Book cover template generator
This book cover template generator draws the full wrap of a print cover at true size from your trim size, page count and paper. It marks the bleed, trim, spine, safe area and barcode box, then downloads the drawing as an SVG file your designer can open. A 6 x 9 inch paperback of 288 pages on white paper has a 0.649 inch spine and a full wrap of 12.899 x 9.25 inches including bleed. The tool draws the canvas, not the artwork, and KDP and IngramSpark each publish their own template for the final upload. If the numbers differ, theirs win. Only need the spine number? Use the spine width calculator.
How to use the book cover template generator
The spine comes from the final page count, and a reflow changes it. If you don't have a count yet, estimate one with the page count estimator.
Cream makes a thicker spine than white.
Reserve it if you'll supply your own barcode, or leave it clear if the printer adds one.
It opens in Illustrator, Affinity Designer, Inkscape and Photoshop.
What every line on a cover template means
Bleed
The outer red rectangle. Artwork runs to it, so a trim that drifts doesn't leave a white edge. The tool draws it 0.125 inch outside the trim on every side.
Trim
The navy rectangle is the finished edge of the book. Everything beyond it is cut off.
Spine
The tinted green strip between back and front. Its width is page count times paper thickness, and the label shows it in inches.
Safe area
The dashed green rectangle on each cover, 0.25 inch inside the trim by default. Keep type and faces inside it.
Barcode box
A dashed 2 x 1.2 inch box at the lower right of the back, 0.25 inch from the trim and the spine edge. It's drawn whether you reserve it or leave it clear, with a different label.
How the book cover template generator works
The spine is the page count times the thickness of one page. Wrap width is two trim widths plus the spine plus two bleeds, and wrap height is the trim height plus two bleeds. Metric is inches times 25.4, shown to one decimal, and pixels are inches times 300. The drawing uses one unit per inch, so the downloaded file opens at its true size. Page counts below 4 are raised to 4, and an odd count is rounded up to even, with a note.
| Paper stock | Inches per page |
|---|---|
| White, black ink | 0.002252 |
| Cream, black ink | 0.0025 |
| Standard color | 0.002252 |
| Premium color | 0.002347 |
Those are KDP's paperback values from its paperback cover specifications, read on October 23, 2026. Hardcover adds 0.06 inch to the spine and 0.75 inch beyond the bleed on each side, an approximation this tool makes itself.
The notes panel checks a few things. Under 79 pages it says KDP wants at least 79 for spine text, so a solid color is the usual answer. From 79 to 129 pages the type fits, but binding drift of a sixteenth of an inch is normal, so keep it small and centered. It also flags bleed under 0.125 inch, a safe margin under 0.25, and counts outside the platform's range (over 828 pages on a paperback, outside 75 to 550 on a hardcover). The spine text readout says "Yes" from 79 pages and "No, under 79 pages" below that.
Worked examples
Figures are what the tool shows for white paper unless stated, with 0.125 inch bleed, 0.25 inch safe margin and perfect binding.
| Book | Spine | Full wrap (in) | Metric (mm) | At 300 dpi (px) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 x 9, 288 pages, white | 0.649 | 12.899 x 9.25 | 327.6 x 235 | 3870 x 2775 |
| 6 x 9, 288 pages, cream | 0.72 | 12.97 x 9.25 | 329.4 x 235 | 3891 x 2775 |
| 5.5 x 8.5, 300 pages, cream | 0.75 | 12 x 8.75 | 304.8 x 222.3 | 3600 x 2625 |
| 5 x 8, 200 pages, white | 0.45 | 10.7 x 8.25 | 271.8 x 209.6 | 3210 x 2475 |
| 8.5 x 11, 120 pages, white | 0.27 | 17.52 x 11.25 | 445 x 285.8 | 5256 x 3375 |
Example A, the default. 288 x 0.002252 is 0.6486, shown as 0.649, and the width is 12 + 0.6486 + 0.25 = 12.8986. Each cover panel's safe area is 5.5 x 8.5 inches. The barcode box runs from 3.75 to 5.75 inches in from the back's left trim edge, and from 7.55 to 8.75 inches down from the trim top.
Example B, paper matters. The same 288 pages on cream give a 0.72 inch spine, 0.071 inch wider than white, enough to push type onto the wrong panel.
Example C, a page count change. Going from 300 to 304 pages on 6 x 9 white moves the spine from 0.676 to 0.685 inch, a difference of 4 x 0.002252, or 0.009. On cream, 304 pages give 0.76 inch and a wrap of 13.01 x 9.25.
Example D, forgetting bleed. The same 288-page book built with no bleed is 12.649 x 9 inches, short by 0.25 inch in both directions. Art that stops at the trim line will show white.
Example E, a thin spine. At 90 pages on white the spine is 0.203 inch. KDP wants 0.0625 inch clear on each side of spine text, which leaves 0.078 inch of type height, about 5.6 points. At 100 pages it's 0.225 and 0.1 inch, about 7.2 points. At 288 pages it's 0.649 and 0.524 inch, about 37.7 points. With KDP's 7 point minimum, a spine title only gets comfortable past 100 pages.
