Leaf & Spine

5 x 8 in · 280 pages

280-page 5 x 8 in book: spine width & cover size

A 280-page 5 x 8 in paperback has a spine of 0.6306 in (16.02 mm) on white paper or 0.7 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 10.881 x 8.25 in.

0.631 inSpine, white paper16.02 mm
0.7 inSpine, cream paper17.78 mm
10.88 x 8.25Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
285 gEstimated weight10 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER5 x 8 inFRONT COVER5 x 8 inSPINE 0.631 inFull cover 10.881 x 8.25 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 ink0.6306 in16.02 mm10.881 x 8.25 in276.4 x 209.6 mm3,264 x 2,475 px
Cream paper, black ink0.7 in17.78 mm10.95 x 8.25 in278.1 x 209.6 mm3,285 x 2,475 px
Standard color (white)0.6306 in16.02 mm10.881 x 8.25 in276.4 x 209.6 mm3,264 x 2,475 px
Premium color (white)0.6572 in16.69 mm10.907 x 8.25 in277 x 209.6 mm3,272 x 2,475 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)0.8 in20.32 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)0.7 in17.78 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)0.6306 in16.02 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.56 in14.22 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.4667 in11.85 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 10.881 x 8.25 in — or 3,264 x 2,475 px at 300 ppi.
  • The back cover runs from the left edge to 5.125 in; the spine from 5.125 to 5.756 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)
220 pages0.4954 in0.55 in10.745 x 8.25 in
230 pages0.518 in0.575 in10.768 x 8.25 in
240 pages0.5405 in0.6 in10.79 x 8.25 in
250 pages0.563 in0.625 in10.813 x 8.25 in
260 pages0.5855 in0.65 in10.836 x 8.25 in
270 pages0.608 in0.675 in10.858 x 8.25 in
290 pages0.6531 in0.725 in10.903 x 8.25 in
300 pages0.6756 in0.75 in10.926 x 8.25 in
310 pages0.6981 in0.775 in10.948 x 8.25 in
320 pages0.7206 in0.8 in10.971 x 8.25 in
330 pages0.7432 in0.825 in10.993 x 8.25 in
340 pages0.7657 in0.85 in11.016 x 8.25 in

280 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5.06 x 7.81 in0.6306 in11.001 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in0.6306 in11.381 x 8.25 in
5.5 x 8.5 in0.6306 in11.881 x 8.75 in
6 x 9 in0.6306 in12.881 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in0.6306 in13.161 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in0.6306 in14.261 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in0.6306 in14.881 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in0.6306 in15.881 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in0.6306 in16.881 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in0.6306 in17.881 x 8.75 in
8.5 x 11 in0.6306 in17.881 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 280-page 5 x 8 in book?
On white paper it is 0.6306 in (16.02 mm); on cream paper 0.7 in (17.78 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 10.881 x 8.25 in (276.4 x 209.6 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 10.95 x 8.25 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 280-page 5 x 8 in paperback?
About 285 g (10 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.