Leaf & Spine

8.5 x 11 in Letter · 460 pages

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

A 460-page 8.5 x 11 in paperback has a spine of 1.0359 in (26.31 mm) on white paper or 1.15 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 18.286 x 11.25 in.

1.036 inSpine, white paper26.31 mm
1.15 inSpine, cream paper29.21 mm
18.29 x 11.25Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
1,073 gEstimated weight37.8 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER8.5 x 11 inFRONT COVER8.5 x 11 inSPINE 1.036 inFull cover 18.286 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 ink1.0359 in26.31 mm18.286 x 11.25 in464.5 x 285.8 mm5,486 x 3,375 px
Cream paper, black ink1.15 in29.21 mm18.4 x 11.25 in467.4 x 285.8 mm5,520 x 3,375 px
Standard color (white)1.0359 in26.31 mm18.286 x 11.25 in464.5 x 285.8 mm5,486 x 3,375 px
Premium color (white)1.0796 in27.42 mm18.33 x 11.25 in465.6 x 285.8 mm5,499 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)1.3143 in33.38 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)1.15 in29.21 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)1.036 in26.32 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.92 in23.37 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.7667 in19.47 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 18.286 x 11.25 in — or 5,486 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 9.661 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)
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
470 pages1.0584 in1.175 in18.308 x 11.25 in
480 pages1.081 in1.2 in18.331 x 11.25 in
490 pages1.1035 in1.225 in18.353 x 11.25 in
500 pages1.126 in1.25 in18.376 x 11.25 in
520 pages1.171 in1.3 in18.421 x 11.25 in

460 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in1.0359 in11.286 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in1.0359 in11.406 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in1.0359 in11.786 x 8.25 in
5.5 x 8.5 in1.0359 in12.286 x 8.75 in
6 x 9 in1.0359 in13.286 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in1.0359 in13.566 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in1.0359 in14.666 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in1.0359 in15.286 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in1.0359 in16.286 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in1.0359 in17.286 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in1.0359 in18.286 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 460-page 8.5 x 11 in book?
On white paper it is 1.0359 in (26.31 mm); on cream paper 1.15 in (29.21 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 18.286 x 11.25 in (464.5 x 285.8 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 18.4 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 460-page 8.5 x 11 in paperback?
About 1,073 g (37.8 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.