KDP cover calculator
Short answer
Your full KDP paperback cover is one file: bleed + back cover + spine + front cover + bleed wide, and bleed + trim height + bleed tall, with 0.125 in of bleed. The spine is your page count times your paper's thickness (white 0.002252 in, cream 0.0025 in per page). Type your book below and the calculator does the maths.
My price: A rejected cover costs from $149 to fix, and I look at it by email first for free. If the design stays the same, it’s back to you within 12 hours, often in 3 to 6. A new cover from me starts at $599.
Full cover size (with bleed)
13 × 9.25 in
× mm · px at 300 DPI
Bleed (trimmed off)SpineSafe zone for text
How the KDP cover maths works
A paperback cover is one wide PDF with the back cover, the spine and the front cover side by side. Its width is bleed + back cover + spine + front cover + bleed. Its height is bleed + trim height + bleed. Bleed is 0.125 in on the top, bottom and outside edges, so the background reaches the edge after trimming.
For example, a 6 × 9 in book with 300 pages on cream paper has a 0.75 in spine, so the full cover is 13 × 9.25 in. At 300 DPI that is 3,900 × 2,775 pixels.
Why the spine width changes
The spine is your page count times the thickness of one page. Cream paper is thicker than white, so the same book has a wider spine on cream. If your page count or paper changes after the cover is made, the spine no longer fits and KDP rejects the file. Make the cover from the final interior.
Spine text needs 79 pages
KDP prints spine text only on books with at least 79 pages. Keep spine text 0.0625 in away from each spine edge, because every book shifts a little when it is bound.
IngramSpark and hardcover are different
This calculator is for KDP paperbacks. A KDP hardcover has a wider wrap and a hinge, so it needs its own file. IngramSpark uses its own paper thickness and its own template, so get your size from its free Cover Template Generator, and don’t resize a KDP cover for it.
The numbers at a glance
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cover width | Bleed + back cover + spine + front cover + bleed | Amazon KDP Help |
| Cover height | Bleed + trim height + bleed | Amazon KDP Help |
| Bleed | 0.125 in (3.2 mm) on the top, bottom and outside edges | Amazon KDP Help |
| Spine per page, white paper | 0.002252 in (0.0572 mm) | Amazon KDP Help |
| Spine per page, cream paper | 0.0025 in (0.0635 mm) | Amazon KDP Help |
| Spine per page, premium color | 0.002347 in (0.0596 mm) | Amazon KDP Help |
| Spine per page, standard color | 0.002252 in (0.0572 mm) | Amazon KDP Help |
| Spine text | Only on books of 79 pages or more, 0.0625 in from each spine edge | Amazon KDP Help |
| Images | 300 DPI minimum, one single PDF for the whole cover | Amazon KDP Help |
Checked 3 November 2026 on Amazon KDP’s own help page.
Building the cover from the first draft’s page count. Wait for the final interior PDF, then size the cover from its real page count.
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Related answers
Why did IngramSpark reject my cover again?IngramSpark cover rejections explained: template size, PDF/X settings, CMYK and ink limits, barcode and spine Can I use my paperback cover file for the hardcover?Why a KDP hardcover needs a rebuilt cover (0.51 in wrap, hinge, safe zone), its own ISBN, 75–550 pages and oneWhy does KDP keep rejecting my cover?Why KDP rejects paperback covers: wrong size for your page count, spine maths, text too near the trim.Sources
- Amazon KDP Help: Create a paperback cover
- Amazon KDP Help: Paperback submission guidelines
- IngramSpark: Cover Template Generator