KDP cover size calculator · Free · No sign-up
KDP Cover Size Calculator
A KDP cover size calculator gives the full-wrap dimensions of a paperback cover from the trim size, paper and page count. A 300-page 6 × 9 in book on white paper needs a cover 12.926 × 9.250 in (3878 × 2775 px at 300 dpi), with a 0.676 in spine.
It also lists every fold and safe line and downloads a template.
Inside KDP's 24 to 828 pages for black ink, white paper. Spine text allowed (KDP asks for 79 pages or more).
- Spine width
- 0.676 in
- Spine in mm
- 17.2 mm
- Front cover with bleed
- 6.125 × 9.250 in
- Trim size
- 6 × 9 in
- Bleed
- 0.125 in
- Safe margin
- 0.125 in
- Spine fold clearance
- 0.0625 in
- Spine factor
- 0.002252 in a page
| Trim size | Full wrap (in) | Pixels at 300 dpi | Spine (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 × 8 in | 10.926 × 8.250 | 3278 × 2475 | 0.676 |
| 5.06 × 7.81 in | 11.046 × 8.060 | 3314 × 2418 | 0.676 |
| 5.25 × 8 in | 11.426 × 8.250 | 3428 × 2475 | 0.676 |
| 5.5 × 8.5 in | 11.926 × 8.750 | 3578 × 2625 | 0.676 |
| 6 × 9 in | 12.926 × 9.250 | 3878 × 2775 | 0.676 |
| 6.14 × 9.21 in | 13.206 × 9.460 | 3962 × 2838 | 0.676 |
| 7 × 10 in | 14.926 × 10.250 | 4478 × 3075 | 0.676 |
| 8 × 10 in | 16.926 × 10.250 | 5078 × 3075 | 0.676 |
| 8.5 × 11 in | 17.926 × 11.250 | 5378 × 3375 | 0.676 |
| Line | Inches | Millimetres | Pixels | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Left edge of the bleed | 0.000 | 0.0 | 0 | Cover file starts here |
| Back cover trim line | 0.125 | 3.2 | 38 | Where the page is cut |
| Back cover safe area starts | 0.250 | 6.4 | 75 | Keep text and faces inside this line |
| Spine fold (back side) | 6.125 | 155.6 | 1838 | Spine starts |
| Spine fold (front side) | 6.801 | 172.7 | 2040 | Front cover starts |
| Front cover safe area ends | 12.676 | 322.0 | 3803 | Keep text and faces inside this line |
| Front cover trim line | 12.801 | 325.1 | 3840 | Where the page is cut |
| Right edge of the bleed | 12.926 | 328.3 | 3878 | Cover file ends here |
Width is 0.125 + 6 + 0.676 + 6 + 0.125, height is 0.125 + 9 + 0.125. The spine is 300 pages at 0.002252 in, rounded to three places only for display. KDP’s own calculator is the final word on the file you upload: use it once the page count is final.
The figures above are an example: put in your own. Worked out in this browser and kept there. Not sure of the page count yet? Estimate it with the book page count calculator.
Enter the page count, choose the trim size and the paper, and read the full wrap, the spine and the pixel size, with the lines to put your guides on. Download the template as an SVG at the cover’s real size, or copy the numbers.
A KDP full-wrap cover is one flat file holding the back cover, the spine and the front cover, with 0.125 in of bleed on every outer edge. Its width depends on the page count and the paper, because the spine is as thick as the pages.
- No sign-up
- Nothing uploaded
- KDP's published figures
- Works offline
- Shows its working
Key facts
| Detail | Answer |
|---|---|
| Price | Free, no sign-up, nothing to install |
| 300 pages, 6 × 9 in, white paper | Spine 0.676 in; full wrap 12.926 × 9.250 in |
| Pixels at 300 dpi | 3878 × 2775 for that book |
| Bleed | 0.125 in on the top, bottom and outside edges |
| Safe area | Text 0.125 in inside the trim lines, 0.0625 in clear of the spine folds |
| Spine factors | White 0.002252, cream 0.0025, premium colour 0.002347 in a page |
| Page limits checked | 24 minimum; 828 white, 776 cream |
| Where your numbers are kept | This browser only |
How to work out your KDP cover size
Enter the book’s details, then take the sizes into your design tool.
Enter the page count
Use the final page count of your interior file, blank pages included; the book page count calculator will estimate it if the manuscript is not typeset yet.
