Book Cover Size for Amazon KDP: Dimensions in Pixels, Inches and cm

Amazon KDP does not use one magic cover size. Ebook covers are a tall JPEG in pixels. Paperback and hardcover wraps are full-width PDFs sized from trim, spine and bleed. Get the maths wrong and the file fails preview — or worse, prints with a crooked spine.

Key takeaways#

• Kindle ebook ideal size: 2,560 × 1,600 pixels (height × width), ratio at least 1.6:1, JPEG or TIFF, under 50 MB (KDP help, checked 2 October 2026).
• Paperback wrap: one continuous PDF — back + spine + front — with 0.125 in (3.2 mm) bleed on all outer sides.
• Spine width depends on page count and paper (white, cream or colour). Lock the interior page count before you design the spine.
• Work in inches or cm; use pixels for ebook only. The free cover calculator (UK) does the arithmetic.
• Hardcover on KDP uses different case/jacket templates than paperback — do not reuse a paperback wrap file unchanged.

Ebook cover size (pixels)#

For a Kindle ebook cover image, KDP's current guidance (help topic on ebook cover criteria) is:

• Ideal dimensions: 2,560 px height × 1,600 px width
• Useful target: at least 2,500 px on the long edge for HD devices
• Minimum: 1,000 × 625 px
• Maximum edge: 10,000 px
• Ratio: height/width at least 1.6:1
• Format: JPEG or TIFF, RGB, under 50 MB
• Soft tip: very light covers can vanish on white backgrounds — a thin medium-grey border (about 3–4 px) helps

In centimetres at 300 ppi, 1,600 × 2,560 px is roughly 13.5 × 21.7 cm as a pixel canvas — but ebook covers are judged in pixels and at thumbnail size, not as a print sheet. Design for the thumbnail first. Genre signals and readable title type matter more than a clever full-screen scene.

For design principles beyond size, see the book cover design guide and book cover for Amazon KDP.

Paperback full-wrap size (inches and cm)#

A KDP paperback cover is not front-only. It is one PDF:

back cover | spine | front cover

with bleed around the outside.

Formulas (from KDP paperback cover help)

• Cover width = bleed + trim width + spine width + trim width + bleed
• Cover height = bleed + trim height + bleed
• Bleed = 0.125 in (3.2 mm) on each required side

Spine multipliers (black & white / colour interiors)

• White paper: page count × 0.002252 in (0.0572 mm)
• Cream paper: page count × 0.0025 in (0.0635 mm)
• Colour paper: page count × 0.002347 in (0.0596 mm)

Spine text usually needs enough pages (KDP notes a minimum around 79 pages for spine text on paperback; Cover Creator may show 80). Leave a small safety margin inside the spine so fold variance does not clip letters.

Worked example: 300-page 6 × 9 in, black ink, white paper

• Spine = 300 × 0.002252 = 0.6756 in (about 17.2 mm)
• Cover width = 0.125 + 6 + 0.6756 + 6 + 0.125 = 12.9256 in (about 32.83 cm)
• Cover height = 0.125 + 9 + 0.125 = 9.25 in (about 23.50 cm)

Keep important text and barcodes at least 0.25 in (6.4 mm) inside the trim edge. Embed fonts. Flatten layers before export.

Common trim sizes and why the wrap changes#

Popular KDP trims include 5 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5 and 6 × 9 inches. UK bookshops also think in A5 and B-format. Changing trim changes both front width and wrap width. Changing font size changes page count, which changes spine width — which changes the cover file. That is why you format the interior first, then design the wrap. Start with how to choose a book trim size.

Hardcover: case vs jacket (briefly)#

KDP hardcover covers follow separate templates. Case laminate wraps around the boards; a dust jacket is a different piece again. Bleed and wrap allowances are larger than paperback. Always download the current KDP template for your trim and page count rather than scaling a paperback PDF. For the wider hardcover workflow, see how to publish a hardcover book on Amazon KDP.

Canva and DIY tools: what to watch#

Canva and similar tools are fine for ebook fronts if you export at 2,560 × 1,600 (or larger at the same ratio) without squashing. For paperback wraps they are clumsier: you must set a custom page size to the full wrap width and height, place guides for spine folds, and export a print-quality PDF. If the spine guide is even a few millimetres off, the title will lean onto the front or back.

Safer path for print: use KDP's cover calculator/template generator, or our cover calculator (UK), then design on that canvas. Preview with mockup generator before you upload.

Checklist before you upload#

1. 1Interior page count final (no more widow-hunting that adds pages).
2. 2Trim, paper and ink chosen.
3. 3Spine calculated or template downloaded.
4. 4Barcode area clear on the back (ISBN barcode if you use your own number).
5. 5Live text inside safe margins; bleed only for edge colour/images.
6. 6Ebook JPEG exported separately at pixel specs — do not upload the wrap PDF as the ebook cover.

Inches, cm and pixels — which unit when?#

Authors search for all three, so use the right unit for the job:

• Pixels for Kindle ebook covers and any on-screen mockup of the front.
• Inches for KDP print templates and most US-oriented calculators.
• Centimetres or millimetres when you think in UK print terms — multiply inches by 2.54 for cm, or use KDP's mm figures for spine multipliers.

Do not "convert" a 2,560 × 1,600 px ebook cover into a paperback wrap by changing units. The wrap is a different object with spine width and dual panels.

Barcode, price and safe zones on the back#

If you use your own ISBN, leave a clear rectangle for the Bookland EAN barcode — usually lower right on the back, inside the safe zone. Platforms can also generate a barcode from your ISBN at upload. Do not place critical text through the barcode area, and keep the barcode away from the bleed edge. For a quick barcode file, use the free ISBN barcode generator (UK).

What changes if you also upload to IngramSpark?#

IngramSpark issues its own cover templates. Spine calculations and wrap allowances can differ slightly from KDP. If you sell print on both, generate each platform's template (or recalculate) rather than forcing one PDF everywhere. Interior dual-build advice is in how to format a book for IngramSpark; covers still need a per-platform check.

Frequently asked questions#

Next step#

If you want a full wrap built to your final page count — barcode placement included — see book cover design. Prefer to DIY the size first? Run the cover calculator (UK), then design on that canvas.