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KDP trim size

6 × 9 in book size on KDP: specs, page limits and cover size

6 × 9 in (152.4 × 228.6 mm) is the most common paperback trim in the US according to KDP, used for novels, non-fiction, memoirs and journals. 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 6.125 × 9.25 in.

paperbackhardcoverRegular trimportrait

By kdpbook.io editorialPublished ✓ Checked against KDP Help on

8.5 × 116 × 915.24 × 22.86 cm
To scale · dashed: 8.5 × 11 in · red: page with 0.125 in bleed

6 × 9 in at a glance

Trim size6 × 9 in · 152.4 × 228.6 mm · 15.24 × 22.86 cm
ShapePortrait
Size classRegular trim, lower printing cost
Interior page with bleed6.125 × 9.25 in · 155.6 × 234.9 mm
BindingsPaperback and hardcover
Expanded DistributionB&W white, B&W cream, B&W groundwood, Standard color, Premium color

Page limits by ink and paper

KDP sets a minimum and a maximum page count for every combination of trim, binding, ink and paper. At 6 × 9 in:

Ink and paperPaperback pagesHardcover pagesSpine per page
Black & white · white paper24–82875–5500.002252 in
Black & white · cream paper24–77675–5500.0025 in
Black & white · groundwood paper24–812Not offered0.00235 in
Standard color · white paper72–600Not offered0.002252 in
Premium color · white paper24–82875–5500.002347 in

KDP counts every page, blank ones included, and rounds an odd count up to the next even number, so the 75-page hardcover minimum is 76 pages in practice. The spine factor is the thickness of one page; the spine width calculator multiplies it by your page count.

Every ink and paper option at 6 × 9 in is eligible for Expanded Distribution (40% royalty through bookstores and libraries).

Eligibility by size and paper doesn’t guarantee acceptance. KDP’s Expanded Distribution page says its distributors don’t currently accept journals, notebooks, planners, coloring books or interiors that need a high concentration of ink, among other content, and it follows that list with a table of topics that includes activity books, puzzle books, workbooks and cookbooks.

Margins and text area at 6 × 9 in

KDP’s minimum inside margin (the gutter) grows with the page count. The top, bottom and outside margins must be at least 0.25 in, or 0.375 in when the interior has bleed. With those minimums, the text block can be this wide at 6 × 9 in:

PagesMinimum gutterMax text widthWith bleed
24–1500.375 in (9.6 mm)5.375 in5.25 in
151–3000.5 in (12.7 mm)5.25 in5.125 in
301–5000.625 in (15.9 mm)5.125 in5 in
501–7000.75 in (19.1 mm)5 in4.875 in
701–8280.875 in (22.3 mm)4.875 in4.75 in

The text block can be up to 8.5 in tall (8.25 in with bleed). These are KDP’s minimums; most book designers leave more room, especially at the gutter of thick books. See every margin to scale in margins and bleed.

Full-wrap cover size at 6 × 9 in

The cover is one PDF: back cover, spine and front cover side by side. Its width depends on the spine, so it changes with the page count and the paper.

Paperback

PagesPaperSpineFull cover (in)Full cover (mm)Spine text
100B&W white0.225 in12.475 × 9.25316.9 × 234.9Yes
200B&W white0.45 in12.7 × 9.25322.6 × 234.9Yes
300B&W white0.676 in12.926 × 9.25328.3 × 234.9Yes

For 200 pages: 0.125 + 6 + 0.45 + 6 + 0.125 = 12.7 in wide, and 9 + 2 × 0.125 = 9.25 in tall. The bleed is trimmed off after printing.

Hardcover

PagesPaperSpineFull cover (in)Full cover (mm)Spine text
100B&W white0.414 in13.989 × 10.417355.3 × 264.6Yes
200B&W white0.639 in14.214 × 10.417361 × 264.6Yes
300B&W white0.865 in14.439 × 10.417366.8 × 264.6Yes

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 allows spine text from 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 white paper takes 100 pages.

Get the exact size for your page count, with a template that marks the bleed, spine, safe area and barcode box, in the cover size calculator.

Printing cost at 6 × 9 in on Amazon.com

KDP deducts the printing cost from each sale. Examples on Amazon.com in US dollars, with the lowest list price KDP accepts for each:

Paperback

PagesB&W whitePremium color
100$2.30flat fee · min. list price $4.60$7.50min. list price $12.50
300$4.60min. list price $9.20$20.50min. list price $34.17

Hardcover

PagesB&W whitePremium color
100$6.80flat fee · min. list price $11.33$12.15min. list price $20.25
300$9.25min. list price $15.42$25.15min. 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.

6 × 9 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.

Other marketplaces use their own price tables: compare all of them in the printing cost calculator, and see what you earn per copy with the royalty calculator.

How many pages will your manuscript fill?

  • An 80,000-word novel comes to about 242 pages at 6 × 9 in with 11 pt body text, for a 0.605 in spine on cream paper.
  • A 50,000-word non-fiction guide comes to about 174 pages at 6 × 9 in with 11 pt body text, for a 0.392 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 6 × 9 in

  • It gives the most page area of any regular trim: KDP counts a book as large only when it is wider than 6.12 in or taller than 9 in, and 6 × 9 in stays within both limits.
  • Like 5.5 × 8.5 in, it is also a hardcover size and every ink and paper option is eligible for Expanded Distribution, so one layout works for the paperback, the hardcover and bookstore distribution.

kdpbook book types at 6 × 9 in

These kdpbook book types start at 6 × 9 in by default:

You can also choose 6 × 9 in for picture book, bedtime story collection, early chapter book, middle-grade novel, young adult novel, novel, novella & short stories, poetry collection, self-help book, devotional, puzzle book, word search book, sudoku book, sketchbook, comic & graphic novel 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.

6 × 9 in questions

How many pages can a 6 × 9 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 6 × 9 in book need on KDP?

It depends on the page count and the paper, because the spine grows with every page. A 200-page 6 × 9 in paperback in black and white on white paper needs a full-wrap cover of 12.7 × 9.25 in (322.6 × 234.9 mm): back and front at 6 in each, a 0.45 in spine and 0.125 in of bleed on the outside edges.

Can a 6 × 9 in book be a hardcover on KDP?

Yes. 6 × 9 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.

Make it with kdpbook

Make a book at 6 × 9 in.

Describe your book in one sentence. kdpbook writes, illustrates and lays it out at the trim you choose, sizes the full-wrap cover from the final page count, and exports the files KDP asks for.

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