Leaf & Spine

8.5 x 8.5 in Square · 200 pages

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

A 200-page 8.5 x 8.5 in paperback has a spine of 0.4504 in (11.44 mm) on white paper or 0.5 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 17.7 x 8.75 in.

0.45 inSpine, white paper11.44 mm
0.5 inSpine, cream paper12.7 mm
17.7 x 8.75Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
374 gEstimated weight13.2 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER8.5 x 8.5 inFRONT COVER8.5 x 8.5 inSPINE 0.45 inFull cover 17.7 x 8.75 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 ink0.4504 in11.44 mm17.7 x 8.75 in449.6 x 222.3 mm5,310 x 2,625 px
Cream paper, black ink0.5 in12.7 mm17.75 x 8.75 in450.9 x 222.3 mm5,325 x 2,625 px
Standard color (white)0.4504 in11.44 mm17.7 x 8.75 in449.6 x 222.3 mm5,310 x 2,625 px
Premium color (white)0.4694 in11.92 mm17.719 x 8.75 in450.1 x 222.3 mm5,316 x 2,625 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)0.5714 in14.51 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)0.5 in12.7 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)0.4505 in11.44 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.4 in10.16 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.3333 in8.47 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 17.7 x 8.75 in — or 5,310 x 2,625 px at 300 ppi.
  • The back cover runs from the left edge to 8.625 in; the spine from 8.625 to 9.075 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)
140 pages0.3153 in0.35 in17.565 x 8.75 in
150 pages0.3378 in0.375 in17.588 x 8.75 in
160 pages0.3603 in0.4 in17.61 x 8.75 in
170 pages0.3828 in0.425 in17.633 x 8.75 in
180 pages0.4054 in0.45 in17.655 x 8.75 in
190 pages0.4279 in0.475 in17.678 x 8.75 in
210 pages0.4729 in0.525 in17.723 x 8.75 in
220 pages0.4954 in0.55 in17.745 x 8.75 in
230 pages0.518 in0.575 in17.768 x 8.75 in
240 pages0.5405 in0.6 in17.79 x 8.75 in
250 pages0.563 in0.625 in17.813 x 8.75 in
260 pages0.5855 in0.65 in17.836 x 8.75 in

200 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in0.4504 in10.7 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in0.4504 in10.82 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in0.4504 in11.2 x 8.25 in
5.5 x 8.5 in0.4504 in11.7 x 8.75 in
6 x 9 in0.4504 in12.7 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in0.4504 in12.98 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in0.4504 in14.08 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in0.4504 in14.7 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in0.4504 in15.7 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in0.4504 in16.7 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 11 in0.4504 in17.7 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 200-page 8.5 x 8.5 in book?
On white paper it is 0.4504 in (11.44 mm); on cream paper 0.5 in (12.7 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 17.7 x 8.75 in (449.6 x 222.3 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 17.75 x 8.75 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 200-page 8.5 x 8.5 in paperback?
About 374 g (13.2 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.