Leaf & Spine

8.5 x 8.5 in Square · 280 pages

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

A 280-page 8.5 x 8.5 in paperback has a spine of 0.6306 in (16.02 mm) on white paper or 0.7 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 17.881 x 8.75 in.

0.631 inSpine, white paper16.02 mm
0.7 inSpine, cream paper17.78 mm
17.88 x 8.75Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
514 gEstimated weight18.1 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER8.5 x 8.5 inFRONT COVER8.5 x 8.5 inSPINE 0.631 inFull cover 17.881 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 ink0.6306 in16.02 mm17.881 x 8.75 in454.2 x 222.3 mm5,364 x 2,625 px
Cream paper, black ink0.7 in17.78 mm17.95 x 8.75 in455.9 x 222.3 mm5,385 x 2,625 px
Standard color (white)0.6306 in16.02 mm17.881 x 8.75 in454.2 x 222.3 mm5,364 x 2,625 px
Premium color (white)0.6572 in16.69 mm17.907 x 8.75 in454.8 x 222.3 mm5,372 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)0.8 in20.32 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)0.7 in17.78 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)0.6306 in16.02 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.56 in14.22 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.4667 in11.85 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 17.881 x 8.75 in — or 5,364 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 9.256 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)
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
270 pages0.608 in0.675 in17.858 x 8.75 in
290 pages0.6531 in0.725 in17.903 x 8.75 in
300 pages0.6756 in0.75 in17.926 x 8.75 in
310 pages0.6981 in0.775 in17.948 x 8.75 in
320 pages0.7206 in0.8 in17.971 x 8.75 in
330 pages0.7432 in0.825 in17.993 x 8.75 in
340 pages0.7657 in0.85 in18.016 x 8.75 in

280 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in0.6306 in10.881 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in0.6306 in11.001 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in0.6306 in11.381 x 8.25 in
5.5 x 8.5 in0.6306 in11.881 x 8.75 in
6 x 9 in0.6306 in12.881 x 9.25 in
6.14 x 9.21 in0.6306 in13.161 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in0.6306 in14.261 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in0.6306 in14.881 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in0.6306 in15.881 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in0.6306 in16.881 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 11 in0.6306 in17.881 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 280-page 8.5 x 8.5 in book?
On white paper it is 0.6306 in (16.02 mm); on cream paper 0.7 in (17.78 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 17.881 x 8.75 in (454.2 x 222.3 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 17.95 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 280-page 8.5 x 8.5 in paperback?
About 514 g (18.1 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.