Leaf & Spine

6 x 9 in US Trade · 640 pages

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

A 640-page 6 x 9 in paperback has a spine of 1.4413 in (36.61 mm) on white paper or 1.6 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 13.691 x 9.25 in.

1.441 inSpine, white paper36.61 mm
1.6 inSpine, cream paper40.64 mm
13.69 x 9.25Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
856 gEstimated weight30.2 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER6 x 9 inFRONT COVER6 x 9 inSPINE 1.441 inFull cover 13.691 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 ink1.4413 in36.61 mm13.691 x 9.25 in347.8 x 235 mm4,107 x 2,775 px
Cream paper, black ink1.6 in40.64 mm13.85 x 9.25 in351.8 x 235 mm4,155 x 2,775 px
Standard color (white)1.4413 in36.61 mm13.691 x 9.25 in347.8 x 235 mm4,107 x 2,775 px
Premium color (white)1.5021 in38.15 mm13.752 x 9.25 in349.3 x 235 mm4,126 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)1.8286 in46.45 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)1.6 in40.64 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)1.4414 in36.61 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)1.28 in32.51 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)1.0667 in27.09 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 13.691 x 9.25 in — or 4,107 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 7.566 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)
580 pages1.3062 in1.45 in13.556 x 9.25 in
600 pages1.3512 in1.5 in13.601 x 9.25 in
620 pages1.3962 in1.55 in13.646 x 9.25 in
660 pages1.4863 in1.65 in13.736 x 9.25 in
680 pages1.5314 in1.7 in13.781 x 9.25 in
700 pages1.5764 in1.75 in13.826 x 9.25 in

640 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in1.4413 in11.691 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in1.4413 in11.811 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in1.4413 in12.191 x 8.25 in
5.5 x 8.5 in1.4413 in12.691 x 8.75 in
6.14 x 9.21 in1.4413 in13.971 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in1.4413 in15.071 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in1.4413 in15.691 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in1.4413 in16.691 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in1.4413 in17.691 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in1.4413 in18.691 x 8.75 in
8.5 x 11 in1.4413 in18.691 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 640-page 6 x 9 in book?
On white paper it is 1.4413 in (36.61 mm); on cream paper 1.6 in (40.64 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 13.691 x 9.25 in (347.8 x 235 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 13.85 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 640-page 6 x 9 in paperback?
About 856 g (30.2 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.