KDP Cover Calculator — Paperback & Hardcover Full-Wrap Size
Enter your trim size, page count, and paper type to get the exact full wrap-around cover size (back + spine + front + bleed) in inches and pixels, spine width for every KDP paper type, and a downloadable SVG/PNG cover template. Uses Amazon's published cover formulas.
Ready to design? Build the cover in the KDP Cover Creator — it applies these dimensions automatically.
Book Details
Must be even. Min 24 pages.
Full Cover Dimensions
Full Wrap Cover (with bleed)
12.700" × 9.250"
3810 × 2775 px @ 300 DPI
Spine Width
0.4504"
135 px
Bleed / Wrap
0.125"
per side
Single Trim Page
6" × 9"
Keep text/logos 0.125" inside the trim edge (safe zone)
Spine is wide enough for spine text.
Free to start — KDP Builder sizes the cover, spine and bleed for you.
Spine Width by Paper Type
Same 200-page, 6" × 9" book — how each KDP paper option changes the spine and the full-wrap width.
| Binding / paper | Thickness per page | Spine width | Full-wrap size | Spine text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback — White paperselected | 0.002252" | 0.450" | 12.700" × 9.250" | OK |
| Paperback — Cream paper | 0.002500" | 0.500" | 12.750" × 9.250" | OK |
| Paperback — Standard color | 0.002252" | 0.450" | 12.700" × 9.250" | OK |
| Paperback — Premium color | 0.002347" | 0.469" | 12.719" × 9.250" | OK |
| Hardcover — Case laminate (white) | 0.00226" + 0.187" | 0.639" | 14.215" × 10.418" | OK |
Paperback spine = pages × thickness (no offset). Hardcover spine = pages × 0.00226" + 0.187" board allowance. Hardcover is available for 6" × 9", 5.5" × 8.5", 6.14" × 9.21", 6.69" × 9.61", 7" × 10", and 8.25" × 11" only.
Anatomy of a KDP Wrap Cover
Back Cover
6"
Spine
0.45"
Front Cover
6"
Total: 12.700" × 9.250"
Your final upload to Amazon KDP is a single flattened PDF covering the back, spine, and front in one image — including the 0.125" bleed that gets trimmed off. The template you download here is a design guide to build your artwork on top of, not the file you upload. The barcode sits in the bottom-right of the back cover; leave that area free of important art.
Download Your Cover Template
Generate a guide template sized exactly to your inputs above — bleed edge, trim/fold lines, spine boundaries, safe zones, and the barcode area — ready to drop under your artwork in Canva, Photoshop, Affinity, or Illustrator. SVG stays crisp at any zoom; PNG is rendered at your chosen DPI.
Template: 12.700″ × 9.250″ (3810 × 2775 px @ 300 DPI). Always cross-check against the template KDP generates for your final page count.
Why Cover Dimensions Matter on KDP
Amazon KDP prints your cover as a single wrap-around file. If the canvas is even slightly off — wrong spine width, missing bleed, or the wrong trim — the upload is rejected or, worse, accepted with the spine art shifted onto the front cover. Getting the dimensions right before you design saves you re-exporting artwork over and over.
The full cover width is never just “twice the trim width.” It is two trim widths plus the spine (which grows with page count) plus bleed on every outer edge. A 200-page 6×9 paperback needs a canvas around 12.5” wide, not 12” — that extra half inch is the spine and bleed most first-timers forget.
Designing at 300 DPI is what keeps the printed cover crisp. A 12.5×9.25” cover at 300 DPI is roughly 3,750 × 2,775 pixels. Build smaller than that and the cover looks soft or pixelated in print.
How to Use This Calculator
- 1
Pick your binding and trim size
Choose paperback or hardcover, then the trim size you plan to publish. Hardcover supports a smaller set of trim sizes.
- 2
Enter your final page count
Use the real interior page count from your formatted manuscript — not your word count. The spine grows with every page.
- 3
Select your paper type
White, cream, or premium color. Cream is slightly thicker, so it widens the spine and the full cover.
- 4
Read off the full cover size
Use the full wrap dimensions (with bleed) as your design canvas. Copy the pixel size at 300 DPI straight into your design tool.
