Leaf & Spine

8.5 x 11 in Letter · 180 pages

180-page 8.5 x 11 in book: spine width & cover size

A 180-page 8.5 x 11 in paperback has a spine of 0.4054 in (10.3 mm) on white paper or 0.45 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 17.655 x 11.25 in.

0.405 inSpine, white paper10.3 mm
0.45 inSpine, cream paper11.43 mm
17.66 x 11.25Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
438 gEstimated weight15.5 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER8.5 x 11 inFRONT COVER8.5 x 11 inSPINE 0.405 inFull cover 17.655 x 11.25 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 ink0.4054 in10.3 mm17.655 x 11.25 in448.4 x 285.8 mm5,297 x 3,375 px
Cream paper, black ink0.45 in11.43 mm17.7 x 11.25 in449.6 x 285.8 mm5,310 x 3,375 px
Standard color (white)0.4054 in10.3 mm17.655 x 11.25 in448.4 x 285.8 mm5,297 x 3,375 px
Premium color (white)0.4225 in10.73 mm17.672 x 11.25 in448.9 x 285.8 mm5,302 x 3,375 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)0.5143 in13.06 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)0.45 in11.43 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)0.4054 in10.3 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.36 in9.14 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.3 in7.62 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 17.655 x 11.25 in — or 5,297 x 3,375 px at 300 ppi.
  • The back cover runs from the left edge to 8.625 in; the spine from 8.625 to 9.03 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)
120 pages0.2702 in0.3 in17.52 x 11.25 in
130 pages0.2928 in0.325 in17.543 x 11.25 in
140 pages0.3153 in0.35 in17.565 x 11.25 in
150 pages0.3378 in0.375 in17.588 x 11.25 in
160 pages0.3603 in0.4 in17.61 x 11.25 in
170 pages0.3828 in0.425 in17.633 x 11.25 in
190 pages0.4279 in0.475 in17.678 x 11.25 in
200 pages0.4504 in0.5 in17.7 x 11.25 in
210 pages0.4729 in0.525 in17.723 x 11.25 in
220 pages0.4954 in0.55 in17.745 x 11.25 in
230 pages0.518 in0.575 in17.768 x 11.25 in
240 pages0.5405 in0.6 in17.79 x 11.25 in

180 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in0.4054 in10.655 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in0.4054 in10.775 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in0.4054 in11.155 x 8.25 in
5.5 x 8.5 in0.4054 in11.655 x 8.75 in
6 x 9 in0.4054 in12.655 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in0.4054 in12.935 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in0.4054 in14.035 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in0.4054 in14.655 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in0.4054 in15.655 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in0.4054 in16.655 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in0.4054 in17.655 x 8.75 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 180-page 8.5 x 11 in book?
On white paper it is 0.4054 in (10.3 mm); on cream paper 0.45 in (11.43 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 17.655 x 11.25 in (448.4 x 285.8 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 17.7 x 11.25 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 180-page 8.5 x 11 in paperback?
About 438 g (15.5 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.