KDP Groundwood Paper: Cost, Eligibility and the Cover Catch
Groundwood is KDP's third paper for black-and-white paperbacks, alongside cream and white. It costs a little less per page, any black-ink paperback can use it, and long books may need a new cover to switch.
Published October 17, 2026. Figures are calculated from KDP's published rates when the page is built.
In KDP's printing tables for Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and the euro stores, groundwood costs less than cream or white at every page count, and unlike ink, paper can be changed on a book that is already live. The complication is the spine. Books that qualify carry a green banner and a leaf icon on the Bookshelf. The answers below come from KDP's Groundwood Paper FAQ, its Paperback Printing Cost tables and its Print Options page, in the order the questions tend to come up.
What is it?
A lighter paper. KDP's Print Options page lists it as 45 pound (60 GSM), against 50-61 pound (74-90 GSM) for cream and white. KDP says it has higher opacity and a textured feel that makes pages easier to read and turn, and that an ISO-compliant life cycle assessment found a lower carbon footprint than standard uncoated stock. Those are KDP's descriptions; ordering a proof is the way to judge the feel for yourself.
How much cheaper is it per page?
KDP's FAQ says groundwood's per-page cost is approximately 5% lower than cream and white. The published tables bear that out, and they also show what the 5% doesn't cover: the fixed cost per book is the same.
| Marketplace | Cream or white, per page (regular / large) | Groundwood, per page (regular / large) | Fixed cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com | $0.012 / $0.017 | $0.0114 / $0.0162 | $1.00 for both |
| Amazon.co.uk | £0.01 / £0.012 | £0.0095 / £0.0114 | £0.85 for both |
| Amazon.de, .fr, .es, .it, .nl, .ie, .com.be | €0.012 / €0.016 | €0.0114 / €0.0152 | €0.75 for both |
On Amazon.com regular trims the per-page rate drops by 5%. Because the $1.00 fixed cost doesn't move, the saving on a whole book is smaller than that, and it shrinks the shorter the book. The full cream and white tables it is measured against are in the guide to what KDP charges to print a paperback.
What about short books?
Short books have their own flat fee. Cream and white pay a flat fee up to 110 pages; groundwood's flat band runs to 112 pages, and the fee is lower: $2.23 against $2.30 for a regular trim on Amazon.com, £1.88 against £1.93 on Amazon.co.uk and €1.98 against €2.05 on the euro stores. At exactly 112 pages a white-paper book has left its flat band ($2.34) while a groundwood one is still on its flat fee ($2.23).
What would it save on a real book?
Three hypothetical books, each priced on white paper (cream costs the same) and on groundwood:
| Book | Marketplace | White or cream | Groundwood | Saving per copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poetry chapbook 96 pages, 5" x 8" | Amazon.com | $2.30 | $2.23 | $0.07 (3.0%) |
| Amazon.co.uk | £1.93 | £1.88 | £0.05 (2.6%) | |
| Mystery novel 300 pages, 5.5" x 8.5" | Amazon.com | $4.60 | $4.42 | $0.18 (3.9%) |
| Amazon.co.uk | £3.85 | £3.70 | £0.15 (3.9%) | |
| Large-print edition 480 pages, 7" x 10" | Amazon.com | $9.16 | $8.78 | $0.38 (4.1%) |
| Amazon.co.uk | £6.61 | £6.32 | £0.29 (4.4%) |
The saving goes straight into your royalty, since KDP deducts printing after applying the royalty rate. For the mystery novel it is $0.18 a copy on Amazon.com, which at a hypothetical 30 copies a month comes to $64.80 a year. The large-print edition saves the most because it has the most pages and pays the higher large-trim rate. For one-off calculations at other page counts, KDP's own Printing Cost & Royalty Calculator has groundwood as a paper option; the printing cost calculator on this site gives the white and cream figure to compare against. KDP's FAQ says the lower pricing applies to all titles using groundwood, live ones included, with nothing to do on your part.
Which books can use it?
Paperbacks with black-and-white interiors, in all trim sizes, per KDP's FAQ. Color books can't, and neither can hardcovers: the Print Options page lists groundwood as not available for hardcover. Page limits are slightly lower than white paper: on a 5" x 8" trim KDP allows 24-812 pages on groundwood, against 24-828 on white and 24-776 on cream.
Books with heavy ink coverage aren't eligible or recommended, because ink can show through the thinner paper. KDP says that if it runs into problems printing such a book, it reserves the right to change the paper to cream or white. A novel is the natural fit; a black-ink book full of dark photographs or solid black pages is not.
Which marketplaces print it?
All of the ones that sell KDP paperbacks: Amazon.com, .ca, .co.uk, .de, .es, .fr, .it, .nl, .ie, .com.be, .pl, .se, .com.au and .co.jp.
Does it work with Expanded Distribution?
Yes, but it depends on your trim size. KDP's FAQ says to check the trim size eligibility chart on its Expanded Distribution help page before changing paper, so you don't lose that channel by switching.
Can I switch a book that is already published?
Yes, for black-ink paperbacks. The Print Options page allows cream to groundwood, white to groundwood, and back again (it also allows cream to white). Ink type, by contrast, is locked once the book is published. Paper switching isn't available for books in premium or standard color.
To switch one book, open Edit Paperback Content from the Bookshelf, change the ink and paper type under Print Options, save, and publish. To switch several, KDP has a bulk update tool, but only titles that don't need a cover update appear in it. The title's status may move from Live to In Review and Publishing and back to Live, and KDP's Print Options page says updates typically take up to 72 hours to appear.
Will I need a new cover?
Only for long books, and this is the catch. Groundwood is a different thickness, so the spine changes. KDP's FAQ says the spine section of your cover needs adjusting if the book exceeds 350 pages on cream paper or 525 pages on white paper.
Cream paper, over 350 pages: switching needs a new cover file.
White paper, over 525 pages: switching needs a new cover file.
Below those counts: the existing cover can stay, and the book can go through the bulk tool.
For example, a 400-page book on cream paper has a 1.000" spine today, which you can check with the spine width calculator. It is over the 350-page line, so it needs a new cover to switch. A 500-page book on white paper (1.126" spine) is under the 525-page line and can switch as it is; at 560 pages (1.261" on white) it couldn't.
KDP's help pages don't publish a per-page spine thickness for groundwood, so this site doesn't calculate one. For the new spine width and full cover dimensions, use KDP's own cover calculator, which lists groundwood as a paper type, and download its template. This site's cover size calculator handles white and cream only; the layout of bleed, back, spine and front is the same on groundwood once you have KDP's spine figure. KDP's Print Options page also says to check the cover in the Print Previewer before switching.
Put the cover cost against the saving. If a new cover file means paying a designer, divide that fee by the saving per copy to see how many copies it takes to earn back; for some books it will be more than they sell.
Can I see a proof first?
Yes. Change the book's paper type, then order a proof from the Bookshelf. KDP warns that a copy ordered soon after an update may come from inventory printed before the change, and that copies printed from a previous file aren't eligible for replacement or refund.
How do I check the switch went through?
Three signs, per KDP's FAQ: Title Setup shows groundwood as the paper type, the eligibility banner disappears from the Bookshelf, and the title drops out of the bulk update tool. Don't wait for a status change as proof. KDP says a quick conversion may never leave "Live" at all.