Leaf & Spine

5.5 x 8.5 in Digest · 740 pages

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

A 740-page 5.5 x 8.5 in paperback has a spine of 1.6665 in (42.33 mm) on white paper or 1.85 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 12.916 x 8.75 in.

1.666 inSpine, white paper42.33 mm
1.85 inSpine, cream paper46.99 mm
12.92 x 8.75Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
854 gEstimated weight30.1 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER5.5 x 8.5 inFRONT COVER5.5 x 8.5 inSPINE 1.666 inFull cover 12.916 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 ink1.6665 in42.33 mm12.916 x 8.75 in328.1 x 222.3 mm3,875 x 2,625 px
Cream paper, black ink1.85 in46.99 mm13.1 x 8.75 in332.7 x 222.3 mm3,930 x 2,625 px
Standard color (white)1.6665 in42.33 mm12.916 x 8.75 in328.1 x 222.3 mm3,875 x 2,625 px
Premium color (white)1.7368 in44.11 mm12.987 x 8.75 in329.9 x 222.3 mm3,896 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)2.1143 in53.7 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)1.85 in46.99 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)1.6667 in42.33 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)1.48 in37.59 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)1.2333 in31.33 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 12.916 x 8.75 in — or 3,875 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 7.291 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)
680 pages1.5314 in1.7 in12.781 x 8.75 in
700 pages1.5764 in1.75 in12.826 x 8.75 in
720 pages1.6214 in1.8 in12.871 x 8.75 in
760 pages1.7115 in1.9 in12.962 x 8.75 in
780 pages1.7566 in1.95 in13.007 x 8.75 in
800 pages1.8016 in2 in13.052 x 8.75 in

740 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in1.6665 in11.916 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in1.6665 in12.036 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in1.6665 in12.416 x 8.25 in
6 x 9 in1.6665 in13.916 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in1.6665 in14.196 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in1.6665 in15.296 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in1.6665 in15.916 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in1.6665 in16.916 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in1.6665 in17.916 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in1.6665 in18.916 x 8.75 in
8.5 x 11 in1.6665 in18.916 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 740-page 5.5 x 8.5 in book?
On white paper it is 1.6665 in (42.33 mm); on cream paper 1.85 in (46.99 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 12.916 x 8.75 in (328.1 x 222.3 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 13.1 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 740-page 5.5 x 8.5 in paperback?
About 854 g (30.1 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.