KDP Cover Calculator

Pick a trim, paper and page count to get your exact cover size, spine width and template.

  • All 16 KDP trims, 5 papers
  • Inches, mm and pixels
  • PDF and PNG template

Trim size

Interior and paper

Page count

24–828 pages on this trim and paper

Reading direction

Your cover

Full cover
12.700 × 9.250 in
At 300 dpi: 3,810 × 2,775 px
Spine width
0.450 in
Front and back cover
6.000 × 9.000 in
Bleed
0.125 in
Spine text
Allowed, up to 0.325 in wide

Use it as a guide layer under your design, then delete it: KDP rejects files that still show template lines. PNG at 300 dpi

Now write and format the book itself

Story-AI's book mode writes your book chapter by chapter and typesets the paperback interior and the wrap cover, with spine and barcode box, for 8 common KDP trims.

Start your book

What the KDP Cover Calculator Works Out

One file, three panels, to a thousandth of an inch.

A KDP cover calculator turns your trim size, paper and page count into the exact size of the one-piece cover file KDP prints: back, spine and front, with bleed.

KDP wants a paperback cover as a single PDF, with the back cover, spine and front cover as one image (KDP help: Cover). Its width depends on how thick the book is, so two books share a cover size only if they share a trim, a paper and a page count.

This KDP cover calculator covers all 16 of KDP's US paperback trims, a custom paperback from 4 × 6 to 8.5 × 11.69 inches, and the 5 hardcover trims, with KDP's 5 ink and paper options.

Our KDP cover calculator was checked against 57 answers of KDP's own calculator, on November 2, 2026, and matched every one. It also checks your page count against the limits for your trim and paper, rounds an odd count up as KDP does, and says whether the spine can carry text.

It runs in your browser: free, no account, no AI, nothing to upload.

Full cover size

The whole file with bleed: your cover PDF's page size.

Spine width

Pages × your paper's thickness per page, to 0.001 in like KDP.

Front and back cover

Your trim size; on a hardcover, the slightly larger board.

Safe areas and spine text

Where text is safe, and whether the spine may carry it.

Barcode area

The 2 × 1.2 in box where KDP prints the barcode.

Pixels

Every measurement at 300 dpi, for apps that start from a canvas.

How to Use the KDP Cover Calculator in 5 Steps

Five choices, then read the numbers or download the template.

  1. 1

    Choose paperback or hardcover

    Paperback offers 16 trims plus a custom size. Hardcover (case laminate) offers 5 trims and no custom size.

  2. 2

    Pick your trim size

    The trim you will select in KDP's print setup, width first. A custom paperback can be 4–8.5 in wide and 6–11.69 in tall.

  3. 3

    Choose ink and paper

    Black ink on white, cream or groundwood paper, standard color or premium color. Only the options KDP offers for your trim and binding are listed.

  4. 4

    Enter the page count

    Every page of your final interior file. An odd count is rounded up to even, as KDP does, and a count outside your trim and paper's range is flagged. No interior yet? Estimate the count from your word count with the words to pages calculator.

  5. 5

    Read the results and download the template

    Switch between inches, millimeters and pixels, or to right-to-left reading, and the diagram follows. Then download the template as a vector PDF or a PNG.

TipFinish the interior before the cover. Each page of white paper adds 0.002252 in to the spine, so pages added in the last edit change the cover width. Run the KDP cover calculator again whenever the page count changes.

How KDP Calculates Spine Width

The spine width calculator inside the tool, and the numbers it uses.

KDP's spine width is page count × paper thickness per page, and the thickness depends on the ink and paper you choose (KDP help: Cover; groundwood: KDP help: Paperback submission).

Per page: 0.002252 in for white paper and standard color, 0.0025 in for cream, 0.00235 in for groundwood and 0.002347 in for premium color. Cream is the thickest, so a cream book's spine is about 11 % wider than the same book printed on white.

KDP's calculator shows inches to three decimals and works out millimeters from the unrounded value. Our KDP cover calculator does the same, so its figures match KDP's to the last digit it shows.

