Leaf & Spine

8.5 x 11 in Letter · 320 pages

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

A 320-page 8.5 x 11 in paperback has a spine of 0.7206 in (18.3 mm) on white paper or 0.8 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 17.971 x 11.25 in.

0.721 inSpine, white paper18.3 mm
0.8 inSpine, cream paper20.32 mm
17.97 x 11.25Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
755 gEstimated weight26.6 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER8.5 x 11 inFRONT COVER8.5 x 11 inSPINE 0.721 inFull cover 17.971 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 ink0.7206 in18.3 mm17.971 x 11.25 in456.5 x 285.8 mm5,391 x 3,375 px
Cream paper, black ink0.8 in20.32 mm18.05 x 11.25 in458.5 x 285.8 mm5,415 x 3,375 px
Standard color (white)0.7206 in18.3 mm17.971 x 11.25 in456.5 x 285.8 mm5,391 x 3,375 px
Premium color (white)0.751 in19.08 mm18.001 x 11.25 in457.2 x 285.8 mm5,400 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)0.9143 in23.22 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)0.8 in20.32 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)0.7207 in18.31 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.64 in16.26 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.5333 in13.55 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 17.971 x 11.25 in — or 5,391 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 9.346 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)
260 pages0.5855 in0.65 in17.836 x 11.25 in
270 pages0.608 in0.675 in17.858 x 11.25 in
280 pages0.6306 in0.7 in17.881 x 11.25 in
290 pages0.6531 in0.725 in17.903 x 11.25 in
300 pages0.6756 in0.75 in17.926 x 11.25 in
310 pages0.6981 in0.775 in17.948 x 11.25 in
330 pages0.7432 in0.825 in17.993 x 11.25 in
340 pages0.7657 in0.85 in18.016 x 11.25 in
350 pages0.7882 in0.875 in18.038 x 11.25 in
360 pages0.8107 in0.9 in18.061 x 11.25 in
370 pages0.8332 in0.925 in18.083 x 11.25 in
380 pages0.8558 in0.95 in18.106 x 11.25 in

320 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in0.7206 in10.971 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in0.7206 in11.091 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in0.7206 in11.471 x 8.25 in
5.5 x 8.5 in0.7206 in11.971 x 8.75 in
6 x 9 in0.7206 in12.971 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in0.7206 in13.251 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in0.7206 in14.351 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in0.7206 in14.971 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in0.7206 in15.971 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in0.7206 in16.971 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in0.7206 in17.971 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 320-page 8.5 x 11 in book?
On white paper it is 0.7206 in (18.3 mm); on cream paper 0.8 in (20.32 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 17.971 x 11.25 in (456.5 x 285.8 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 18.05 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 320-page 8.5 x 11 in paperback?
About 755 g (26.6 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.