Full cover size with bleed
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KDP cover size · 5.5 × 8.5 in paperback
KDP Cover Size for 5.5 × 8.5 Paperbacks
A 5.5 × 8.5 in KDP paperback cover is 11.25" plus the spine wide and 8.75" tall, bleed included. With 250 pages on white paper that's 11.813" × 8.750" (3544 × 2625 px at 300 DPI).
Rules checked on KDP Help on . Change the page count or paper below.
Your cover file
In pixels at 300 DPI
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In millimetres
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Spine and barcode
Spine width
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Text on the spine
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Barcode area
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Layout and free template
- Bleed, trimmed off (0.125")
- Trim line
- Safe zone for text
- Spine text area
- Keep clear for the barcode
5.5 × 8.5 spine width and cover width by page count
Every cover in this table is 8.750" tall (8.5" + 0.25" bleed). Widths include bleed. A dash means KDP doesn't allow that page count on that paper in this size.
| Pages | White: spine | White: cover width | Cream: spine | Cream: cover width | Premium color: spine | Premium color: cover width |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 0.054" | 11.304" | 0.060" | 11.310" | 0.056" | 11.306" |
| 50 | 0.113" | 11.363" | 0.125" | 11.375" | 0.117" | 11.367" |
| 80 | 0.180" | 11.430" | 0.200" | 11.450" | 0.188" | 11.438" |
| 100 | 0.225" | 11.475" | 0.250" | 11.500" | 0.235" | 11.485" |
| 150 | 0.338" | 11.588" | 0.375" | 11.625" | 0.352" | 11.602" |
| 200 | 0.450" | 11.700" | 0.500" | 11.750" | 0.469" | 11.719" |
| 250 | 0.563" | 11.813" | 0.625" | 11.875" | 0.587" | 11.837" |
| 300 | 0.676" | 11.926" | 0.750" | 12.000" | 0.704" | 11.954" |
| 350 | 0.788" | 12.038" | 0.875" | 12.125" | 0.821" | 12.071" |
| 400 | 0.901" | 12.151" | 1.000" | 12.250" | 0.939" | 12.189" |
| 450 | 1.013" | 12.263" | 1.125" | 12.375" | 1.056" | 12.306" |
| 500 | 1.126" | 12.376" | 1.250" | 12.500" | 1.173" | 12.424" |
| 600 | 1.351" | 12.601" | 1.500" | 12.750" | 1.408" | 12.658" |
| 700 | 1.576" | 12.826" | 1.750" | 13.000" | 1.643" | 12.893" |
| 800 | 1.802" | 13.052" | — | — | 1.878" | 13.128" |
What to know about 5.5 × 8.5 on KDP
5.5 × 8.5 in is half a US letter sheet and sits between 5 × 8 and 6 × 9. It’s a regular trim, so it prints at the lower regular cost.
- Regular trim. No wider than 6.12" and no taller than 9", so 250 pages cost $4.00 to print in black and white and $17.25 in premium color on Amazon.com. Compare every marketplace.
- Page limits. White paper 24–828 pages, cream 24–776, groundwood 24–812, standard color 72–600, premium color 24–828.
- Spine text. Allowed from 80 pages. At 80 pages on white paper the spine is 0.180", which leaves 0.055" for text after 0.0625" on each side.
- Interior with bleed. If your interior images bleed, set the page size to 5.625" × 8.75" (trim + 0.125" wide, + 0.25" tall).
- Hardcover. KDP also prints 5.5 × 8.5 hardcovers, but their cover has a 0.51" wrap and 0.4" hinge and no published spine formula, so this page covers paperbacks only.
Sources: Create a Paperback Cover, Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins, Barcodes, checked 19 Oct 2026.
FAQ: 5.5 × 8.5 KDP covers
What size is a 5.5 × 8.5 KDP paperback cover?
11.25 in plus the spine wide and 8.75 in tall, bleed included. With 200 pages on white paper that's 11.700 × 8.750 in; with 250 pages it's 11.813 × 8.750 in (3544 × 2625 px at 300 DPI).
How wide is the spine of a 5.5 × 8.5 book with 250 pages?
0.563 in on white paper and 0.625 in on cream. The trim size doesn't change the spine; only the page count and paper do.
How many pages can a 5.5 × 8.5 KDP paperback have?
From 24 up to 828 pages on white paper, 776 on cream, 812 on groundwood, 600 in standard color (from 72 pages) and 828 in premium color.
Is 5.5 × 8.5 a large trim size on KDP?
No. It's a regular trim (no wider than 6.12 in and no taller than 9 in), so it gets the lower per-page printing cost: 250 black-and-white pages cost $4.00 to print on Amazon.com.