Spine = pages × paper factor

Cover width = bleed + back + spine + front + bleed

Cover height = bleed + trim height + bleed

Paperback spine width in inches, by paper and page count
Paper100200300400500
Black ink, white paper0.225 in5.72 mm0.450 in11.44 mm0.676 in17.16 mm0.901 in22.88 mm1.126 in28.60 mm
Black ink, cream paper0.250 in6.35 mm0.500 in12.70 mm0.750 in19.05 mm1.000 in25.40 mm1.250 in31.75 mm
Black ink, groundwood paper0.235 in5.97 mm0.470 in11.94 mm0.705 in17.91 mm0.940 in23.88 mm1.175 in29.84 mm
Standard color0.225 in5.72 mm0.450 in11.44 mm0.676 in17.16 mm0.901 in22.88 mm1.126 in28.60 mm
Premium color0.235 in5.96 mm0.469 in11.92 mm0.704 in17.88 mm0.939 in23.85 mm1.173 in29.81 mm
Worked example: 6 × 9 in, 200 pages, white paperSpine: 200 × 0.002252 in = 0.4504 in, which KDP shows as 0.45 in (11.44 mm). Width: 0.125 + 6 + 0.45 + 6 + 0.125 = 12.7 in. Height: 0.125 + 9 + 0.125 = 9.25 in. In pixels: 3,810 × 2,775 px.

KDP Cover Size Chart for Common Trims

Full paperback covers with bleed, in inches, millimeters and pixels.

Common trims at a few page counts, so you can set up a design file before the interior is final. For your exact count, trim and paper, use the KDP cover calculator at the top of this page.

Full cover with bleed, black ink on white paper
Trim (in)PagesInchesMillimetersPixels at 300 dpi
5 × 810010.475 × 8.250 in266.07 × 209.55 mm3,143 × 2,475 px
5 × 820010.700 × 8.250 in271.79 × 209.55 mm3,210 × 2,475 px
5 × 830010.926 × 8.250 in277.51 × 209.55 mm3,278 × 2,475 px
5.5 × 8.510011.475 × 8.750 in291.47 × 222.25 mm3,443 × 2,625 px
5.5 × 8.520011.700 × 8.750 in297.19 × 222.25 mm3,510 × 2,625 px
5.5 × 8.530011.926 × 8.750 in302.91 × 222.25 mm3,578 × 2,625 px
6 × 910012.475 × 9.250 in316.87 × 234.95 mm3,743 × 2,775 px
6 × 920012.700 × 9.250 in322.59 × 234.95 mm3,810 × 2,775 px
6 × 930012.926 × 9.250 in328.31 × 234.95 mm3,878 × 2,775 px
8.5 × 1110017.475 × 11.250 in443.87 × 285.75 mm5,243 × 3,375 px
8.5 × 1120017.700 × 11.250 in449.59 × 285.75 mm5,310 × 3,375 px
8.5 × 1130017.926 × 11.250 in455.31 × 285.75 mm5,378 × 3,375 px

Cream makes every cover wider: 0.0248 in more per 100 pages than white. Groundwood adds 0.0098 in and premium color 0.0095 in per 100 pages; standard color matches white.

Bleed, Safe Zone, Spine Text and the Barcode

What each zone on the template means, with KDP's rule for it.

The template marks each zone in the colors of KDP's own template: pink for bleed, white for the live area, a black line for the trim, blue dashes for the spine folds and yellow for the barcode.

Bleed

Add 0.125 in (3.2 mm) to the top, bottom and outside edges so the background runs past the trim (KDP help: Cover); bottom bleed may not exceed 0.125 in (KDP help: Paperback submission). There's no bleed at the spine: back, spine and front are one image.

Trim line

The black line is where the cover is cut; the pink band beyond it is cut away.

Safe zone

Keep text at least 0.125 in (3.2 mm) inside the trim lines and out of the spine area. Borders should reach at least 0.25 in (6.4 mm) inside the trim, and text should be at least 7 point (KDP help: Cover).

Two safe areas, one rule here

KDP's template also keeps the live area 0.125 in off each spine fold; the table in its calculator doesn't. On a 6 × 9 cover that's 5.75 × 8.75 in per panel instead of 5.875 × 8.75 in. Our KDP cover calculator draws the stricter one.