KDP, IngramSpark and hardcover
Amazon KDP paperback
KDP's cover is bleed plus back plus spine plus front plus bleed, with 0.125 inch of bleed. Text sits at least 0.125 inch inside the trim, and spine text needs at least 79 pages. Its suggested barcode is 2 x 1.2 inches, black on white, 0.25 inch from the spine and trim. The KDP paperback cover specifications have the details.
IngramSpark
Its file creation guide asks for 0.125 inch bleed on all four sides and recommends 0.25 inch of type safety. Spine type needs 0.0625 inch each side on spines of 0.35 inch or more, and no spine text is allowed under 48 pages. A barcode is mandatory, and if you can't supply one, leave 1.75 x 1 inch clear. Files are CMYK PDF/X.
Hardcover
A case bound cover is a different canvas. KDP wants the file to extend 0.51 inch past the front cover edge for the wrap, leaves a 0.4 inch hinge beside the spine, and keeps text 0.635 inch from the book edge. This tool's hardcover option is approximate, so use the printer's own template. See KDP's hardcover requirements.
Common mistakes with cover templates
Designing before the page count is final
A one-page change is small. A reflow is not.
Choosing the wrong paper
Cream and white differ by 0.071 inch on a 288-page book.
No bleed on the background
Check the artwork reaches the red line.
A spine title on a thin book
Too thin, or too close to the spine edge, and it wraps onto a cover.
Type outside the safe area
Keep faces and type inside the dashed rectangle.
Uploading the SVG
Printers want a PDF. Remove the guide group and convert it first.
What the result means and what to do with the file
The wrap dimensions are the size of the PDF you hand the printer, and the spine tells your designer where the title can sit. The guides are one group named "guides" with no background fill, so place your artwork underneath, hide or delete that group, and export a PDF. The next steps block links to a free SVG to PDF converter. Before you upload, compare the figures with the KDP or IngramSpark template for your exact trim, paper and page count, because the platform's file is the one that gets accepted. The barcode needs an ISBN, which the ISBN checker can verify.
The wrap dimensions are the size of the PDF you hand the printer, and the spine tells your designer where the title can sit.
Related guides on the Author Resources hub
- How to publish a book: where the cover sits in the sequence.
- How to get an ISBN: the barcode comes from the ISBN.
- How much it costs to publish a book: cover costs in context.
When you want the cover designed
A template is the canvas, not the art. Book cover design services start at $850, and a cover with original art starts at $1,800, both starting prices rather than flat rates. We read a sample before we quote. Print setup is $280 plus the printer's cost and includes a spine measured to the paper and one proof ordered and checked. We've published books since 1996, and interior layout sits with our book formatting team.
Book cover design services start at $850, and a cover with original art starts at $1,800, both starting prices rather than flat rates.
Questions we get asked
What size is a book cover template?
It depends on three numbers: trim size, page count and paper. Add the spine to twice the trim width, then add 0.25 inch for the two bleeds. A 6 x 9 paperback of 288 pages on white paper comes to 12.899 x 9.25 inches.
Is this book cover template generator free?
Yes. It runs in your browser, needs no account, and downloads the file directly. It draws the canvas only, so the artwork still has to come from you or a designer, and the printer's own template still decides the final numbers.
Can it design my cover?
No. It draws the guides at true size and doesn't make artwork, whether by hand or by AI. If you want someone to design the cover on top of the template, our book cover design services start there.
What file does it download, and can I get a PDF?
It downloads an SVG. KDP wants a single PDF and IngramSpark a PDF/X file, so delete the guide group, then convert it. The next steps block on this page links to a free converter, and you should compare the result against the platform's own template.
How much bleed does a book cover need?
0.125 inch on all four sides of the cover, for both KDP and IngramSpark. The tool defaults to that, and it warns you if you enter less, because artwork that stops short risks a white line after trimming.
Can I put text on the spine?
KDP needs at least 79 pages and IngramSpark at least 48 on a perfect bound book. Keep 0.0625 inch clear on each side of the type. Under about 100 pages the lettering will be tiny, as Example E shows.
Does this work for IngramSpark or hardcover?
Use it to plan a paperback for either printer. For the file you upload, use the printer's own generator. The hardcover option is approximate, because KDP's wrap and hinge need its own template.
Why does my page count matter?
The spine is page count times paper thickness. A reflow that adds pages makes it wider, so the cover has to be rebuilt and the title may land off center. Finish the interior first, then draw the template.
Keep going with the next tool
Next, check the number alone with the spine width calculator, plan your length with the page count estimator, or verify your barcode number with the ISBN checker. See all author tools.
Tools will only take you so far
Send what you have. Even a half-written manuscript is enough for a reader to tell you what it needs.