createkdpbook

KDP Cover Size Calculator

Pick your trim size, paper and page count to get the exact full-wrap cover size KDP expects, with bleed and spine, in inches, millimeters and pixels. Then download a template with every guide line in place.

Numbers from KDP's help pages, checked 2026-11-13. Paperback, Amazon.com.

Spine = pages × 0.002252 in. Cover = bleed + back + spine + front + bleed, with 0.125 in bleed on every edge.

Full cover (with bleed)

12.52 × 9.25 in

318.0 mm × 234.9 mm

At 300 DPI

3756 × 2775

pixels, for your design canvas

Spine

0.2702 in

spine text allowed

barcodeBACKFRONT12.52 inspine 0.27 in9.25 in
Trim line (0.125 in bleed outside it)Keep text inside (0.125 in from trim)Spine: text needs 0.0625 in clearance each sideBarcode area 2 × 1.2 in
Real size in inches, with trim, bleed, spine, safe-zone and barcode guides. Open it in Canva, Affinity, Illustrator or Inkscape.

How KDP sizes a paperback cover

A KDP paperback cover is one PDF that wraps around the book: back cover, spine and front cover side by side. Its size is:

  • Width = 0.125 in bleed + trim width (back) + spine width + trim width (front) + 0.125 in bleed
  • Height = 0.125 in bleed + trim height + 0.125 in bleed

The spine is the only part that changes with your book: it is the page count times the thickness of one page, which depends on the paper (see the spine width calculator).

Worked example

A 6 × 9 in novel with 200 pages on white paper has a spine of 200 × 0.002252 = 0.4504 in, so the cover is 12.700 × 9.250 in (3810 × 2775 px at 300 DPI). A 100-page 8.5 × 11 in coloring book on white paper needs a 17.475 × 11.250 in cover.

Rules that get covers rejected

  • Background art must reach the outer edge of the bleed, or you get thin white lines after trimming.
  • Keep titles and other text at least 0.125 in inside the trim line, away from where the blade cuts.
  • No spine text under 79 pages. On thicker books leave 0.0625 in of clearance on each side of the spine text, because the fold can shift.
  • Leave the barcode area on the back clear (about 2 × 1.2 in, at least 0.25 in from the spine and the trim). KDP prints the barcode there if your file doesn't include one.
  • Export a print PDF at 300 DPI with fonts embedded.

Questions

›What size should a KDP paperback cover be?

Trim width × 2 + spine width + 0.25 in wide, and trim height + 0.25 in tall. The 0.25 in is 0.125 in of bleed on each edge. The spine is the page count times the paper thickness.

›What resolution does a KDP cover need?

Design at 300 DPI. Multiply the size in inches by 300 to get the pixel canvas; this calculator shows it for you.

›Does KDP need the barcode on my cover file?

No. If you leave the barcode area empty, KDP adds the barcode during printing. Keep that area free of text and important art.

›Why does my page count change?

Each sheet of paper is two pages, so KDP rounds an odd page count up to the next even number. The calculator does the same.

Sources (checked 2026-11-13)