Spine text

KDP prints spine text only on books with more than 79 pages, and every page count is even, so that means 80 pages or more. Keep 0.0625 in (1.6 mm) between the text and each fold, the same variance KDP allows on either side of the folds.

Allowed isn't readable

At 80 white pages the spine is 0.18 in wide, leaving 0.055 in (1.4 mm) for text; at 150 pages, 0.213 in. This KDP cover calculator shows that width for your book, so you can judge the type size first.

Barcode area

Unless you add your own, KDP prints a barcode in a 2 × 1.2 in area at the lower right of the back cover, 0.25 in from the spine fold and 0.25 in above the bottom trim. Covers with images or text there are rejected (KDP help: Barcode); KDP's template suggests filling it with your background color.

Your own barcode

The suggested size is 2 × 1.2 in, the minimum 1.4 × 0.8 in, at least 0.25 in from the spine and trim, in 100 % black on solid white. Two-stage barcodes, used on Japanese books, aren't supported.

Right-to-left books

KDP prints right-to-left paperbacks in Hebrew, Yiddish and Japanese (KDP help: Paperback submission). Their front cover sits left of the spine and the barcode moves to the lower left of the back cover. Switch the reading direction and the diagram and template follow.

Paper, Ink and Page Limits the KDP Cover Calculator Checks

Five ink and paper options, each with its own thickness and page range.

KDP prints paperbacks in 5 ink and paper combinations (KDP help: Print options). The same manuscript makes a different spine on each, and each has its own page range per trim (KDP help: Trim sizes). Only the options your trim and binding allow are offered.

Black ink, white paper

0.002252 in per page. 24–828 pages on 11 of the 16 trims, fewer on trims 8.25 in wide or more.

Black ink, cream paper

0.0025 in per page, the thickest option, 50–61 lb (74–90 GSM). 24–776 pages on most trims, 550 on 8.5 × 11 in.

Black ink, groundwood paper

0.00235 in per page, 45 lb (60 GSM). Offered for black-and-white paperbacks in every trim, at about 5 % less per printed page (KDP help: Groundwood). Up to 812 pages; no hardcovers.

Standard color

0.002252 in per page, like white. It starts at 72 pages and stops at 600 (KDP help: Color; KDP help: Trim sizes). Not offered on 8.27 × 11.69 in or on hardcovers.

Premium color

0.002347 in per page, 60–71 lb (88–105 GSM) white paper. 24–828 pages on most trims, and the only color option for hardcovers.

Paperback page range by trim and paper on Amazon.com
Trim (in)Black ink, white paperBlack ink, cream paperBlack ink, groundwood paperStandard colorPremium color
5 × 824–82824–77624–81272–60024–828
5.06 × 7.8124–82824–77624–81272–60024–828
5.25 × 824–82824–77624–81272–60024–828
5.5 × 8.524–82824–77624–81272–60024–828
6 × 924–82824–77624–81272–60024–828
6.14 × 9.2124–82824–77624–81272–60024–828
6.69 × 9.6124–82824–77624–81272–60024–828
7 × 1024–82824–77624–81272–60024–828
7.44 × 9.6924–82824–77624–81272–60024–828
7.5 × 9.2524–82824–77624–81272–60024–828
8 × 1024–82824–77624–81272–60024–828
8.25 × 624–80024–75024–78472–60024–800
8.25 × 8.2524–80024–75024–78472–60024–800
8.5 × 8.524–59024–55024–57872–60024–590
8.5 × 1124–59024–55024–57872–60024–590
8.27 × 11.6924–78024–73024–764—24–590

KDP rounds every page count up to an even number (KDP help: Paperback submission). For 8.27 × 11.69 in premium color, KDP's US table gives 590 pages and its Japanese table more; we use the US figure. KDP's Japanese store has 12 trims of its own.

KDP Hardcover Cover Size

Case laminate: a wrap around the boards, a hinge beside the spine.

A KDP hardcover is case laminate: the printed cover is wrapped around 2 mm thick case board, with no dust jacket (KDP help: Hardcover construction). The file is larger than the trim on every side, to fold over the boards.

There are 5 trims (5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9, 6.14 × 9.21, 7 × 10 and 8.25 × 11 in), from 75 to 550 pages (76 once rounded to even), on white, cream or premium color paper. Hardcover isn't available on Amazon.co.jp (KDP help: Hardcover).

