Independent publishing resource
KDP Hardcover Cover Calculator
A case-laminate hardcover needs more than a paperback-style bleed. Its artwork wraps around the boards, and hinge and spine zones affect where text and important imagery can safely sit.
Start a cover project
Cover measurement planner
Enter your working measurements in inches. This planning result does not replace the current production template for your exact marketplace, format, paper, and page count.
Planning result
Calculating…
Hardcover geometry
The finished file accounts for the front board, back board, spine, hinge areas, and outer wrap. Exact measurements depend on trim, page count, paper, and the current manufacturing template for the selected marketplace.
Protect the hinge and wrap
Keep titles, author names, faces, and fine borders away from folds, hinges, and wrapped edges. Background color or artwork should extend through those zones so small manufacturing shifts do not reveal unprinted areas.
Validate against a template
Use calculations for planning, then place the official template over the finished composition or inspect it in the platform previewer. Hardcover specifications can differ materially from paperback specifications.
Frequently asked questions
Can a paperback cover be reused for hardcover?
The concept and source artwork may be reused, but the production layout must be rebuilt for the hardcover board, hinge, spine, and wrap dimensions.
Why should text avoid the hinge?
The hinge is where the cover flexes beside the spine. Type placed there can appear distorted, hard to read, or inconsistently positioned after manufacturing.