DAN VAU

How big should your full wrap cover file be?

Width = bleed + back cover + spine + front cover + bleed Height = bleed + trim height + bleed

Example: 5 x 8 in paperback, 246 pages, white paper, B&W Width: 0.125 + 5 + 0.554 + 5 + 0.125 = 10.804 in Height: 0.125 + 8 + 0.125 = 8.25 in

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Bleed and safe area: where your artwork goes, and where your title must stay.

For a KDP paperback cover:

-Bleed: 0.125 in added to the top, bottom and outside edges. Backgrounds and images must run all the way to the bleed edge, because that strip is trimmed off.

-Safe area: keep...

How wide is your book's spine?

For a KDP paperback, spine width depends on your final page count and paper type. For example, a 246-page book on white paper with a black and white interior comes to about 0.554 in (246 x 0.002252 in).

Cream paper and color interiors use different...

How many pages does your spine need? Start with the page count.

Spine width (in) = page count x multiplier

-White paper, B&W: 0.002252

-Cream paper, B&W: 0.0025

-Standard color: 0.002252

-Premium color: 0.002347

Example: 246 pages x 0.002252 = 0.554 in.

Two things to remember:

1.Spine...