How wide is the spine on a KDP paperback?

Multiply your page count by 0.002252 in for white paper, or by 0.0025 in for cream paper. A 300-page book on white paper has a spine of about 0.676 in (17.2 mm); the same book on cream paper is 0.75 in. Color interiors use a different figure, so always check KDP’s cover calculator with your final page count.

What size should a KDP cover file be?

The width is 0.125 in bleed + back cover + spine + front cover + 0.125 in bleed, and the height is the trim height plus 0.25 in. For a 6 × 9 in paperback with a 0.5 in spine, the file is 12.75 × 9.25 in. Export one PDF at 300 dpi with fonts embedded, and keep text at least 0.125 in inside the trim.

Can I use the same cover file for KDP and IngramSpark?

Not usually, because the two printers use different paper, so the same page count can give a different spine width, and IngramSpark places the barcode in its own template. The artwork stays the same; we resize the spine and rebuild the file on each printer’s template, so both versions are print-ready.

Do I need an ISBN barcode on my book cover?

You need one for most retail distribution, and how it gets there depends on the printer. KDP adds a barcode automatically if you leave its area on the back cover clear; IngramSpark includes it in the cover template. For a local print run sold in shops, we place your ISBN as an EAN-13 barcode at a size that scans.

Do you design the ebook cover too?

Yes. The ebook cover comes from the same artwork as the print cover, rebuilt as a front-only image for screens. For Kindle that is 2,560 × 1,600 px, with the title checked at thumbnail size, because that is how most readers first see a book in a store listing. The same file works for most other ebook stores.

Print & packaging design

Book cover design service, with KDP-ready cover files

We design book covers and set them up as print-ready files for Amazon KDP, IngramSpark or your local printer: a full wraparound cover for paperback or hardcover, with the spine sized from your page count and paper, plus an ebook cover from the same artwork. Send the title, the trim size, the final page count and any ideas or images you have. You get a fixed price before we start.

Ask a designer New design: from $125

A paperback of Rebecca with an illustrated orange cover, on a teal background — Style references for this service, not client work.

What you get

A full wraparound cover (back, spine and front as one PDF) at your trim size, such as 5 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5 or 6 × 9 in
The spine width worked out from your final page count and paper, with spine text when the book is thick enough
0.125 in (3.2 mm) bleed on the outside edges, and text kept inside the safe area
The barcode area left clear, or your ISBN barcode placed when your printer needs it supplied
An ebook cover from the same artwork, sized for Kindle and other stores
The layered source file, so a second edition or a new format is an update

How KDP book cover dimensions work

A KDP paperback cover is one flat PDF: back cover, spine and front cover side by side, with 0.125 in of bleed on the top, bottom and outside edges. Its width is bleed + trim width + spine + trim width + bleed, and its height is the trim height plus 0.25 in. The spine is the part that changes with the book:

White paper: page count × 0.002252 in
Cream paper: page count × 0.0025 in

A 6 × 9 in paperback with 200 pages on white paper has a spine of 0.450 in, so the full cover is about 12.70 × 9.25 in. KDP only allows spine text on books of more than 79 pages, and the text needs about 0.0625 in (1.6 mm) clear on each side because the fold can drift. We always confirm the final figures against KDP’s own cover template for your page count before sending files.

IngramSpark, hardcovers and local printers

IngramSpark generates a cover template from your ISBN, trim size, page count and paper, with the barcode already placed, and we build directly on it. Its paper differs from KDP’s, so the same book can have a slightly different spine width. Hardcover (case laminate) covers wrap around the boards, so they have a wrap margin and a hinge area, and their size comes from the printer’s template rather than the paperback formula. A local printer gets the same care, built to their spec sheet.

Barcodes and the back cover

On KDP, if you don’t supply a barcode, KDP adds one in a 2 × 1.2 in area at the bottom right of the back cover, so we keep that space clear. For other printers, an ISBN barcode is an EAN-13, which you can make with our barcode generator or we place for you. A barcode that’s too small or too short is one of the reasons barcodes don’t scan.

The ebook cover

The ebook cover is the front cover on its own, rebuilt for screens, where it is usually first seen as a thumbnail. Amazon recommends 2,560 × 1,600 px (height × width), a 1.6:1 ratio. We check the title still reads at thumbnail size. Catalogs and booklets are a separate service: see catalogs, booklets & lookbooks.

Example work

Concept piece · Book coversLow Tide paperback coverStudio concept: a KDP wraparound cover, with the spine sized from the page countSee the case study

Price

From $125. Fixed before we start.

Send the file or the idea in the chat and a designer usually answers within minutes with a fixed price. Nothing starts until you say yes. Bigger jobs are quoted in writing first. See all prices.

Print-ready PDF plus the source file
Bleed, CMYK, fonts and dielines checked twice
A short note of what we changed
Several jobs a month? Plans from $299/month
Print shop? We work white-label

Questions

How wide is the spine on a KDP paperback?: Multiply your page count by 0.002252 in for white paper, or by 0.0025 in for cream paper. A 300-page book on white paper has a spine of about 0.676 in (17.2 mm); the same book on cream paper is 0.75 in. Color interiors use a different figure, so always check KDP’s cover calculator with your final page count.
What size should a KDP cover file be?: The width is 0.125 in bleed + back cover + spine + front cover + 0.125 in bleed, and the height is the trim height plus 0.25 in. For a 6 × 9 in paperback with a 0.5 in spine, the file is 12.75 × 9.25 in. Export one PDF at 300 dpi with fonts embedded, and keep text at least 0.125 in inside the trim.
Can I use the same cover file for KDP and IngramSpark?: Not usually, because the two printers use different paper, so the same page count can give a different spine width, and IngramSpark places the barcode in its own template. The artwork stays the same; we resize the spine and rebuild the file on each printer’s template, so both versions are print-ready.
Do I need an ISBN barcode on my book cover?: You need one for most retail distribution, and how it gets there depends on the printer. KDP adds a barcode automatically if you leave its area on the back cover clear; IngramSpark includes it in the cover template. For a local print run sold in shops, we place your ISBN as an EAN-13 barcode at a size that scans.
Do you design the ebook cover too?: Yes. The ebook cover comes from the same artwork as the print cover, rebuilt as a front-only image for screens. For Kindle that is 2,560 × 1,600 px, with the title checked at thumbnail size, because that is how most readers first see a book in a store listing. The same file works for most other ebook stores.

Free tools for thisWork out a book cover and spine size, free Spine width and the full wraparound cover size with bleed, from trim, page count and paper. With a template to design on.Make a UPC, EAN-13 or QR code, free Vector barcodes and QR codes at a size that scans, with the quiet zone and check digit done.

Standard sizes for this work: book trim sizes, bookmark sizes, and every print size.

Related services

Print file fixingRGB, 72 dpi, no bleed, missing fonts, wrong size: send the file your printer rejected and get it back print-ready, usually the same day, at a fixed price.See the service Flyers, menus & brochuresRestaurant menus, flyers, folded brochures and booklets designed print-ready, with fold marks, bleed and CMYK photos done right. Fixed price, 24–48 hours.See the service Catalogs, booklets & lookbooksProduct catalogs, booklets and lookbooks designed print-ready: saddle-stitched or perfect-bound, page counts in fours, creep and gutters allowed for.See the service

Or see all our print design services.

Not sure what your file needs?

Ask a question or send the file in the chat. A designer usually answers within minutes with a fixed price, and nothing starts until you say yes.

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