Leaf & Spine

8.5 x 11 in Letter · 390 pages

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

A 390-page 8.5 x 11 in paperback has a spine of 0.8783 in (22.31 mm) on white paper or 0.975 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 18.128 x 11.25 in.

0.878 inSpine, white paper22.31 mm
0.975 inSpine, cream paper24.77 mm
18.13 x 11.25Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
914 gEstimated weight32.2 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER8.5 x 11 inFRONT COVER8.5 x 11 inSPINE 0.878 inFull cover 18.128 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 ink0.8783 in22.31 mm18.128 x 11.25 in460.5 x 285.8 mm5,438 x 3,375 px
Cream paper, black ink0.975 in24.77 mm18.225 x 11.25 in462.9 x 285.8 mm5,468 x 3,375 px
Standard color (white)0.8783 in22.31 mm18.128 x 11.25 in460.5 x 285.8 mm5,438 x 3,375 px
Premium color (white)0.9153 in23.25 mm18.165 x 11.25 in461.4 x 285.8 mm5,450 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)1.1143 in28.3 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)0.975 in24.77 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)0.8784 in22.31 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.78 in19.81 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.65 in16.51 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 18.128 x 11.25 in — or 5,438 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 9.503 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)
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
400 pages0.9008 in1 in18.151 x 11.25 in
410 pages0.9233 in1.025 in18.173 x 11.25 in
420 pages0.9458 in1.05 in18.196 x 11.25 in
430 pages0.9684 in1.075 in18.218 x 11.25 in
440 pages0.9909 in1.1 in18.241 x 11.25 in
450 pages1.0134 in1.125 in18.263 x 11.25 in

390 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in0.8783 in11.128 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in0.8783 in11.248 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in0.8783 in11.628 x 8.25 in
5.5 x 8.5 in0.8783 in12.128 x 8.75 in
6 x 9 in0.8783 in13.128 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in0.8783 in13.408 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in0.8783 in14.508 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in0.8783 in15.128 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in0.8783 in16.128 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in0.8783 in17.128 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in0.8783 in18.128 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 390-page 8.5 x 11 in book?
On white paper it is 0.8783 in (22.31 mm); on cream paper 0.975 in (24.77 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 18.128 x 11.25 in (460.5 x 285.8 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 18.225 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 390-page 8.5 x 11 in paperback?
About 914 g (32.2 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.