SellerSpec

7.44″ × 9.69″ book cover dimensions on white paper

Full-wrap cover dimensions for a 7.44″ × 9.69″ perfect-bound paperback printed on white paper, for every page count. Spine width, total canvas size and the pixel dimensions to design at.

The formula for this combination
spine = pages × 0.002252″
Full cover = 0.125″ bleed + 7.44″ back + spine + 7.44″ front + 0.125″ bleed, by 9.94″ tall. Height never changes with page count — only the spine does.
Trim size
7.44″ × 9.69″
Paper
White
Per page
0.002252″
Cover height
9.94″

Use the calculator for an exact page count →

Worked example at 200 pages

Back Front spine 0.45″ 15.58″ total width (with bleed) 9.94″ total height
Drawn to scale. The hatched border is the 0.125″ bleed that gets trimmed off — push background artwork all the way into it, and keep text well inside the solid panels.

Every page count for 7.44″ × 9.69″ on white paper

Find your page count in the first column. If yours falls between two rows, use the formula above — or the calculator, which takes any number.

Pages Spine (in) Spine (mm) Cover W × H (in) Cover W × H (mm) Pixels at 300 DPI Spine text
24 0.054″ 1.37 15.184 × 9.94 385.7 × 252.5 4,555 × 2,982 Too narrow
30 0.0676″ 1.72 15.198 × 9.94 386 × 252.5 4,559 × 2,982 Too narrow
40 0.0901″ 2.29 15.22 × 9.94 386.6 × 252.5 4,566 × 2,982 Too narrow
50 0.1126″ 2.86 15.243 × 9.94 387.2 × 252.5 4,573 × 2,982 Too narrow
60 0.1351″ 3.43 15.265 × 9.94 387.7 × 252.5 4,580 × 2,982 Too narrow
70 0.1576″ 4 15.288 × 9.94 388.3 × 252.5 4,586 × 2,982 Too narrow
79 0.1779″ 4.52 15.308 × 9.94 388.8 × 252.5 4,592 × 2,982 Yes
80 0.1802″ 4.58 15.31 × 9.94 388.9 × 252.5 4,593 × 2,982 Yes
90 0.2027″ 5.15 15.333 × 9.94 389.5 × 252.5 4,600 × 2,982 Yes
100 0.2252″ 5.72 15.355 × 9.94 390 × 252.5 4,607 × 2,982 Yes
110 0.2477″ 6.29 15.378 × 9.94 390.6 × 252.5 4,613 × 2,982 Yes
120 0.2702″ 6.86 15.4 × 9.94 391.2 × 252.5 4,620 × 2,982 Yes
130 0.2928″ 7.44 15.423 × 9.94 391.7 × 252.5 4,627 × 2,982 Yes
140 0.3153″ 8.01 15.445 × 9.94 392.3 × 252.5 4,634 × 2,982 Yes
150 0.3378″ 8.58 15.468 × 9.94 392.9 × 252.5 4,640 × 2,982 Yes
160 0.3603″ 9.15 15.49 × 9.94 393.5 × 252.5 4,647 × 2,982 Yes
170 0.3828″ 9.72 15.513 × 9.94 394 × 252.5 4,654 × 2,982 Yes
180 0.4054″ 10.3 15.535 × 9.94 394.6 × 252.5 4,661 × 2,982 Yes
190 0.4279″ 10.87 15.558 × 9.94 395.2 × 252.5 4,667 × 2,982 Yes
200 0.4504″ 11.44 15.58 × 9.94 395.7 × 252.5 4,674 × 2,982 Yes
220 0.4954″ 12.58 15.625 × 9.94 396.9 × 252.5 4,688 × 2,982 Yes
240 0.5405″ 13.73 15.67 × 9.94 398 × 252.5 4,701 × 2,982 Yes
250 0.563″ 14.3 15.693 × 9.94 398.6 × 252.5 4,708 × 2,982 Yes
260 0.5855″ 14.87 15.716 × 9.94 399.2 × 252.5 4,715 × 2,982 Yes
280 0.6306″ 16.02 15.761 × 9.94 400.3 × 252.5 4,728 × 2,982 Yes
300 0.6756″ 17.16 15.806 × 9.94 401.5 × 252.5 4,742 × 2,982 Yes
320 0.7206″ 18.3 15.851 × 9.94 402.6 × 252.5 4,755 × 2,982 Yes
340 0.7657″ 19.45 15.896 × 9.94 403.8 × 252.5 4,769 × 2,982 Yes
360 0.8107″ 20.59 15.941 × 9.94 404.9 × 252.5 4,782 × 2,982 Yes
380 0.8558″ 21.74 15.986 × 9.94 406 × 252.5 4,796 × 2,982 Yes
400 0.9008″ 22.88 16.031 × 9.94 407.2 × 252.5 4,809 × 2,982 Yes
450 1.0134″ 25.74 16.143 × 9.94 410 × 252.5 4,843 × 2,982 Yes
500 1.126″ 28.6 16.256 × 9.94 412.9 × 252.5 4,877 × 2,982 Yes
550 1.2386″ 31.46 16.369 × 9.94 415.8 × 252.5 4,911 × 2,982 Yes
600 1.3512″ 34.32 16.481 × 9.94 418.6 × 252.5 4,944 × 2,982 Yes
700 1.5764″ 40.04 16.706 × 9.94 424.3 × 252.5 5,012 × 2,982 Yes
800 1.8016″ 45.76 16.932 × 9.94 430.1 × 252.5 5,080 × 2,982 Yes

Page counts are always even. Every sheet of paper has two sides, so an odd manuscript page count gets rounded up by the printer. Work out your spine from the rounded number, not the one your word processor shows.

The same trim on other paper

Changing stock changes the spine, so the cover has to be rebuilt. Here is what 7.44″ × 9.69″ looks like at 200 pages on each:

PaperPer pageSpine at 200ppCover width
White (this page) 0.002252″ 0.4504″ 15.58″
Cream 0.0025″ 0.5″ 15.63″ View
Standard Color 0.002252″ 0.4504″ 15.58″ View
Premium Color 0.002347″ 0.4694″ 15.599″ View

What 7.44″ × 9.69″ is normally used for

Textbooks.

Other trim sizes

Common questions

What is the spine width for a 7.44″ × 9.69″ book on white paper?

Multiply the page count by 0.002252″. A 200-page book comes to 0.45″ (11.44 mm). There is no constant to add — the spine is purely page count × paper thickness.

Does the spine formula include an extra 0.06 inches?

No. A version of this formula that adds 0.06″ circulates widely, but that constant does not appear in the printer’s specification. Adding it makes the cover about 1.5 mm too wide, which shifts your spine text off-centre and can push the file into rejection.

Why does white paper give a different spine to the other stocks?

Each stock has its own caliper. White is 0.002252″ per page — standard for most fiction and non-fiction. Same page count, different stock, different spine — so pick the paper before you build the cover.

Can I put text on the spine?

Only from 79 pages up. Below that the spine is too narrow to print reliably and the file will be rejected. At and above it, keep at least 0.0625″ clear on each side of the text.

What pixel canvas should I design on?

At 300 DPI a 200-page 7.44″ × 9.69″ cover is 4,674 × 2,982 px. Start the document at that size. Designing smaller and scaling up loses detail the printer will show.