Leaf & Spine

5.5 x 8.5 in Digest · 240 pages

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

A 240-page 5.5 x 8.5 in paperback has a spine of 0.5405 in (13.73 mm) on white paper or 0.6 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 11.79 x 8.75 in.

0.54 inSpine, white paper13.73 mm
0.6 inSpine, cream paper15.24 mm
11.79 x 8.75Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
287 gEstimated weight10.1 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER5.5 x 8.5 inFRONT COVER5.5 x 8.5 inSPINE 0.54 inFull cover 11.79 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 ink0.5405 in13.73 mm11.79 x 8.75 in299.5 x 222.3 mm3,537 x 2,625 px
Cream paper, black ink0.6 in15.24 mm11.85 x 8.75 in301 x 222.3 mm3,555 x 2,625 px
Standard color (white)0.5405 in13.73 mm11.79 x 8.75 in299.5 x 222.3 mm3,537 x 2,625 px
Premium color (white)0.5633 in14.31 mm11.813 x 8.75 in300.1 x 222.3 mm3,544 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)0.6857 in17.42 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)0.6 in15.24 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)0.5405 in13.73 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.48 in12.19 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.4 in10.16 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 11.79 x 8.75 in — or 3,537 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 6.165 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)
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
210 pages0.4729 in0.525 in11.723 x 8.75 in
220 pages0.4954 in0.55 in11.745 x 8.75 in
230 pages0.518 in0.575 in11.768 x 8.75 in
250 pages0.563 in0.625 in11.813 x 8.75 in
260 pages0.5855 in0.65 in11.836 x 8.75 in
270 pages0.608 in0.675 in11.858 x 8.75 in
280 pages0.6306 in0.7 in11.881 x 8.75 in
290 pages0.6531 in0.725 in11.903 x 8.75 in
300 pages0.6756 in0.75 in11.926 x 8.75 in

240 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in0.5405 in10.79 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in0.5405 in10.91 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in0.5405 in11.29 x 8.25 in
6 x 9 in0.5405 in12.79 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in0.5405 in13.07 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in0.5405 in14.17 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in0.5405 in14.79 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in0.5405 in15.79 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in0.5405 in16.79 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in0.5405 in17.79 x 8.75 in
8.5 x 11 in0.5405 in17.79 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 240-page 5.5 x 8.5 in book?
On white paper it is 0.5405 in (13.73 mm); on cream paper 0.6 in (15.24 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 11.79 x 8.75 in (299.5 x 222.3 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 11.85 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 240-page 5.5 x 8.5 in paperback?
About 287 g (10.1 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.