5.5 × 8.5 in (5.5x8.5) book size on KDP: specs, page limits and cover size
5.5 × 8.5 in (often written 5.5x8.5; 139.7 × 215.9 mm) is half a US Letter sheet, a common size for novels, poetry, devotionals and chapter books. It is a regular trim on KDP, offered as a paperback (24–828 pages) and a hardcover (75–550 pages). With bleed, each interior page is 5.625 × 8.75 in.
By kdpbook.io editorialUpdated ✓ Checked against KDP Help on
5.5 × 8.5 in at a glance
| Trim size | 5.5 × 8.5 in · 139.7 × 215.9 mm · 13.97 × 21.59 cm |
| Shape | Portrait |
| Size class | Regular trim, lower printing cost |
| Interior page with bleed | 5.625 × 8.75 in · 142.9 × 222.3 mm |
| Bindings | Paperback and hardcover |
| Expanded Distribution | B&W white, B&W cream, B&W groundwood, Standard color, Premium color |
Page limits by ink and paper
Page counts KDP accepts at 5.5 × 8.5 in, by binding, ink and paper:
| Ink and paper | Paperback pages | Hardcover pages | Spine per page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black & white · white paper | 24–828 | 75–550 | 0.002252 in |
| Black & white · cream paper | 24–776 | 75–550 | 0.0025 in |
| Black & white · groundwood paper | 24–812 | Not offered | 0.00235 in |
| Standard color · white paper | 72–600 | Not offered | 0.002252 in |
| Premium color · white paper | 24–828 | 75–550 | 0.002347 in |
The 75-page hardcover minimum is 76 pages in practice (odd counts print as the next even one). Spine width at 5.5 × 8.5 in for your page count: spine width calculator.
Every ink and paper option at 5.5 × 8.5 in is eligible for Expanded Distribution (40% royalty through bookstores and libraries).
Eligible doesn’t mean accepted: the books KDP’s distributors don’t take.
Margins and text area at 5.5 × 8.5 in
Widest text block at 5.5 × 8.5 in with KDP’s minimum margins (0.25 in outside, 0.375 in with bleed, and the gutter for the page count):
| Pages | Minimum gutter | Max text width | With bleed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24–150 | 0.375 in (9.6 mm) | 4.875 in | 4.75 in |
| 151–300 | 0.5 in (12.7 mm) | 4.75 in | 4.625 in |
| 301–500 | 0.625 in (15.9 mm) | 4.625 in | 4.5 in |
| 501–700 | 0.75 in (19.1 mm) | 4.5 in | 4.375 in |
| 701–828 | 0.875 in (22.3 mm) | 4.375 in | 4.25 in |
The text block can be up to 8 in tall at 5.5 × 8.5 in (7.75 in with bleed). Every margin to scale: margins and bleed calculator.
Full-wrap cover size at 5.5 × 8.5 in
Full-wrap cover sizes at 5.5 × 8.5 in: the spine, and so the width, grows with the page count and the paper.
Paperback
| Pages | Paper | Spine | Full cover (in) | Full cover (mm) | Spine text |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | B&W cream | 0.3 in | 11.55 × 8.75 | 293.4 × 222.3 | Yes |
| 240 | B&W cream | 0.6 in | 11.85 × 8.75 | 301 × 222.3 | Yes |
| 360 | B&W cream | 0.9 in | 12.15 × 8.75 | 308.6 × 222.3 | Yes |
For 240 pages: 0.125 + 5.5 + 0.6 + 5.5 + 0.125 = 11.85 in wide, and 8.5 + 2 × 0.125 = 8.75 in tall. The bleed is trimmed off after printing.
Hardcover
| Pages | Paper | Spine | Full cover (in) | Full cover (mm) | Spine text |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | B&W cream | 0.489 in | 13.064 × 9.917 | 331.8 × 251.9 | Yes |
| 240 | B&W cream | 0.789 in | 13.364 × 9.917 | 339.4 × 251.9 | Yes |
| 360 | B&W cream | 1.089 in | 13.664 × 9.917 | 347.1 × 251.9 | Yes |
A hardcover cover is larger than the page: each board is 5 mm wider and 6 mm taller than the trim, the spine adds 4.8 mm to the paper, and the art wraps 15 mm around every edge. Keep text out of the 10 mm hinge next to the spine.
KDP prints spine text only on books with more than 79 pages. kdpbook also checks that the spine is wide enough for 7 pt text inside KDP's 0.0625 in spine margins, which in black and white on cream paper takes 90 pages.