Choose the trim size
Pick the page size you set in KDP, or enter your own width and height in inches.
Choose the paper and ink
White and cream give different spines, and colour has its own figure.
Read the board
The full wrap in inches, millimetres and pixels, and the spine, come first.
Set your guides
Put guides at the fold and safe lines in the table, in the unit your tool uses.
Download the template
The SVG opens at real size in a design tool or a browser; paste your artwork into the front and back panels.
Who uses a KDP cover size calculator
Anyone who has to hand a cover designer, or a design tool, the size of a paperback cover.
Self-publishing authors
The size to brief a designer with, or to set up a Canva document before the interior is final.
Cover designers
A spine and wrap from the page count a client gives, with the pixel size for the file.
Low-content book makers
Journals, planners and notebooks at 100 to 200 pages, where one page more changes the spine.
Authors switching paper
The new spine when a book moves from white to cream paper.
Formatters
A quick check of a template that came from the author.
Anyone choosing a trim size
The same page count at nine sizes, to see what a larger page does to the cover.
How the spine width is worked out, by paper and page count
The spine is as wide as the stack of pages is thick, and KDP publishes how thick: the page count multiplied by a figure for the paper. Black ink on white paper is 0.002252 in a page, on cream paper 0.0025 in, standard colour 0.002252 and premium colour 0.002347. That is all the arithmetic there is; what trips people up is that one page changes the answer, and that the cover is cut to a fraction of a millimetre. A “page” here is one side of a leaf, the same count KDP gives your interior file, so 300 pages is 150 sheets.
| Paper and ink | Inches a page | 300 pages (in) | 500 pages (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black ink, white paper | 0.002252 | 0.676 | 1.126 |
| Black ink, cream paper | 0.0025 | 0.750 | 1.250 |
| Standard colour | 0.002252 | 0.676 | 1.126 |
| Premium colour | 0.002347 | 0.704 | 1.174 |
| Pages | White | Cream | Premium colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0.225 | 0.250 | 0.235 |
| 150 | 0.338 | 0.375 | 0.352 |
| 200 | 0.450 | 0.500 | 0.469 |
| 300 | 0.676 | 0.750 | 0.704 |
| 400 | 0.901 | 1.000 | 0.939 |
| 500 | 1.126 | 1.250 | 1.174 |
| 700 | 1.576 | 1.750 | 1.643 |
Cream paper is thicker than white, so the same 300 pages give a spine of 0.750 in on cream against 0.676 in on white: 0.074 in more. A cover built for one paper does not fit the other, and KDP lets a black-and-white book switch paper after publishing, so redo the cover when you switch. For another printer’s paper, or to see whether a title fits the spine, use the book spine width calculator. The interior has its own minimums, which rise with the same page count: see the KDP margin calculator. The trim size itself also sets which page counts KDP accepts: the page limits by trim size and paper are on the book trim size chooser.
What changes when the page count moves by one
The most common cover mistake is a template made for a page count that then moved. Adding a chapter, a blank page or an author note changes the spine, and the spine moves the front cover with it, so the artwork cannot just be stretched: the front panel has to shift right by the same amount.
| Pages | Spine (in) | Full wrap width (in) |
|---|---|---|
| 298 | 0.671 | 12.921 |
| 299 | 0.673 | 12.923 |
| 300 | 0.676 | 12.926 |
| 301 | 0.678 | 12.928 |
| 302 | 0.680 | 12.930 |
Each extra page adds 0.002252 in, about 0.1 mm. That sounds like nothing, but KDP’s guidance keeps spine text 0.063 in clear of both spine edges. A spine of 0.676 in is only 0.551 in wide once that clearance is taken off each side, which is why a thin book’s spine text looks cramped.
KDP cover size in pixels for Canva and Photoshop
Design tools ask for pixels, not inches. At 300 dpi a pixel is one three-hundredth of an inch, so the size in pixels is the size in inches times 300, and the calculator gives it for the page count you entered. In Canva, choose Custom size and type the pixel width and height; in Photoshop or Affinity, set the document in inches with a resolution of 300 pixels an inch and lay the guides on the fold lines in the table above. Check KDP’s current file requirements before you export.
| Trim size | At 300 dpi | At 150 dpi |
|---|---|---|
| 5 × 8 in | 3278 × 2475 | 1639 × 1238 |
| 5.5 × 8.5 in | 3578 × 2625 | 1789 × 1312 |
| 6 × 9 in | 3878 × 2775 | 1939 × 1388 |
| 8.5 × 11 in | 5378 × 3375 | 2689 × 1688 |
Design at the full pixel size rather than a small one that you scale up. A cover made at 150 dpi and enlarged will print soft, and the barcode and any small type on the back suffer first.
