Guide
KDP paperback vs hardcover cover size
A KDP hardcover cover isn't a paperback cover with a hard back. It's a bigger file with different rules. Here's what changes and how much.
The short answer
For the same book, the hardcover cover file is wider and taller than the paperback one. For a 6 × 9 in book with 300 pages on white paper:
| Paperback | Hardcover | |
|---|---|---|
| Full cover | 12.926 × 9.250 in | 14.439 × 10.417 in |
| Spine | 0.676 in | 0.865 in |
| Front panel | 6.000 × 9.000 in (trim) | 6.197 × 9.236 in (board) |
| Outer margin | 0.125 in bleed | 0.591 in wrap |
| Pixels at 300 DPI | 3878 × 2775 | 4332 × 3126 |
What's different about a hardcover cover
Wrap instead of bleed
A paperback cover is printed oversized and trimmed, so it only needs 0.125 in of bleed. A hardcover cover is glued around rigid boards, and the extra paper folds inside the case. That fold-over is the wrap: 0.591 in (15 mm) on every edge. Your background must fill it, but nothing important should be in it.
Boards are bigger than the pages
The front and back boards stick out slightly past the pages: 0.197 in (5 mm) wider and 0.236 in (6 mm) taller than your trim size. So each cover panel is larger than the same panel on a paperback.
A wider spine
The spine is page count × paper thickness, like a paperback, plus about 0.189 in (4.8 mm) for the case. A 300-page book gets a 0.865 in hardcover spine instead of 0.676 in.
The hinge
Next to the spine on each side is a 0.394 in (10 mm) hinge where the cover bends when the book opens. Text or faces placed there can crease, so keep them on the flat part of the board.
Fewer trim sizes and a narrower page range
KDP hardcovers come in 5 trim sizes (5.5 × 8.5 in, 6 × 9 in, 6.14 × 9.21 in, 7 × 10 in, 8.25 × 11 in) and need 76–550 pages. Paperbacks offer 17 trims and 24–828 pages.
Side by side: every hardcover trim at 300 pages
White paper, black and white interior. Sizes are the full cover file, including bleed or wrap.
| Trim | Paperback cover | Hardcover cover | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 × 8.5 in | 11.926 × 8.750 in | 13.439 × 9.917 in | +1.514 × +1.167 in |
| 6 × 9 in | 12.926 × 9.250 in | 14.439 × 10.417 in | +1.514 × +1.167 in |
| 6.14 × 9.21 in | 13.206 × 9.460 in | 14.719 × 10.627 in | +1.514 × +1.167 in |
| 7 × 10 in | 14.926 × 10.250 in | 16.439 × 11.417 in | +1.514 × +1.167 in |
| 8.25 × 11 in | 17.426 × 11.250 in | 18.939 × 12.417 in | +1.514 × +1.167 in |
Publishing both? Design the hardcover first. It's the larger canvas, so cropping it down to the paperback size is easier than extending a paperback cover outwards.