KDP doesn't publish a hardcover formula. We read it from KDP's calculator, and it matches KDP's calculator on every size we checked: each board is 5 mm wider and 6 mm taller than the trim, and a 15 mm (0.591 in) wrap runs around every outside edge.

The spine is the pages plus 4.8 mm (0.189 in). A 10 mm (0.394 in) hinge on each board, beside the spine, stays clear of text (KDP help: Hardcover cover), and text keeps 0.125 in inside the board edges.

One help page gives the wrap as 0.51 in and, in the same sentence, as 15 mm (KDP help: Hardcover cover). But 15 mm is 0.591 in, which KDP's calculator uses; art built on 0.51 in comes up short.

The barcode box is the same 2 × 1.2 in, 0.25 in from the hinge and 0.375 in above the bottom of the board, where KDP's template draws it.

Worked example: 6 × 9 in hardcover, 200 pages, white paperSpine: 200 × 0.002252 in + 4.8 mm = 0.639 in (16.24 mm). Board: 6.197 × 9.236 in. Full cover, with two wraps, two boards and the spine: 14.214 × 10.417 in (361.04 × 264.6 mm), or 4,264 × 3,125 px.

How to Use the KDP Cover Template

The same steps in Canva, Affinity, Photoshop or any design app that opens a PDF or PNG.

  1. 1

    Download the template

    Download the KDP cover template for your trim, paper and page count, as a vector PDF or a PNG of up to 300 dpi (the largest covers a little less, so phones can draw them; the file records its resolution). It's drawn in your browser from the numbers above.

  2. 2

    Set up a document at full cover size

    Make your page the full cover size with bleed, e.g. 12.7 × 9.25 in (3,810 × 2,775 px) for 200 white pages at 6 × 9. Place the template at 100 % on its own layer.

  3. 3

    Design against the guides

    Lock the template layer and keep it visible. Run background images into the pink bleed, keep titles and names inside the white areas, and leave the yellow barcode box free of text and images.

  4. 4

    Check the spine

    Center spine text between the blue dashed folds, inside the spine's white strip. Too thin for spine text? Give the spine color or an image, no lettering.

  5. 5

    Remove the template and export

    Delete the template layer before you export: KDP asks you to remove template text, guides and crop marks from the final file.

What KDP wants in the final file

  • One PDF with the back cover, spine and front cover as one image (KDP help: Cover).
  • Images placed at 300 dpi or more.
  • CMYK images recommended, no spot colors, one color space, and no embedded color profiles: KDP removes them.
  • Fonts embedded, transparencies flattened, file security removed.
  • No crop marks, color bars, template text or guides.
  • Under 650 MB, and ideally 40 MB or less.

Cover Mistakes That Get Files Rejected

And three myths about KDP covers that are still repeated online.

Most rejected covers fail on size, or on text too close to an edge. On the left is what goes wrong; on the right, what KDP actually asks for.

Mistake or mythThe cover was sized for an earlier page count.
KDP's ruleThe spine grows with every page, so the full width must match the final interior. Run the KDP cover calculator again after the last edit.
Mistake or mythText or a logo runs into the bleed.
KDP's ruleText must sit at least 0.125 in inside the trim lines (KDP help: Cover); everything in the bleed is cut off.
Mistake or mythThe barcode area holds part of the design.
KDP's ruleCovers with images or text in the barcode location are rejected (KDP help: Barcode). Fill it with background only.
Mistake or mythMyth: spine text needs 100 pages.
KDP's ruleKDP prints spine text on books with more than 79 pages, and page counts are even, so 80 is enough (KDP help: Cover). The space is narrow at first, but it's allowed.
Mistake or mythMyth: a spine must be at least 0.35 in wide.
KDP's ruleKDP's help pages set no minimum spine width, and its calculator gives a 24-page white paperback a 0.054 in spine. Such a spine just can't carry text.
Mistake or mythMyth: the hardcover wrap is 0.51 in.
KDP's ruleThe wrap is 15 mm, which is 0.591 in, and that's what KDP's own calculator uses (KDP help: Hardcover cover).

