Leaf & Spine

5.5 x 8.5 in Digest · 290 pages

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

A 290-page 5.5 x 8.5 in paperback has a spine of 0.6531 in (16.59 mm) on white paper or 0.725 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 11.903 x 8.75 in.

0.653 inSpine, white paper16.59 mm
0.725 inSpine, cream paper18.42 mm
11.9 x 8.75Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
344 gEstimated weight12.1 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER5.5 x 8.5 inFRONT COVER5.5 x 8.5 inSPINE 0.653 inFull cover 11.903 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 ink0.6531 in16.59 mm11.903 x 8.75 in302.3 x 222.3 mm3,571 x 2,625 px
Cream paper, black ink0.725 in18.42 mm11.975 x 8.75 in304.2 x 222.3 mm3,592 x 2,625 px
Standard color (white)0.6531 in16.59 mm11.903 x 8.75 in302.3 x 222.3 mm3,571 x 2,625 px
Premium color (white)0.6806 in17.29 mm11.931 x 8.75 in303 x 222.3 mm3,579 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)0.8286 in21.05 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)0.725 in18.42 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)0.6532 in16.59 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.58 in14.73 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.4833 in12.28 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 11.903 x 8.75 in — or 3,571 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 6.278 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)
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
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
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
330 pages0.7432 in0.825 in11.993 x 8.75 in
340 pages0.7657 in0.85 in12.016 x 8.75 in
350 pages0.7882 in0.875 in12.038 x 8.75 in

290 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in0.6531 in10.903 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in0.6531 in11.023 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in0.6531 in11.403 x 8.25 in
6 x 9 in0.6531 in12.903 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in0.6531 in13.183 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in0.6531 in14.283 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in0.6531 in14.903 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in0.6531 in15.903 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in0.6531 in16.903 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in0.6531 in17.903 x 8.75 in
8.5 x 11 in0.6531 in17.903 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 290-page 5.5 x 8.5 in book?
On white paper it is 0.6531 in (16.59 mm); on cream paper 0.725 in (18.42 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 11.903 x 8.75 in (302.3 x 222.3 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 11.975 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 290-page 5.5 x 8.5 in paperback?
About 344 g (12.1 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.