# KDP spine width calculator and paperback cover template

A KDP paperback's spine is its page count times the paper's thickness: 0.002252 in a page on white paper, 0.0025 in on cream. The cover is bleed, back, spine, front and bleed across, 0.125 in of bleed all round. So about 104 pages at 6 × 9 in on white paper make a 0.234 in spine and a 12.484 × 9.25 in cover.

Last reviewed 30 October 2026. Web page: https://chapbook.ink/tools/kdp-spine-calculator/

## KDP's spine width per page

Checked against KDP's help pages on 30 October 2026. The spine is the page count times the paper's thickness per page; KDP counts every page of the interior PDF and rounds an odd count up to an even one.

| Ink and paper | Per page | Prints from |
|---|---|---|
| Black & white, white paper | 0.002252 in (0.06 mm) | 24 pages |
| Black & white, cream paper | 0.0025 in (0.06 mm) | 24 pages |
| Standard colour, white paper | 0.002252 in (0.06 mm) | 72 pages |
| Premium colour, white paper | 0.002347 in (0.06 mm) | 24 pages |

## The cover's size and rules

- **Width:** bleed + back cover + spine + front cover + bleed, the back and front each the trim's width. **Height:** bleed + trim height + bleed. The bleed is 0.125 in on every side.

- **Text:** at least 0.125 in inside the trim and the folds, and at least 7 pt.

- **Spine text:** only on books of more than 79 pages, with 0.063 in between the text and each fold.

- **Barcode:** 2 × 1.2 in at the foot of the back cover, by the spine, 0.25 in from the spine and the trim. A cover without its own barcode gets KDP's there, so keep it clear of text and pictures.

Sources: [KDP's “Create a Paperback Cover”](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201953020), [KDP's barcode rules](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G5HDYGP4BXLX4RUW), [KDP's paperback submission guidelines](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201857950).

## A worked example

A 25,000-word nonfiction book runs to about 104 pages at 6 × 9 in. On black & white, white paper, by trim:

| Trim | Spine | Full cover | Pixels at 300 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 × 9 in | 0.234 in | 12.484 × 9.25 in | 3,745 × 2,775 |
| 5.5 × 8.5 in | 0.234 in | 11.484 × 8.75 in | 3,445 × 2,625 |
| 7 × 10 in | 0.234 in | 14.484 × 10.25 in | 4,345 × 3,075 |
| 8.5 × 11 in | 0.234 in | 17.484 × 11.25 in | 5,245 × 3,375 |

The calculator draws a template of the cover at its print size (the bleed, the trim, the folds, the safe areas and the barcode area), saved as an SVG or a 300 DPI PNG in your browser.

## How it works it out

The spine is the interior's page count times the thickness of one page on the paper you will choose on KDP. KDP counts every page of the interior PDF, blank ones included, and rounds an odd count up, so a 101-page file prints as 102 pages. Standard colour prints from 72 pages; the other inks and papers from 24.

The full cover is one image across the back, the spine and the front, with bleed on every side. The template marks where the trim falls, where the cover folds round the spine, the area to keep text inside, and the barcode area at the foot of the back cover.

## What it leaves out

The calculator covers the four trims Chapbook makes a paperback in. KDP offers more, and each trim, ink and paper has its own most pages. KDP's own cover calculator gives the official template; check your file against it, and order a printed proof before you publish.

## Made with Chapbook: The Pricing Playbook

The Pricing Playbook: How founders set a price they can defend, by Jane Founder. Nonfiction book, 9,862 words, 43 pages. A sample generated from one brief and exported unedited; it is not a customer's book. Read every page: https://chapbook.ink/examples/nonfiction/

The brief:

> A repeatable method for pricing software: customer interviews, a value metric, tiering, and setting numbers you can defend. Promise: A repeatable method for setting a price you can defend to customers, investors and yourself, validated by ten customer interviews in a week. Reader: A founder who priced by guessing or by copying a competitor and now has to defend or change the number. Voice: Direct second person with occasional first person; worked examples with fictional companies; tables where they clarify; no invented statistics or named studies: reason from mechanics and examples.

The outline the planner proposed:

1. Introduction (620 words)
2. Why Guessing Fails (1,014 words)
3. What You Are Actually Selling (1,004 words)
4. Interview Ten Customers (1,088 words)
5. Choose the Value Metric (979 words)
6. Draft Three Tiers (1,076 words)
7. Set the Numbers (1,130 words)
8. Say the Price Out Loud (1,063 words)
9. Revisit Every Quarter (994 words)
10. Conclusion (384 words)
11. Appendix: The Interview Script (475 words)

## Questions

### How does KDP work out a paperback's spine width?

It multiplies the page count by the paper's thickness per page: 0.002252 in for white paper, 0.0025 in for cream and 0.002347 in for premium colour, per KDP's cover guide as checked on 30 October 2026.

### How many pages does a book need for text on the spine?

More than 79. KDP prints spine text only on books above that count, and asks for 0.0625 in between the text and each fold, per its cover guide as checked on 30 October 2026.

### Where does the barcode go on a KDP paperback cover?

At the foot of the back cover, by the spine: a 2 × 1.2 in area at least 0.25 in from the spine and the trim. A cover without a barcode gets KDP's own there, so keep the area clear of text and pictures.

### How much bleed does a KDP paperback cover need?

0.125 in on every side of the full cover. Keep text at least 0.125 in inside the trim and the folds, at 7 pt or larger, per KDP's cover guide as checked on 30 October 2026.

### Does the calculator upload anything?

No. It works out the sizes and draws the template in your browser, and saves the SVG or PNG from there.

## Sources

- [Amazon KDP, “Create a Paperback Cover”](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201953020)
- [Amazon KDP, “Barcodes”](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G5HDYGP4BXLX4RUW)
- [Amazon KDP, “Paperback Submission Guidelines”](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201857950)