazon)
$6.19
60% × list − printing
Minimum list price
$5.60
KDP won't accept a lower price
How the printing cost was computed
$1.00 + (150 × 0.012 USD) = $2.80
Official band: 110–828 pages, Black ink · cream or white paper, regular trim, Amazon.com. Rounded to the nearest cent.
Why that minimum price
Printing cost ÷ 0.60 would be $4.67 (inside the 50% band), so KDP's 50% scenario applies: printing cost ÷ 0.50 = $5.60.
Royalty as a share of list price
41.3%
This is the royalty divided by the tax-exclusive list price. It is not a profit margin: it ignores your production, editing, cover, advertising and tax costs.
Expanded Distribution royalty (paperback only)
$3.20
40% × list − printing cost, for copies sold through Expanded Distribution (US, UK and EUR stores).
Royalty at different list prices (USD)
| List price | Rate | Amazon royalty | Expanded Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| $7.99 | 50% | $1.20 | $0.40 |
| $9.98 | 50% | $2.19 | $1.19 |
| $9.99 | 60% | $3.19 | $1.20 |
| $12.99 | 60% | $4.99 | $2.40 |
| $14.99 | 60% | $6.19 | $3.20 |
| $19.99 | 60% | $9.19 | $5.20 |
| $24.99 | 60% | $12.19 | $7.20 |
The two prices on either side of $9.99 show the jump from the 50% to the 60% rate.
Estimates built from KDP's published printing-cost tables and royalty formulas. Prices are tax-exclusive; Amazon adds VAT/GST in some marketplaces. Always confirm in KDP's own pricing page before you publish. KDP Builder is not affiliated with or endorsed by Amazon.
Sources, scope and limitations
Verified: the rate tables and formulas in this tool were transcribed from Amazon KDP's help pages on 2026-09-09. Amazon changes printing costs from time to time; the date tells you how current this check is.
- Paperback printing cost
- Hardcover printing cost
- Paperback royalty (rate thresholds, minimum & maximum list price)
- Hardcover royalty
- Pricing hub (Expanded Distribution, VAT, currency notes)
- Amazon's own printing cost & royalty calculator — the authoritative source for your book
Supported: paperback in 8 marketplaces (USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, AUD, JPY, PLN, SEK) with black ink on white/cream paper, black ink on groundwood paper, premium color and standard color; hardcover (black ink or premium color) in the five marketplaces where KDP publishes hardcover costs. Page counts follow KDP's published ranges and even-page gaps are rejected rather than approximated.
Known limits: KDP's black-ink table lists 110 pages in both its flat and per-page ranges (this tool uses per-page and says so); the official hardcover royalty page lists 98/99 SEK thresholds where the paperback page lists 109/110 SEK (flagged in-tool); rounding to the nearest cent is inferred from Amazon's own 4.996 → 5.00 example; the minimum price KDP enforces for Expanded Distribution is not published; Kindle ebook pricing is out of scope here. Results are estimates, not a guarantee of earnings.
What actually moves your royalty
Ink and paper
On Amazon.com a 150-page regular-trim paperback prints for $2.80 in black ink, $2.71 on groundwood paper, $4.83 in standard color and $10.75 in premium color (KDP tables, 2026-09-09). Choose color only when the content needs it.
The 50% / 60% threshold
Pricing at or above the marketplace threshold (for example $9.99 on Amazon.com, £7.99 on Amazon.co.uk) moves you from the 50% to the 60% rate on the whole list price — a one-cent price change can add about a tenth of the list price to your royalty.
Royalty is not profit
The figures here are Amazon's per-copy royalty. Your actual margin also depends on what you spent producing and marketing the book, on returns and on income tax — none of which this calculator models.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Amazon KDP calculate printing costs?+
KDP publishes a table per marketplace, ink type and trim class. Short books pay a flat fee (for example $2.30 for a 24–109-page black-ink regular-trim paperback on Amazon.com); longer books pay a fixed cost plus a per-page cost (for Amazon.com black ink: $1.00 + $0.012 per page, so 300 pages = $4.60). Premium color, standard color and groundwood paper each have their own rates, and large trim sizes cost more per page. This tool reproduces those tables as published on 2026-09-09.
Is the KDP royalty always 60%?+
No. For paperbacks and hardcovers, KDP pays 60% of the tax-exclusive list price minus printing cost when the price is at or above a marketplace threshold ($9.99 on Amazon.com, £7.99 on Amazon.co.uk, €9.99 in the EUR stores, CA$13.99, A$13.99, ¥1,000, 40 zł, 110 kr) and 50% minus printing cost below it. Expanded Distribution paperback sales pay 40% minus printing cost.
What is the minimum list price on KDP?+
KDP will not accept a list price below the printing cost divided by your royalty rate. Because the rate depends on the price, KDP describes two scenarios: printing cost ÷ 0.60 if that result lands in the 60% band, otherwise printing cost ÷ 0.50. The calculator shows which scenario applies to your book and, where neither is self-consistent, uses the 60% threshold price and tells you to confirm in KDP's own calculator.
How much does it cost to print a KDP hardcover?+
KDP publishes hardcover printing costs for Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, the EUR stores, Amazon.pl and Amazon.se only. On Amazon.com a black-ink regular-trim hardcover is $6.80 flat for 75–108 pages and $5.65 + $0.012 per page for 110–550 pages (300 pages = $9.25). Premium color hardcovers are $5.65 + $0.065 per page. Hardcovers are not available in Expanded Distribution.
Is the royalty shown here my profit?+
No. The royalty is what Amazon pays per copy after its printing cost. Your profit also depends on what you spent on writing, editing, cover design, advertising and taxes, which this calculator does not model. It also does not predict sales.
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