Most picture books are 32 pages, and Amazon KDP prints hardcovers only from 75 pages, so a standard picture book can't be a KDP hardcover. The usual route is to print the hardcover through IngramSpark, which makes case laminate hardcovers from 18 pages, and keep KDP for the paperback if you want one. Decide this before your illustrator starts, because the hardcover size and cover file are different from the paperback.
KDP hardcover books must have 75 to 550 pages, and a typical picture book has 24 to 40. KDP's Hardcover help page says hardcover books have "the same print options as paperbacks, with a few exceptions: There are five available trim sizes" and "The minimum and maximum page count is 75 - 550 pages" (KDP: Hardcover).
The size list is the second problem. We illustrate picture books in three main sizes: 8.5" x 8.5" (square), 8.5" x 11" (portrait) and 8" x 10" (portrait). None of the three is one of KDP's five hardcover trim sizes, so on KDP all three are paperback only (KDP: Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins).
Two more KDP hardcover limits matter for children's books:
You could pad a 32-page story to 75 pages, but that means more than 40 extra pages that do not belong to the story. For most picture books, IngramSpark is the cleaner choice.
IngramSpark accepts much shorter hardcovers and prints all three of our sizes as case laminate hardcovers. Here is how the two compare for a picture book (all facts checked on 2026-10-19):
| Amazon KDP hardcover | IngramSpark hardcover | |
|---|---|---|
| Page count | 75–550 pages | 18–840 pages (hardcover range in the trim size matrix) |
| Hardcover type | Case laminate only; "will not have a dust jacket" | Case laminate at all three of our sizes (jacketed and cloth covers are not offered at these sizes) |
| Our 3 sizes as hardcover | 8.5" x 8.5": no · 8.5" x 11": no · 8" x 10": no | 8.5" x 8.5": yes · 8.5" x 11": yes · 8" x 10": yes |
| Color interior | Premium color (standard color not available) | Color and premium color at all three sizes |
| Interior bleed | 0.125" on the top, bottom and outside edges | 0.125" "except on bind side" |
| Cover wrap / bleed | Art extends 0.51" past the cover edge to wrap the board | Bleed extends 0.625" beyond the fold lines |
| Spine text | Paperback needs 79+ pages for spine text | No spine text under 48 pages |
| Free ISBN | Yes, but "can only be used on KDP" | Use an ISBN you own |
Sources: KDP: Hardcover, KDP: Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins, KDP: Create a Hardcover Cover, KDP: ISBN and Imprint, IngramSpark Trim Sizes, IngramSpark File Creation Guide.
The safe order is: pick the platform, pick a size that platform prints as a hardcover, then brief the illustrator. Here is the plan we suggest to authors.
Decide which formats you want before any art is drawn. Common set-ups for a 32-page book are:
If you want a paperback and a hardcover, choose a trim size that works for both, so the interior art is drawn once. All three of our sizes (8.5" x 8.5", 8.5" x 11" and 8" x 10") are KDP paperback sizes and IngramSpark case laminate hardcover sizes, so one set of interior art can serve both formats.
Each format needs its own ISBN. KDP says "Each format of your book (paperback vs hardcover) needs its own ISBN" and that free KDP ISBNs "can only be used on KDP. They cannot be used to publish outside of KDP" (KDP: ISBN and Imprint). So an IngramSpark hardcover needs an ISBN that you own.
Plan the full page count, not just the story pages. In a 32-page book, about 4 pages are technical (title, copyright and similar), which leaves 28 story pages, or about 14 spreads. IngramSpark also notes that "The last page will be blank for insertion of Lightning Source's manufacturing information" (IngramSpark File Creation Guide). Do not plan art or story text for the very last page.
Give your illustrator the trim size, page count and the hardcover template before sketches begin. Interior pages with full-bleed art need 0.125" of bleed on the outer edges. The hardcover cover is a different file from the paperback cover, because the art wraps around the boards (see the next section).
Upload a single-page interior PDF and the cover PDF to IngramSpark. IngramSpark says "We cannot accept files in spread format (2-up per page)," so spreads are drawn as one image but exported as single pages. If you also publish a KDP paperback, upload its own interior and cover there.
Order a printed proof of each format before you approve it. A proof shows you colors, the crop at the trim and how much of the cover art wraps around the board.
A hardcover cover needs more art around the edges than a paperback cover, and the gutter of a spread hides more of the art. These are the main points we plan for:
Our case studies include hardcover picture books, such as Hear Me Roar (30 pages, 8.5 × 8.5 in paperback and hardcover) and Casey's Wings, where the project included an Ingram hardcover file.
Most hardcover problems start when the size or cover is decided after the art is done. Avoid these:
Yes, through KDP, but only if the book has 75 to 550 pages and uses one of KDP's five portrait hardcover sizes. Most picture books are shorter, so many authors print the hardcover through IngramSpark instead.
IngramSpark's trim size matrix lists a hardcover page range of 18 to 840 pages. A 24-, 32- or 40-page picture book fits.
No. KDP says its hardcovers are case laminate, so the book "will not have a dust jacket and the art is printed directly on the cover."
Yes, if you plan for it. Pick a trim size both formats offer, use a separate ISBN for each format, and do not use a free KDP ISBN on IngramSpark.
We work in three sizes: 8.5" x 8.5" (square), 8.5" x 11" and 8" x 10" (portrait). All three print as IngramSpark case laminate hardcovers; none is a KDP hardcover size. Other trim sizes exist on KDP and IngramSpark. Our guide to picture book sizes explains how to choose.
Yes. A hardcover cover wraps around the boards and has a hinge, so it needs more bleed than a paperback cover. Use the platform's cover template for your exact size and page count.
Our standard timeline is about 4–6 weeks per book. The format does not change the art process much, but the cover is set up for the hardcover wrap.
Tell us your page count, size and formats, and we'll prepare the art and files for KDP or IngramSpark. Every illustration is 100% human-made, with unlimited revisions, and you get full ownership of the art by default, and the contract states this clearly. Start with a free colored sample or a free 30-minute video call. For costs, see our illustration pricing page.
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