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Paperback Cover
Calculator.

Give every part of your cover its place. Set your book’s specifications, explore the full wrap, and download a measured guide for your design workflow.

No account, upload, or AI credits needed. Calculations and exports happen in your browser.

For authors and cover designers

Turn final book settings into a measured guide before laying out your cover. Try this completed example, then substitute your own specifications.

A one-minute walkthrough

  1. Choose 6 × 9 inches, 252 pages, black ink, cream paper.
  2. Read the unfolded diagram: back, spine, front, bleed, text-safe areas, and barcode reserve.
  3. Download the PDF guide. Match your final interior to Amazon’s official template before producing upload artwork.

Completed example: a 252-page paperback

Full wrap: 12.8800 × 9.2500 inches.
Spine: 0.6300 inch.
Outer bleed: 0.125 inch.

The sample PDF includes the full-size diagram and production specification. It is a planning guide, not finished cover artwork.


Download the completed PDF example

01 / Your book

Width × height, in inches. Listed Amazon.com paperback sizes.
Use the complete interior PDF count, including blank pages. Odd counts round up to the next even printed count.
Color interiors require white paper. Unsupported selections produce an explanation.

Left-to-right paperbacks only. Cover bleed is always included. Matte and glossy finish do not change these dimensions.

02 / Your cover, unfolded

Loading calculator…

PDF: full-size diagram + a production specification sheet. SVG: editable vector guide. Specification: JSON with dimensions, settings, and sources. These exports contain guide labels and are not finished covers for KDP upload.

Know what the lines mean

Room for the trim.
Space for the words.

  • Bleed: 0.125 inch beyond the outside trim edges. Extend your background through it.
  • Front/back text: the green boundary is 0.125 inch inside each panel. Keep essential text inside it and out of the spine.
  • Spine: width comes from the printed page count and paper coefficient. The guide uses an 80-page minimum for spine text and a 0.0625-inch inset on each side.
  • Barcode: a 2 × 1.2-inch reserve sits on the back, 0.25 inch from the spine and bottom trim. It is a reserved area, not a generated barcode. Confirm placement against Amazon’s template.

Checked, with clear limits

Arithmetic you can inspect.

This tool checks the selected trim, paper/ink pairing, and printed page range against Amazon’s published Amazon.com paperback table. It calculates the full wrap and guide positions. It does not inspect your files, validate fonts or images, guarantee marketplace availability, or certify KDP acceptance.

Custom trim sizes, right-to-left books, and hardcovers are outside this version. Match the final interior and cover to Amazon’s official calculator and template, then review in KDP Previewer and order a proof.

Specifications checked September 18, 2026. Sources: cover geometry and safe areas, trim/page limits and groundwood, ink and paper options, and barcode placement.

Building the whole book? Explore KDP Genius for the larger production workflow.