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Full paperback cover size calculator
A paperback cover is one wide image that wraps around the book: back cover, spine, front cover, plus a bleed margin that the printer trims away. If the file is the wrong size, the printer will reject it or scale it, and the spine lines will fall in the wrong place.
Enter the trim size of your interior, the page count and the paper type. The calculator first finds the spine width, then adds two trim widths and a bleed on the outer edges for the total width. The height is the trim height plus a bleed at the top and bottom.
You also get the pixel size at 300 DPI, which is the size to set up in your design software. Bleed here is 0.125 in (3 mm) on each outer edge, the common figure for KDP. Keep text at least a quarter inch inside the trim edges.
How to use it
- Pick the trim size you used for the interior.
- Enter the page count and paper type.
- Create a canvas of the width and height shown, at 300 DPI.
Worked example
A 6 × 9 in book of 300 pages needs 12.9256 × 9.25 in, or 3878 × 2775 px.
Sources and figures
- Amazon KDP Help Center, paperback cover calculator figures
| Paper | Inches per page |
|---|---|
| Black ink, white paper | 0.002252 |
| Black ink, cream paper | 0.0025 |
| Standard colour, white paper | 0.002252 |
| Premium colour, white paper | 0.002347 |
Figures checked against the source on 2026-10. Printers can change them, so confirm with your printer before ordering.
Questions
- What is bleed?
- Extra artwork past the trim line, so a tiny trimming shift never shows a white edge.
- Why 300 DPI?
- It is the usual minimum for sharp print. Lower resolution looks soft.
- Does the spine have its own bleed?
- No. Bleed is added only to the outer edges of the whole cover.
- Can I use this for hardcovers?
- No. Hardcover covers need wraps and board allowances that differ by printer.
Turn your Markdown into a book