Leaf & Spine

5.5 x 8.5 in Digest · 140 pages

140-page 5.5 x 8.5 in book: spine width & cover size

A 140-page 5.5 x 8.5 in paperback has a spine of 0.3153 in (8.01 mm) on white paper or 0.35 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 11.565 x 8.75 in.

0.315 inSpine, white paper8.01 mm
0.35 inSpine, cream paper8.89 mm
11.57 x 8.75Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
174 gEstimated weight6.1 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER5.5 x 8.5 inFRONT COVER5.5 x 8.5 inSPINE 0.315 inFull cover 11.565 x 8.75 in incl. 0.125 in bleed
Red: bleed (trimmed off) · dashed: 0.25 in safe zone · shaded: spine. Download a full-size template from the calculator.

Spine and cover by paper type

PaperSpineSpine (mm)Full cover (in)Full cover (mm)At 300 ppi
White paper, black ink0.3153 in8.01 mm11.565 x 8.75 in293.8 x 222.3 mm3,470 x 2,625 px
Cream paper, black ink0.35 in8.89 mm11.6 x 8.75 in294.6 x 222.3 mm3,480 x 2,625 px
Standard color (white)0.3153 in8.01 mm11.565 x 8.75 in293.8 x 222.3 mm3,470 x 2,625 px
Premium color (white)0.3286 in8.35 mm11.579 x 8.75 in294.1 x 222.3 mm3,474 x 2,625 px

Per-page factors are those published by KDP; IngramSpark and offset printers use their own paper calipers.

Other printers: spine by paper PPI

Paper PPITypical stockSpineSpine (mm)
350 PPIBulky / heavy stock (~70 lb text)0.4 in10.16 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)0.35 in8.89 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)0.3153 in8.01 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.28 in7.11 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.2333 in5.93 mm

If your printer quotes pages per inch (PPI), spine = pages ÷ PPI. Ask for the exact PPI of your chosen stock.

Designing this cover

  • Build the cover canvas at 11.565 x 8.75 in — or 3,470 x 2,625 px at 300 ppi.
  • The back cover runs from the left edge to 5.625 in; the spine from 5.625 to 5.94 in; the front cover after that.
  • Spine text is allowed — centre it and keep 0.0625 in clear on each side.
  • Keep titles and faces at least 0.25 in inside the trim; KDP places the barcode in a 2 x 1.2 in area at the lower right of the back cover.
  • Export as a flattened PDF (PDF/X-1a is safest) with fonts embedded.

Nearby page counts

PagesSpine (white)Spine (cream)Full cover (white)
80 pages0.1802 in0.2 in11.43 x 8.75 in
90 pages0.2027 in0.225 in11.453 x 8.75 in
100 pages0.2252 in0.25 in11.475 x 8.75 in
110 pages0.2477 in0.275 in11.498 x 8.75 in
120 pages0.2702 in0.3 in11.52 x 8.75 in
130 pages0.2928 in0.325 in11.543 x 8.75 in
150 pages0.3378 in0.375 in11.588 x 8.75 in
160 pages0.3603 in0.4 in11.61 x 8.75 in
170 pages0.3828 in0.425 in11.633 x 8.75 in
180 pages0.4054 in0.45 in11.655 x 8.75 in
190 pages0.4279 in0.475 in11.678 x 8.75 in
200 pages0.4504 in0.5 in11.7 x 8.75 in

140 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in0.3153 in10.565 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in0.3153 in10.685 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in0.3153 in11.065 x 8.25 in
6 x 9 in0.3153 in12.565 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in0.3153 in12.845 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in0.3153 in13.945 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in0.3153 in14.565 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in0.3153 in15.565 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in0.3153 in16.565 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in0.3153 in17.565 x 8.75 in
8.5 x 11 in0.3153 in17.565 x 11.25 in

Spine width depends only on page count and paper; the cover width changes with the trim.

Frequently asked questions

How wide is the spine of a 140-page 5.5 x 8.5 in book?
On white paper it is 0.3153 in (8.01 mm); on cream paper 0.35 in (8.89 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 11.565 x 8.75 in (293.8 x 222.3 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 11.6 x 8.75 in.
Can I put text on the spine?
Yes. KDP allows spine text only for books with more than 79 pages; keep it at least 0.0625 in (1.6 mm) from each spine edge.
How heavy is a 140-page 5.5 x 8.5 in paperback?
About 174 g (6.1 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.