How to use the KDP cover calculator
- Choose Paperback or Hardcover.
- Pick your trim size. Paperbacks can also use a custom size from 4 to 8.5 in wide and 6 to 11.69 in tall.
- Pick the interior: black ink on white, cream or groundwood paper, or standard or premium color.
- Enter the final page count of your interior PDF. The spine depends on it, so set the cover last.
- Create your design file at the pixel size shown, keep text inside the dotted safe areas, and leave the barcode area empty if KDP adds the barcode for you.
KDP cover specs as of November 2026
| Paper | Spine per page | 300 pages |
|---|---|---|
| Black ink, white paper | 0.002252 in (0.0572 mm) | 0.676 in |
| Black ink, cream paper | 0.0025 in (0.0635 mm) | 0.75 in |
| Black ink, groundwood paper | 0.00235 in (0.0596 mm) | 0.705 in |
| Standard color | 0.002252 in (0.0572 mm) | 0.676 in |
| Premium color | 0.002347 in (0.0596 mm) | 0.704 in |
- Bleed: 0.125 in (3.2 mm) on the top, bottom and outside edges of every paperback cover.
- Safe area: keep text 0.125 in inside the trim, and off the spine.
- Spine text: paperbacks need at least 79 pages, with 0.0625 in (1.6 mm) clear on each side.
- Hardcover: 15 mm wrap around the board and a 10 mm hinge next to the spine with no text or barcode.
- Barcode: 2 × 1.2 in on the back cover. KDP places one for you if you do not.
- File: one PDF, at least 300 DPI, 40 MB or less recommended.
Sources, all on KDP: Create a Paperback Cover, Paperback Submission Guidelines, Create a Hardcover Cover, Print Options and KDP's cover calculator. Checked on November 14, 2026.
Worked example: a 6 × 9 paperback with 300 pages
- Spine: 300 × 0.002252 in = 0.676 in (17.2 mm)
- Width: 0.125 + 6 + 0.676 + 6 + 0.125 = 12.926 in
- Height: 0.125 + 9 + 0.125 = 9.25 in
- Design file at 300 DPI: 3,878 × 2,775 pixels
Print the same book on cream paper and the spine grows to 0.75 in, so the cover is 13 in wide. That is why you cannot reuse a white-paper cover when you switch paper.
Cover mistakes that get books rejected
- Sizing the cover before the interior is final. Every 10 pages adds about 0.023 in to the spine.
- Spine text on a thin book. Under 79 pages KDP rejects any text on the spine.
- Text right at the edge. Up to 0.125 in can be trimmed off. Keep titles inside the safe area.
- Hard edges on the spine. The spine can shift slightly in printing, so a sharp color change at the fold shows any shift.
Next, check what you will earn with the KDP royalty calculator, or see which journals and planners sell in our guide to selling journals on Amazon KDP.
Facts checked and page updated on .
