Free for everyone — United Kingdom
Book cover templates, paper-aware. for UK Authors
Generate a print-ready cover template for the UK market — Amazon.co.uk, IngramSpark UK, or any custom trim. All measurements shown in both inches and millimetres. Download as PDF, layered Photoshop PSD, or InDesign IDML, ready to open in any design tool.
The template generator
How spine width is calculated
The formula
Spine = pages × paper thickness
Two inputs decide the spine: page count and paper weight. The generator runs the same arithmetic every printer uses — KDP and IngramSpark publish slightly different per-page thicknesses, which is why the same book gets a different spine on each platform.
KDP white
0.002252″ / page
250 pages = 0.563″
KDP cream
0.0025″ / page
250 pages = 0.625″
Hardcover adds 0.25″ for the wrap. Paperback bleed is 0.125″ per edge. KDP requires 79+ pages before spine text is allowed.
Your calculation
250 × 0.0025″ = 0.625″
Example shown: 250-page cream paperback on KDP. The tool above runs this for your exact inputs.
Quick reference
Paperback, before bleed. Hardcover adds 0.25″ for the wrap.
| Pages | KDP white | KDP cream | Ingram white | Ingram cream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0.225″ | 0.250″ | 0.235″ | 0.260″ |
| 150 | 0.338″ | 0.375″ | 0.352″ | 0.390″ |
| 200 | 0.450″ | 0.500″ | 0.469″ | 0.520″ |
| 250 | 0.563″ | 0.625″ | 0.587″ | 0.651″ |
| 300 | 0.676″ | 0.750″ | 0.704″ | 0.781″ |
| 400 | 0.901″ | 1.000″ | 0.939″ | 1.041″ |
| 500 | 1.126″ | 1.250″ | 1.173″ | 1.301″ |
| 600 | 1.351″ | 1.500″ | 1.408″ | 1.561″ |
Cover Templates for UK Authors
UK authors typically favour the B-format size (5.06" x 7.81" / 129 x 198 mm) for fiction paperbacks, the standard size on UK bookshop shelves. KDP trim sizes are specified in inches and don't include an exact B-format match — the closest are 5" x 8" and 5.25" x 8". For non-fiction trade paperbacks, 6" x 9" is the most popular choice in the UK market, consistent with US conventions. Switch the generator above to Custom Size if you need an exact B-format trim.
Amazon.co.uk printing uses the same paper thickness values as Amazon.com — 0.002252" per page for white paper and 0.0025" per page for cream. Your template dimensions are identical regardless of which Amazon marketplace you sell through. A 300-page novel on cream paper has a 0.75" (19.05 mm) spine on both Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
For UK authors selling through IngramSpark — which connects to Gardners, the UK's largest book wholesaler — template dimensions follow IngramSpark's paper thickness: 0.002347" per page for white and 0.002602" per page for cream. Gardners and UK bookshops expect ISBN barcodes on the back cover. Use our ISBN Barcode Generator tool to create a print-ready barcode after downloading your cover template.
UK printing through KDP produces books at Amazon's UK print facility, which means faster delivery to UK customers (3-5 business days vs 2-3 weeks for US-printed books shipped internationally). The cover quality is identical to US printing — matte or glossy laminate finish at 300 DPI. Always upload the full-resolution template; KDP will not upscale low-resolution files.
If you're distributing through both KDP and IngramSpark UK, design your cover file using the larger of the two spine width calculations. A slightly wider spine on the narrower platform will be trimmed imperceptibly, but a spine that's too narrow will show white edges — a visible production flaw that undermines your book's professional appearance.