Working out full cover dimensions

One flat image

A print cover is uploaded as a single PDF containing the back cover, the spine and the front cover side by side, in that order from left to right, surrounded by bleed. It is printed flat, trimmed, and folded round the book.

The paperback formula

Width = bleed + back cover width + spine width + front cover width + bleed, where the bleed is 0.125" and each cover width is the trim width.

Height = bleed + trim height + bleed.

A worked paperback

Take a 6" x 9" paperback of 200 pages on white paper. The spine is 0.450".

Width = 0.125 + 6 + 0.4504 + 6 + 0.125 = 12.700".

Height = 0.125 + 9 + 0.125 = 9.250".

The spine runs from 6.125" to 6.575" measured from the left edge of the artboard.

Hardcovers add a wrap

A hardcover's printed cover wraps round the boards, so a further 0.5" is added on every outer edge. The same 200-page 6" x 9" book as a hardcover has a cover of 13.700" by 10.250".

The figures in this app follow the paperback geometry plus the wrap. Hardcover spines in practice also depend on board thickness and hinge allowances, so always check the final template against KDP's own cover calculator before sending a hardcover to print.

What to place where

With the dimensions set:

• Background art reaches the outer bleed edge on all sides.
• Text and logos stay 0.375" inside the trim and the spine folds.
• The barcode area, 2" × 1.2" at the bottom right of the back cover, holds nothing that must be read.

Setting up the file

Create the artboard at the full width and height, not the trim size. Add guides at the bleed (0.125" in from each edge), at both spine folds, and at the safety margin inside each panel. Export as a single-page PDF at that exact size, with fonts embedded and images at print resolution. The free cover calculator gives every one of these positions for your trim, page count and paper.