Leaf & Spine

5.5 x 8.5 in Digest · 260 pages

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

A 260-page 5.5 x 8.5 in paperback has a spine of 0.5855 in (14.87 mm) on white paper or 0.65 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 11.836 x 8.75 in.

0.586 inSpine, white paper14.87 mm
0.65 inSpine, cream paper16.51 mm
11.84 x 8.75Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
310 gEstimated weight10.9 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER5.5 x 8.5 inFRONT COVER5.5 x 8.5 inSPINE 0.586 inFull cover 11.836 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 ink0.5855 in14.87 mm11.836 x 8.75 in300.6 x 222.3 mm3,551 x 2,625 px
Cream paper, black ink0.65 in16.51 mm11.9 x 8.75 in302.3 x 222.3 mm3,570 x 2,625 px
Standard color (white)0.5855 in14.87 mm11.836 x 8.75 in300.6 x 222.3 mm3,551 x 2,625 px
Premium color (white)0.6102 in15.5 mm11.86 x 8.75 in301.2 x 222.3 mm3,558 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)0.7429 in18.87 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)0.65 in16.51 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)0.5856 in14.87 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.52 in13.21 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.4333 in11.01 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 11.836 x 8.75 in — or 3,551 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 6.211 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)
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
240 pages0.5405 in0.6 in11.79 x 8.75 in
250 pages0.563 in0.625 in11.813 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
310 pages0.6981 in0.775 in11.948 x 8.75 in
320 pages0.7206 in0.8 in11.971 x 8.75 in

260 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in0.5855 in10.836 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in0.5855 in10.956 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in0.5855 in11.336 x 8.25 in
6 x 9 in0.5855 in12.836 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in0.5855 in13.116 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in0.5855 in14.216 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in0.5855 in14.836 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in0.5855 in15.836 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in0.5855 in16.836 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in0.5855 in17.836 x 8.75 in
8.5 x 11 in0.5855 in17.836 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 260-page 5.5 x 8.5 in book?
On white paper it is 0.5855 in (14.87 mm); on cream paper 0.65 in (16.51 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 11.836 x 8.75 in (300.6 x 222.3 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 11.9 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 260-page 5.5 x 8.5 in paperback?
About 310 g (10.9 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.