5.5 x 8.5 in Digest · 72 pages

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

A 72-page 5.5 x 8.5 in paperback has a spine of 0.1621 in (4.12 mm) on white paper or 0.18 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 11.412 x 8.75 in.

0.162 inSpine, white paper4.12 mm

0.18 inSpine, cream paper4.57 mm

11.41 x 8.75Full cover, inchesincl. bleed

97 gEstimated weight3.4 oz

Cover template (white paper)

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

Paper	Spine	Spine (mm)	Full cover (in)	Full cover (mm)	At 300 ppi
White paper, black ink	0.1621 in	4.12 mm	11.412 x 8.75 in	289.9 x 222.3 mm	3,424 x 2,625 px
Cream paper, black ink	0.18 in	4.57 mm	11.43 x 8.75 in	290.3 x 222.3 mm	3,429 x 2,625 px
Standard color (white)	0.1621 in	4.12 mm	11.412 x 8.75 in	289.9 x 222.3 mm	3,424 x 2,625 px
Premium color (white)	0.169 in	4.29 mm	11.419 x 8.75 in	290 x 222.3 mm	3,426 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 PPI	Typical stock	Spine	Spine (mm)
350 PPI	Bulky / heavy stock (~70 lb text)	0.2057 in	5.23 mm
400 PPI	Cream book paper (~55 lb)	0.18 in	4.57 mm
444 PPI	White book paper (~50 lb)	0.1622 in	4.12 mm
500 PPI	Lightweight text (~45 lb)	0.144 in	3.66 mm
600 PPI	Thin text (~40 lb)	0.12 in	3.05 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 11.412 x 8.75 in — or 3,424 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 5.787 in; the front cover after that.
At this page count the spine is too thin for text on KDP.
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

Pages	Spine (white)	Spine (cream)	Full cover (white)
24 pages	0.054 in	0.06 in	11.304 x 8.75 in
32 pages	0.0721 in	0.08 in	11.322 x 8.75 in
40 pages	0.0901 in	0.1 in	11.34 x 8.75 in
48 pages	0.1081 in	0.12 in	11.358 x 8.75 in
56 pages	0.1261 in	0.14 in	11.376 x 8.75 in
64 pages	0.1441 in	0.16 in	11.394 x 8.75 in
80 pages	0.1802 in	0.2 in	11.43 x 8.75 in
90 pages	0.2027 in	0.225 in	11.453 x 8.75 in
100 pages	0.2252 in	0.25 in	11.475 x 8.75 in
110 pages	0.2477 in	0.275 in	11.498 x 8.75 in
120 pages	0.2702 in	0.3 in	11.52 x 8.75 in
130 pages	0.2928 in	0.325 in	11.543 x 8.75 in

72 pages in other trim sizes

Trim	Spine (white)	Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in	0.1621 in	10.412 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in	0.1621 in	10.532 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in	0.1621 in	10.912 x 8.25 in
6 x 9 in	0.1621 in	12.412 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in	0.1621 in	12.692 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in	0.1621 in	13.792 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in	0.1621 in	14.412 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in	0.1621 in	15.412 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in	0.1621 in	16.412 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in	0.1621 in	17.412 x 8.75 in
8.5 x 11 in	0.1621 in	17.412 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 72-page 5.5 x 8.5 in book?

On white paper it is 0.1621 in (4.12 mm); on cream paper 0.18 in (4.57 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.

What size should the full cover be?

For white paper: 11.412 x 8.75 in (289.9 x 222.3 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 11.43 x 8.75 in.

Can I put text on the spine?

Not on KDP. KDP allows spine text only for books with more than 79 pages. Keep thin spines plain or use a solid colour that wraps slightly onto the covers.

How heavy is a 72-page 5.5 x 8.5 in paperback?

About 97 g (3.4 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.