From the KDP Cover Calculator to a Finished Book

Let the typeset interior set the page count, and the cover follow it.

A cover size is final only once the page count is, and the page count depends on the interior: trim, font, margins and front matter. Story-AI's book mode builds both from the same typeset book.

Write or import your manuscript, then typeset it at one of 8 common KDP trims on cream or white paper. Book mode makes the print interior PDF and a paperback wrap cover sized to the typeset page count, with the barcode area kept clear and the title on the spine when it's wide enough.

It also makes an EPUB and a 1,600 × 2,560 px ebook cover. A watermarked preview of the first two chapters is free; the files unlock once per book for 60 credits on the Premium and Professional plans, or with a Plus, Pro or Max credit pack.

Book mode lays out paperbacks only, on cream or white paper. For a hardcover, a color interior or groundwood, design the cover here and set up the interior elsewhere. Either way, you upload the files to KDP yourself.

Write and typeset a book

KDP Cover Calculator FAQ

How do I calculate KDP spine width?

Multiply the page count by your paper's factor: 0.002252 in for white paper and standard color, 0.0025 in for cream, 0.00235 in for groundwood and 0.002347 in for premium color (KDP help: Cover). A 200-page book on white has a 0.45 in spine.

What size is a KDP cover for a 6 × 9 book with 200 pages?

On white paper the full cover with bleed is 12.7 × 9.25 in (322.59 × 234.95 mm) with a 0.45 in spine, or 3,810 × 2,775 px. On cream it's 12.75 × 9.25 in. For any other page count, use the KDP cover calculator above.

Does a KDP cover need bleed?

Yes. Every KDP paperback cover needs 0.125 in (3.2 mm) of bleed on the top, bottom and outside edges, and none along the spine (KDP help: Cover). Hardcovers have a 15 mm wrap instead.

How many pages do you need for spine text on KDP?

80. KDP prints spine text on books with more than 79 pages, and page counts are always even (KDP help: Cover). Keep 0.0625 in (1.6 mm) between the text and each fold; at 80 white pages that leaves 0.055 in for the text.

What size is the KDP barcode, and where does it go?

KDP places it in a 2 × 1.2 in area at the lower right of the back cover, 0.25 in from the spine fold and 0.25 in from the bottom trim; on right-to-left books, at the lower left. Keep it free of text and images (KDP help: Barcode). Your own barcode can be as small as 1.4 × 0.8 in.

What is the safe zone on a KDP cover?

The area where text won't be cut: at least 0.125 in inside the trim lines and out of the spine area (KDP help: Cover). KDP's template also keeps 0.125 in off each spine fold. Spine text needs 0.0625 in on both sides.

How big is a KDP hardcover cover?

A 6 × 9 hardcover with 200 white pages needs a 14.214 × 10.417 in file with a 0.639 in spine. Hardcovers come in 5 trims, from 75 to 550 pages (KDP help: Hardcover). KDP publishes no formula; ours matches KDP's calculator on every size we checked.

What file does KDP want for a paperback cover?

One PDF with the back cover, spine and front cover as a single image, images at 300 dpi or more, under 650 MB and ideally 40 MB or less (KDP help: Cover). Remove template guides and crop marks before you upload.

What is the KDP cover size in pixels?

Multiply each measurement in inches by 300. A 6 × 9 paperback with 200 white pages is 3,810 × 2,775 px. The KDP cover calculator shows pixels for every result.

Do I need a new cover if my page count changes?

Usually, yes: the spine, and with it the full width, changes with every page (0.002252 in per white page). Recalculate and move the spine. KDP's groundwood page, for example, asks for a new cover when a book of more than 350 pages on cream, or 525 on white, switches to groundwood (KDP help: Groundwood).

What size is a KDP ebook cover?

2,560 px tall by 1,600 px wide, a 1.6 : 1 ratio, in RGB (KDP help: eBook cover). It's the front cover only, with no spine, barcode or back cover (KDP help: eBook cover guidelines).

Can I use my KDP cover on IngramSpark?

Not as it is. IngramSpark has its own cover template generator, its own spine widths and a 1.75 × 1 in barcode area (IngramSpark help). Make a separate cover from its template.

Sources

KDP's help pages were checked on November 2, 2026.

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