Leaf & Spine

6 x 9 in US Trade · 170 pages

170-page 6 x 9 in book: spine width & cover size

A 170-page 6 x 9 in paperback has a spine of 0.3828 in (9.72 mm) on white paper or 0.425 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 12.633 x 9.25 in.

0.383 inSpine, white paper9.72 mm
0.425 inSpine, cream paper10.8 mm
12.63 x 9.25Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
240 gEstimated weight8.5 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER6 x 9 inFRONT COVER6 x 9 inSPINE 0.383 inFull cover 12.633 x 9.25 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 ink0.3828 in9.72 mm12.633 x 9.25 in320.9 x 235 mm3,790 x 2,775 px
Cream paper, black ink0.425 in10.8 mm12.675 x 9.25 in321.9 x 235 mm3,802 x 2,775 px
Standard color (white)0.3828 in9.72 mm12.633 x 9.25 in320.9 x 235 mm3,790 x 2,775 px
Premium color (white)0.399 in10.13 mm12.649 x 9.25 in321.3 x 235 mm3,795 x 2,775 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)0.4857 in12.34 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)0.425 in10.8 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)0.3829 in9.73 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.34 in8.64 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.2833 in7.2 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 12.633 x 9.25 in — or 3,790 x 2,775 px at 300 ppi.
  • The back cover runs from the left edge to 6.125 in; the spine from 6.125 to 6.508 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)
110 pages0.2477 in0.275 in12.498 x 9.25 in
120 pages0.2702 in0.3 in12.52 x 9.25 in
130 pages0.2928 in0.325 in12.543 x 9.25 in
140 pages0.3153 in0.35 in12.565 x 9.25 in
150 pages0.3378 in0.375 in12.588 x 9.25 in
160 pages0.3603 in0.4 in12.61 x 9.25 in
180 pages0.4054 in0.45 in12.655 x 9.25 in
190 pages0.4279 in0.475 in12.678 x 9.25 in
200 pages0.4504 in0.5 in12.7 x 9.25 in
210 pages0.4729 in0.525 in12.723 x 9.25 in
220 pages0.4954 in0.55 in12.745 x 9.25 in
230 pages0.518 in0.575 in12.768 x 9.25 in

170 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in0.3828 in10.633 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in0.3828 in10.753 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in0.3828 in11.133 x 8.25 in
5.5 x 8.5 in0.3828 in11.633 x 8.75 in
6.14 x 9.21 in0.3828 in12.913 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in0.3828 in14.013 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in0.3828 in14.633 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in0.3828 in15.633 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in0.3828 in16.633 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in0.3828 in17.633 x 8.75 in
8.5 x 11 in0.3828 in17.633 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 170-page 6 x 9 in book?
On white paper it is 0.3828 in (9.72 mm); on cream paper 0.425 in (10.8 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 12.633 x 9.25 in (320.9 x 235 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 12.675 x 9.25 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 170-page 6 x 9 in paperback?
About 240 g (8.5 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.