Exact size and a PNG or SVG template for your page count: cover size calculator.
Printing cost at 5.5 × 8.5 in on Amazon.com
Amazon.com printing cost at 5.5 × 8.5 in in US dollars, with the lowest list price KDP accepts:
Paperback
| Pages | B&W white | Premium color |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | $2.30 flat fee · min. list price $4.60 | $7.50 min. list price $12.50 |
| 300 | $4.60 min. list price $9.20 | $20.50 min. list price $34.17 |
Hardcover
| Pages | B&W white | Premium color |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | $6.80 flat fee · min. list price $11.33 | $12.15 min. list price $20.25 |
| 300 | $9.25 min. list price $15.42 | $25.15 min. list price $41.92 |
On Amazon.com, black-and-white paperbacks up to 108 pages (the limit in KDP's own calculator; the KDP Help page says 110) and premium color up to 40 pages pay a flat printing fee; above that, the cost is a fixed fee plus a price per page. Standard color is always fixed fee plus per page.
5.5 × 8.5 in is a regular trim, so it prints at the same rate as every regular paperback size (5 × 8, 5.06 × 7.81, 5.25 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9 in): a 300-page black-and-white paperback costs $4.60 to print on Amazon.com. At 6.14 × 9.21 in, a large trim, the same book costs $6.10.
Every marketplace: printing cost calculator. What a copy earns: royalty calculator.
How many pages will your manuscript fill?
- An 80,000-word novel comes to about 288 pages at 5.5 × 8.5 in with 11 pt body text (242 at 6 × 9 in), for a 0.72 in spine on cream paper.
- A 50,000-word non-fiction guide comes to about 206 pages at 5.5 × 8.5 in with 11 pt body text (174 at 6 × 9 in), for a 0.464 in spine on white paper.
These are kdpbook’s own layout estimates, front and back matter included. Try your word count and font size in the word count to page count calculator.
When to choose 5.5 × 8.5 in
- It is the smallest size KDP also prints as a hardcover, so a paperback and a hardcover edition can share the 5.5 × 8.5 in trim.
- It holds more words per page than 5 × 8 in while staying well under KDP's large-trim limits, so it prints at the regular rate.
kdpbook book types at 5.5 × 8.5 in
These kdpbook book types start at 5.5 × 8.5 in by default:
- Early chapter book: black & white · white paper, 96 pages by default
- Middle-grade novel: black & white · cream paper, 208 pages by default
- Young adult novel: black & white · cream paper, 320 pages by default
- Novel: black & white · cream paper, 336 pages by default
- Poetry collection: black & white · cream paper, 96 pages by default
- Self-help book: black & white · cream paper, 176 pages by default
- Devotional: black & white · cream paper, 120 pages by default
You can also choose 5.5 × 8.5 in for early reader, novella & short stories, non-fiction guide, business book, memoir & family history, guided journal, gratitude journal, planner & logbook, lined notebook, password book and manga.
Whatever the size, kdpbook lays out the pages, margins, images and full-wrap cover for it, and reflows the book if you change the trim later. kdpbook is independent and not affiliated with Amazon.
5.5 × 8.5 in questions
How many pages can a 5.5 × 8.5 in book have on KDP?
As a paperback: 24–828 pages in black and white on white paper, 24–776 pages in black and white on cream paper, 24–812 pages in black and white on groundwood paper, 72–600 pages in standard color and 24–828 pages in premium color. As a hardcover: 75–550 pages in black and white on white paper, black and white on cream paper or premium color. KDP counts every page, blank ones included, and rounds an odd count up to the next even number.
What cover size does a 5.5 × 8.5 in book need on KDP?
It depends on the page count and the paper, because the spine grows with every page. A 240-page 5.5 × 8.5 in paperback in black and white on cream paper needs a full-wrap cover of 11.85 × 8.75 in (301 × 222.3 mm): back and front at 5.5 in each, a 0.6 in spine and 0.125 in of bleed on the outside edges.
Can a 5.5 × 8.5 in book be a hardcover on KDP?
Yes. 5.5 × 8.5 in is one of KDP's 5 hardcover sizes (5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9, 6.14 × 9.21, 7 × 10, 8.25 × 11 in). A hardcover takes 75–550 pages in black and white on white paper, black and white on cream paper or premium color. KDP hardcovers are case laminate: the art is printed on the cover itself, and there is no dust jacket.