What this calculator does not do
This calculator does the arithmetic KDP publishes for a paperback. It does not replace KDP’s own calculator for the file you upload.
| It does | It does not |
|---|---|
| Work out the spine from the page count and paper with KDP’s published factors | Cover hardcovers, which have a case wrap and a different template |
| Give the full wrap in inches, millimetres and 300 dpi pixels | Cover groundwood paper: KDP’s help page does not state a factor for it, so this page does not guess one |
| List every fold, trim and safe line from the left edge | Place the barcode, which KDP adds to the back cover if you do not |
| Download an SVG template at the cover’s real size | Check the artwork you make: bleed, resolution and colour are yours to verify |
| Flag a page count under 24, over 828 (white) or over 776 (cream) | Check the upper page limits for colour paper or the limits of a custom trim size |
| Say when a book is too thin for spine text (under 79 pages) | Give figures for printers other than KDP, which use other factors |
Use KDP’s cover calculator when the manuscript is final, since the page count it uses is the one KDP finds in your uploaded interior file.
This calculator, KDP's or a typical third-party tool
Three ways to get a KDP cover size, and what each leaves out.
| This calculator | KDP’s own calculator | A typical third-party tool | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, no sign-up | Free, needs an account | Free, often with ads or an email wall |
| Spine and full wrap in inches | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Millimetres | Yes | Yes | Often |
| Pixel size at 300 dpi | Yes, for Canva and Photoshop | No | Rarely shown |
| Every fold and safe line in one table | Yes | In the template only | No |
| Template download | SVG, at real size, no sign-up | PDF and PNG | PDF or PNG, sometimes behind a form |
| Says what it does not cover | Yes | n/a | Rarely |
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Frequently asked questions
What size is a 6x9 KDP cover?
A 300-page 6 × 9 in paperback on white paper needs a full-wrap cover 12.926 × 9.250 in, which is 3878 × 2775 pixels at 300 dpi. The width is 0.125 in of bleed, the 6 in back cover, the 0.676 in spine, the 6 in front cover and 0.125 in of bleed; the height is the 9 in trim plus 0.25 in of bleed. The width changes with the page count.
How do I calculate KDP cover size?
Width is the bleed, back cover, spine, front cover and bleed added up; height is the bleed, the trim height and the bleed. The bleed is 0.125 in. The spine is the page count times the paper’s factor: 0.002252 in a page for white paper, 0.0025 for cream. The calculator does this for every KDP trim size.
How do I calculate spine width for KDP?
Multiply the page count by 0.002252 for black ink on white paper, 0.0025 for cream paper, 0.002252 for standard colour or 0.002347 for premium colour. A 300-page book is 0.676 in on white and 0.750 in on cream. Use the final page count of the interior file, since each page changes the spine.
What is 0.002252 in the KDP spine formula?
It is the thickness in inches that KDP gives one page of white paper with black ink: the spine of a white-paper book is the page count multiplied by it. Cream paper uses 0.0025 and premium colour 0.002347. A page here is one side of a leaf, so a sheet counts as two.
What is the bleed on a KDP cover?
0.125 in (3.2 mm) on the top, bottom and outside edges. Artwork that should reach the edge must run into the bleed, since the cover is trimmed after printing. Keep text at least 0.125 in inside the trim lines and 0.0625 in away from the spine folds.
What is the minimum page count for a KDP spine?
KDP says a book needs 79 pages or more for text on the spine, and its Cover Creator asks for 80. Below that, the spine is too narrow to print on reliably. The paperback minimum itself is 24 pages, and the upper limit is 828 for black ink on white paper and 776 on cream.
What pixel size should my KDP cover be?
The full-wrap size in inches times 300. A 300-page 6 × 9 in white-paper book is 3878 × 2775 pixels. Design at that size rather than enlarging a smaller file, and export the whole wrap as one image or PDF; the calculator gives the pixels for your page count.
Does a cream paper cover have a different spine?
Yes. Cream paper is thicker, 0.0025 in a page against 0.002252 for white, so the same 300 pages give a 0.750 in spine against 0.676 in. A cover made for white paper will not line up on cream, so redo it if you switch the paper.
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