Large print puzzle books: font size and layout

What counts as large print

KDP has no definition of large print for puzzle books. Its only hard rule is a minimum font size of 7 pt for any printed book. In a KDP Community thread on the question, publishers point to 16 pt and larger for text, and one word search publisher describes 18 pt letters in the grid with 14 pt in the word list.

Readers do not measure points. They notice whether they can read the clue numbers without glasses and whether a digit fits in a square. A useful test is to print a page at 100% and hand it to someone who would buy the book.

Layout rules that matter more than the font

• One puzzle per page. Two grids on one page halves the size of every cell.
• Big cells. A digit written by hand needs room. On 8.5 x 11 in a 9 x 9 Sudoku can be over 7 inches wide; in our large print layout it is about 7.3 in, so each cell is about 0.8 in.
• Strong, simple lines. Thick lines for boxes and the outer border, clear thin lines inside. KDP asks for lines of at least 0.75 pt.
• High contrast. Black on white paper. Avoid grey fills behind numbers.
• A clear puzzle number and level above each grid, so the answer is easy to find.
• Larger answer keys too. Tiny answer grids frustrate exactly the readers the book was bought for.

Large print Sudoku

Sudoku is the easiest large print book to get right because the grid is always 9 x 9. Easy and Medium levels suit most large print buyers; a progressive book that ends at Hard gives them somewhere to go.

Large print word search

A word search has many more characters than a Sudoku, so it needs fewer letters per row to stay readable. Choose an easier level with a smaller grid, and keep the word list in a large size under the grid rather than in a narrow column.

Trim size and page count

8.5 x 11 in (US Letter) and A4 give the largest pages KDP prints. They are large trims, which cost more per page to print, and one puzzle per page means more pages. Check the cost with the calculator before you set the price.

6 x 9 in can work for large print Sudoku with one grid per page, but there is no room for a large word search.

Writing the listing honestly

Describe what is large and how: "one puzzle per page", "8.5 x 11 in pages", "large type in grids and word lists". Show an inside page in your images. Avoid health claims about memory or dementia; they are not something a puzzle book can promise, and they attract complaints.

Large print in Gridbinder

Switch on Large print in the studio. It sets one puzzle per page and larger type for titles, labels and puzzle text. On 6 x 9 in, the studio warns you if some text cannot reach 10 pt. Try it with the free sample and print a page before you publish.