Book Cover Dimensions: Every Common Size, With Bleed and Spine
Your book cover size depends on three things: your trim size (the finished book size), your page count (which sets the spine) and the bleed the printer needs. Here are the exact numbers.
The 3 sizes you need to know
- Trim size: the size of the finished book, for example 6" x 9".
- Front cover with bleed: trim size plus 0.125" on the outside and on the top and bottom edges.
- Full-wrap print cover: back + spine + front as one piece, plus 0.125" bleed on every outside edge. This is the file KDP and IngramSpark want for a paperback.
Book cover dimensions by trim size
Full-wrap sizes below are for Amazon KDP paperbacks on white paper (spine = pages × 0.002252"). Your spine and full width change with page count and paper. Use the free cover calculator for your exact size.
| Trim size | Common for | Full cover, 200 pages | Full cover, 300 pages | Front cover with bleed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5" x 8" | Pocket novels | 10.700" x 8.250" | 10.926" x 8.250" | 5.125" x 8.250" |
| 5.25" x 8" | Novels | 11.200" x 8.250" | 11.426" x 8.250" | 5.375" x 8.250" |
| 5.5" x 8.5" | Novels, memoirs | 11.700" x 8.750" | 11.926" x 8.750" | 5.625" x 8.750" |
| 6" x 9" | Most common — fiction & non-fiction | 12.700" x 9.250" | 12.926" x 9.250" | 6.125" x 9.250" |
| 6.14" x 9.21" | Fiction, non-fiction | 12.980" x 9.460" | 13.206" x 9.460" | 6.265" x 9.460" |
| 7" x 10" | Non-fiction, workbooks | 14.700" x 10.250" | 14.926" x 10.250" | 7.125" x 10.250" |
| 7.5" x 9.25" | Non-fiction | 15.700" x 9.500" | 15.926" x 9.500" | 7.625" x 9.500" |
| 8" x 10" | Picture books, workbooks | 16.700" x 10.250" | 16.926" x 10.250" | 8.125" x 10.250" |
| 8.5" x 8.5" | Square picture books | 17.700" x 8.750" | 17.926" x 8.750" | 8.625" x 8.750" |
| 8.5" x 11" | Workbooks, journals | 17.700" x 11.250" | 17.926" x 11.250" | 8.625" x 11.250" |
Width x height, in inches. Height is always trim height + 0.25" (0.125" bleed top and bottom).
Book cover size in pixels
Printers need 300 DPI. Multiply inches by 300: a 6" x 9" front cover with bleed (6.125" x 9.25") is 1838 x 2775 pixels, and a full 6" x 9" cover for a 300-page book (12.926" x 9.25") is about 3878 x 2775 pixels. Anything less prints soft or blurry.
Hardcover and dust jacket sizes are different
Hardcovers are not a paperback cover with a bigger spine. A case-laminate cover wraps around the boards with a much larger bleed, and a dust jacket adds flaps and fold areas. Each printer lays these out differently, so always start from your printer's own template. IngramSpark's free cover template generator gives you one for your exact book.
The cover mistakes printers reject most
- Cover file the wrong size for the page count (spine too wide or too narrow).
- Background that stops at the trim line instead of filling the bleed.
- Title or author name too close to the edge or the spine folds.
- Leftover template guide lines or colored boxes still in the file.
- Images below 300 DPI, or RGB color where the printer asks for CMYK.
Not sure your cover is right?
SparkPrep checks your actual cover and interior against your printer's rules, shows you every problem in plain English and fixes it before you upload. Built by an author who got rejected 18 times before getting it right.
Check my book with SparkPrep Free cover calculatorMore free tools
- KDP cover size calculator & template generator
- Book spine width calculator
- IngramSpark cover template guide
- IngramSpark rejection messages explained
SparkPrep is an independent tool and is not affiliated with Amazon or IngramSpark.