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Dust jacket calculator

Get the full size of a hardcover dust jacket, flap by flap, and download a template drawn to scale.

Printer
in

IngramSpark works out the spine from your page count and paper and does not publish a formula. Open IngramSpark's spine calculator

Units
Full dust jacket with bleedNeeds spine
Each flap
3.250 in
Front and back panel
6.438 in x 9.250 in
At 300 PPI
Needs spine
  • Paste the spine width from IngramSpark to finish the template. It depends on your page count and paper.
Width needs spine9.500 inFlapBackFrontFlapSpine
Bleed and flap wrapTrimFoldsKeep text insideBarcode
Width, left to right
PartWidthStarts at
Bleed0.125 in0.000 in
Back flap3.250 in0.125 in
Wrap0.250 in3.375 in
Back cover6.438 in3.625 in
SpineNot set10.063 in
Front cover6.438 in11.063 in
Wrap0.250 in17.500 in
Front flap3.250 in17.750 in
Bleed0.125 in21.000 in

Custom sizes up to 6.14 x 9.252 in. Check the result against the template IngramSpark generates before you order a proof.

Rather have a pro handle this? Our studio can: book cover design.

Short answer

KDP prints no dust jackets, so use IngramSpark or Lulu. IngramSpark's jacket is two 3.25 in flaps, two 0.25 in wraps, panels of trim plus 0.4375 in by trim plus 0.25 in, the spine and 0.125 in bleed. A 6 x 9 in book with a 1 in spine needs a 21.125 in x 9.5 in jacket.

How to use it

  1. Choose the printer. KDP and Lulu show what they offer; IngramSpark gets the full calculation.
  2. Pick your trim size, or enter a custom size up to 6.14 x 9.252 in.
  3. Paste the spine width from IngramSpark's spine calculator for your page count and paper.
  4. Download the PDF or PNG template and design on it in your layout app.
  5. Check it against the template IngramSpark generates for your ISBN before you upload.

How it works

A dust jacket is one long sheet that wraps the hardcover and tucks in at both ends as flaps.

Panel = trim width + 0.4375 in, trim height + 0.25 in
Width = 0.125 in + 3.25 in + 0.25 in + panel + spine + panel + 0.25 in + 3.25 in + 0.125 in
Height = 0.125 in + panel height + 0.125 in

Worked example: a 6 x 9 in book with a 1 in spine from IngramSpark. Each panel is 6 + 0.4375 in = 6.4375 in wide and 9 + 0.25 in = 9.25 in tall. The width is 0.25 in bleed + 6.5 in of flaps + 0.5 in of wrap +12.875 in of panels + 1 in spine = 21.125 in. The height is 9.25 in + 0.25 in = 9.5 in.

Keep text 0.125 in inside every fold and trim line, and 0.25 in inside on the front and back covers for the best results. The wrap strips are part of the bleed: run the background through them, but put nothing there you need to read.

Reference

IngramSpark dust jacket size for its standard jacket trims, at three example spine widths. Use your own spine from IngramSpark.

TrimPanel0.75 in spine1 in spine1.5 in spine
5 x 8 in5.4375 x 8.25 in18.875 x 8.5 in19.125 x 8.5 in19.625 x 8.5 in
5.5 x 8.5 in5.9375 x 8.75 in19.875 x 9 in20.125 x 9 in20.625 x 9 in
6 x 9 in6.4375 x 9.25 in20.875 x 9.5 in21.125 x 9.5 in21.625 x 9.5 in
6.14 x 9.21 in6.5775 x 9.46 in21.155 x 9.71 in21.405 x 9.71 in21.905 x 9.71 in

Questions authors ask

Does KDP offer dust jackets?

No. KDP hardcovers are case laminate: the art is printed straight onto the cover boards, and KDP says dust jackets, cloth bound and other hardcover formats aren't available. For a jacketed hardcover, print with IngramSpark or Lulu.

How wide are dust jacket flaps?

IngramSpark's flaps are 3.25 in wide each, joined to the covers by a 0.25 in wrap strip. Lulu does not publish its flap width; it shows it in the template it makes for your book.

How do I calculate the size of a dust jacket?

Add the parts left to right: bleed 0.125 in, back flap 3.25 in, wrap 0.25 in, back panel, spine, front panel, wrap 0.25 in, front flap 3.25 in and bleed 0.125 in. Each panel is the trim width plus 0.4375 in. The height is the trim height plus 0.25 in, plus 0.125 in bleed at the top and bottom.

Why is the jacket panel bigger than my trim size?

A hardcover's boards stick out past the pages, and the jacket has to wrap the boards. That is why IngramSpark adds 0.4375 in to the width and 0.25 in to the height of each cover panel.

Where do I get the spine width for a jacketed hardcover?

From IngramSpark's spine calculator or the cover template it generates for your ISBN. The spine depends on page count, paper and binding, and IngramSpark does not publish a formula, so paste its number into the calculator.

Which trim sizes can have a dust jacket at IngramSpark?

The trim size matrix lists dust jackets at 5 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5, 6 x 9, 6.14 x 9.21 in. Custom sizes are allowed, but a jacketed book can't be larger than 6.14 x 9.252 in.

Does Lulu print dust jackets?

Yes, on its Hardcover Linen Wrap, from 24 to 800 pages. The linen spine gets foil text of up to 42 characters, and the printed jacket goes around it. Build the jacket on the template Lulu gives you for your book.

Where does the barcode go on a dust jacket?

IngramSpark lets you move it anywhere inside the safe area of the back cover. Our template marks a 1.75 x 1 in barcode area centered near the bottom of the back panel as a starting point.

Before and after this step

Related tools

Sources

Last verified against each printer's official help pages. Printers change their specs, so check the source before you order a proof.

IngramSpark

Lulu

KDP