What to check
1. KDP offers 16 stock paperback trim sizes and 5 hardcover trims
KDP offers 16 stock paperback trim sizes and 5 hardcover trims. Only 5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9, 6.14 × 9.21, and 7 × 10 exist in both formats, so an 8.5 × 11 hardcover cannot be produced there at all.
2. Maximum pages depend on trim and paper: 828 on black-and-white white paper at the eleven smaller trims, 776 on cream, 600 on standard colour — but only 590 at 8
Maximum pages depend on trim and paper: 828 on black-and-white white paper at the eleven smaller trims, 776 on cream, 600 on standard colour — but only 590 at 8.5 × 8.5 and 8.5 × 11.
3. Standard colour requires at least 72 pages, which a 32-page picture book cannot meet; every other KDP paper starts at 24
Standard colour requires at least 72 pages, which a 32-page picture book cannot meet; every other KDP paper starts at 24.
4. Spine width is calculated from the final page count, so changing trim changes pagination, which changes the spine and the whole cover sheet
Spine width is calculated from the final page count, so changing trim changes pagination, which changes the spine and the whole cover sheet.
Every trim size, with the page ceiling for each paper
Maximum page count is not one number. It depends on the trim and on the paper stock, and the difference is large enough to change which trim you can use: the eleven smaller trims hold 828 pages on black-and-white white paper, while 8.5 × 8.5 and 8.5 × 11 stop at 590. Standard colour needs at least 72 pages; every other KDP paper starts at 24. The front-panel pixel figures below are the front cover alone at 300 DPI — a full print wrap adds the back panel, the spine, and bleed, which the KDP cover calculator works out from your page count.
Portrait trims
The default orientation for novels, memoir, and most nonfiction.
| Trim size | Millimetres | Front panel at 300 DPI | Max pages, white | Max pages, cream | Max pages, standard colour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 × 8 in | 127 × 203.2 mm | 1500 × 2400 px | 828 | 776 | 600 |
| 5.06 × 7.81 in | 128.52 × 198.37 mm | 1518 × 2343 px | 828 | 776 | 600 |
| 5.25 × 8 in | 133.35 × 203.2 mm | 1575 × 2400 px | 828 | 776 | 600 |
| 5.5 × 8.5 in | 139.7 × 215.9 mm | 1650 × 2550 px | 828 | 776 | 600 |
| 6 × 9 in | 152.4 × 228.6 mm | 1800 × 2700 px | 828 | 776 | 600 |
| 6.14 × 9.21 in | 155.96 × 233.93 mm | 1842 × 2763 px | 828 | 776 | 600 |
| 6.69 × 9.61 in | 169.93 × 244.09 mm | 2007 × 2883 px | 828 | 776 | 600 |
| 7 × 10 in | 177.8 × 254 mm | 2100 × 3000 px | 828 | 776 | 600 |
| 7.44 × 9.69 in | 188.98 × 246.13 mm | 2232 × 2907 px | 828 | 776 | 600 |
| 7.5 × 9.25 in | 190.5 × 234.95 mm | 2250 × 2775 px | 828 | 776 | 600 |
| 8 × 10 in | 203.2 × 254 mm | 2400 × 3000 px | 828 | 776 | 600 |
| 8.25 × 11 in | 209.55 × 279.4 mm | 2475 × 3300 px | 800 | 750 | 600 |
| 8.5 × 11 in | 215.9 × 279.4 mm | 2550 × 3300 px | 590 | 550 | 600 |
| 8.27 × 11.69 in | 210.06 × 296.93 mm | 2481 × 3507 px | 780 | 730 | — |
Square trims
Children's picture books, photo books, and art books.
| Trim size | Millimetres | Front panel at 300 DPI | Max pages, white | Max pages, cream | Max pages, standard colour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.25 × 8.25 in | 209.55 × 209.55 mm | 2475 × 2475 px | 800 | 750 | 600 |
| 8.5 × 8.5 in | 215.9 × 215.9 mm | 2550 × 2550 px | 590 | 550 | 600 |
Landscape trims
Wide formats for photography, art, and some children's books.
| Trim size | Millimetres | Front panel at 300 DPI | Max pages, white | Max pages, cream | Max pages, standard colour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.25 × 6 in | 209.55 × 152.4 mm | 2475 × 1800 px | 800 | 750 | 600 |
Spine width follows from the page count
The spine is calculated, never chosen: page count multiplied by the paper's per-page thickness. On KDP that is 0.002252 inches for white and standard colour, 0.0025 for cream, and 0.002347 for premium colour, so a 300-page white-paper paperback has a 0.676-inch spine. Change the trim and the page count changes with it, which changes the spine, which changes the whole cover sheet. Calculate your exact spine width once the interior is final, or read how spine width is calculated in full.
Two constraints catch people out. KDP places spine text only on books above 79 pages, so a short poetry chapbook gets no spine lettering at all. And KDP treats anything wider than 6.12 inches or taller than 9 inches as a large trim, which is priced on a different tier — worth knowing before you choose 8.5 × 11 for a book that would have worked at 6 × 9.
Sources: Amazon KDP paperback trim sizes and page counts · Amazon KDP hardcover print options · Amazon KDP cover calculator and formulas. Recheck the current printer template before export.