The “gutter” is a typographical term referring to an additional margin added to interior pages to compensate for the part of the page made unusable by the binding process. In a facing pages layout, the gutter margin is on the inside of both pages. Interiors of less than 60 pages don’t normally need to include a gutter, but files with higher page count should consider using a gutter.


For more information, use this table:


Page CountAdd to Interior MarginRecommended Interior Margin

Recommended Interior Margin (Full-Bleed)


Less than 60
0" or 0 mm0.5 or 13 mm0.625 or 26 mm
61 to 1500.125" or 3 mm
0.625" or 16mm
0.75" or 19mm
151 to 400
0.5" or 13 mm
1" or 25 mm
1.125" or 29 mm
400 to 600
0.625" or 16mm 
1.125" or 29 mm
1.25" or 32 mm
over 600
0.75" or 19 mm
1.25" or 32 mm
1.375" or 35 mm