- 5
Keep art inside the safe zone
Hold titles and logos at least 0.125″ inside each trim edge, and leave the back-cover barcode area clear.
Common Cover Sizing Mistakes
Forgetting the bleed
Designing to the exact trim size leaves no bleed, so a sliver of white shows at the edges after trimming. Always add 0.125″ on every outer edge.
Using twice the trim width as the cover width
That ignores the spine entirely. The spine can add anywhere from 0.1″ to over an inch depending on page count.
Putting text on a too-thin spine
KDP only allows spine text at 79+ pages and a spine of at least 0.35″. Below that, any spine text gets rejected.
Designing below 300 DPI
A 72 DPI cover looks fine on screen but prints blurry. Always export your final cover at 300 DPI.
Ignoring the barcode zone
Amazon places a barcode in the lower-right of the back cover. Keep critical artwork and text out of that area.
Turn these measurements into a print-ready cover
KDP Builder takes you from this free tool to a complete, upload-ready package — manuscript or interior, cover, and metadata.
More Free KDP Tools
Keep prepping your book — every tool below is free and needs no signup.
Spine Width Calculator
Exact spine width using Amazon's official paperback and hardcover formulas.
KDP Royalty Calculator
Estimate earnings for paperback, hardcover and ebook across marketplaces.
KDP Upload Checklist
Interactive checklist covering manuscript, cover, metadata and account setup.
Book Description Generator
Write conversion-focused descriptions with Amazon HTML formatting included.
Related KDP Guides
Step-by-step formatting guides that pair with this tool.
Ready to Build the Whole Book?
Take it further with a complete, Amazon-ready project in KDP Builder.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate the full cover size for KDP?+−
The full wrap cover width equals two trim widths plus the spine width plus bleed on both outer edges. For paperbacks: width = (2 × trim width) + spine + (2 × 0.125" bleed), and height = trim height + (2 × 0.125" bleed). The spine width depends on your page count and paper type. This calculator does all of that for you.
What size should my KDP cover be in pixels?+−
Multiply the full cover dimensions in inches by 300 to get the pixel size, because KDP recommends 300 DPI. For example, a 200-page 6×9 paperback has a full cover around 12.5″ × 9.25″, which is roughly 3,750 × 2,775 pixels at 300 DPI. Designing smaller than this makes the printed cover look blurry.
How much bleed does a KDP cover need?+−
KDP requires 0.125" (3.2 mm) of bleed on all outer edges of a paperback cover. Hardcover case-laminate covers use a larger 0.591" wrap because the paper folds around the boards. Bleed is extra artwork that gets trimmed off so there are no white edges.
Does the cover size change with page count?+−
Yes. The front and back cover trim sizes stay fixed, but the spine widens as page count increases, which makes the overall cover wider. That is why you should finalize your interior and page count before designing the cover.
What is the safe zone on a KDP cover?+−
Keep important elements like the title, author name, and logos at least 0.125" inside the trim edge. This safe margin ensures nothing critical is cut off during trimming. Also keep the lower-right back-cover area clear for Amazon's barcode.
How does paper type change the spine width?+−
KDP's published spine formula is page count × paper thickness. White paper and standard color are 0.002252" per page, cream is 0.0025" per page, and premium color is 0.002347" per page. Hardcover spines add the board thickness: 0.00226" × pages + 0.187". A 300-page book is a 0.676" spine on white paper but 0.750" on cream — enough to shift your spine text if you pick the wrong paper.
Can I download a KDP cover template from this page?+−
Yes. After you enter binding, trim size, page count, and paper type, the Download Your Cover Template section generates an SVG or PNG guide at your chosen DPI with the bleed edge, trim and fold lines, spine boundaries, safe zone, and barcode area drawn in. Place it under your artwork in Canva, Photoshop, Affinity, or Illustrator.
Is this calculator official Amazon data?+−
This tool uses the same published formulas Amazon KDP documents for spine width, bleed, and trim sizes. It is an independent free tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by Amazon. Always verify against the cover template KDP generates for your specific book before publishing.