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KDP trim size

8.25 × 11 in book size on KDP: specs, page limits and cover size

8.25 × 11 in (209.6 × 279.4 mm) is KDP's largest hardcover size, used for illustrated storybooks, kids' non-fiction and coloring or activity books in hardcover. It is a large trim on KDP, offered as a hardcover only (75–550 pages). With bleed, each interior page is 8.375 × 11.25 in.

hardcoverLarge trimportrait

By kdpbook.io editorialPublished ✓ Checked against KDP Help on

8.5 × 116 × 98.25 × 1120.96 × 27.94 cm
To scale · dashed: 8.5 × 11 in and 6 × 9 in · red: page with 0.125 in bleed

8.25 × 11 in at a glance

Trim size8.25 × 11 in · 209.6 × 279.4 mm · 20.96 × 27.94 cm
ShapePortrait
Size classLarge trim (wider than 6.12 in and taller than 9 in), higher printing cost
Interior page with bleed8.375 × 11.25 in · 212.7 × 285.8 mm
BindingsHardcover only
Expanded DistributionPaperbacks only (n/a)

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 8.25 × 11 in:

Ink and paperHardcover pagesSpine per page
Black & white · white paper75–5500.002252 in
Black & white · cream paper75–5500.0025 in
Black & white · groundwood paperNot offered–
Standard color · white paperNot offered–
Premium color · white paper75–5500.002347 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.

Expanded Distribution (40% royalty) is for paperbacks only, so it doesn't apply to a hardcover-only size.

Margins and text area at 8.25 × 11 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 8.25 × 11 in:

PagesMinimum gutterMax text widthWith bleed
75–1500.375 in (9.6 mm)7.625 in7.5 in
151–3000.5 in (12.7 mm)7.5 in7.375 in
301–5000.625 in (15.9 mm)7.375 in7.25 in
501–5500.75 in (19.1 mm)7.25 in7.125 in

The text block can be up to 10.5 in tall (10.25 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 8.25 × 11 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.

Hardcover

PagesPaperSpineFull cover (in)Full cover (mm)Spine text
80B&W white0.369 in18.444 × 12.417468.5 × 315.4Yes
120B&W white0.459 in18.534 × 12.417470.8 × 315.4Yes
200B&W white0.639 in18.714 × 12.417475.3 × 315.4Yes

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.

A hardcover spine adds 4.8 mm to the paper thickness, so even at 76 pages it is wide enough for 7 pt text inside 0.0625 in spine margins. KDP's hardcover cover guide gives no minimum page count for spine text, and kdpbook allows it on every hardcover.

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 8.25 × 11 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:

PagesB&W whitePremium color
100$7.49flat fee · min. list price $12.48$13.65min. list price $22.75
200$9.05min. list price $15.08$21.65min. list price $36.08

On Amazon.com, black-and-white hardcovers up to 108 pages pay a flat printing fee; above that, and for premium color, the cost is a fixed fee plus a price per page.

8.25 × 11 in is a large trim (wider than 6.12 in and taller than 9 in), so it prints at KDP's large-trim rate: a 300-page black-and-white hardcover costs $10.75 to print on Amazon.com, against $9.25 at 6 × 9 in, a regular trim. That is $1.50 more per copy.

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.

When to choose 8.25 × 11 in

  • It is hardcover only: for a paperback of about the same size, choose 8.5 × 11 in.
  • A KDP hardcover needs at least 75 pages (76 once rounded to an even count), so a 32-page picture book can't be a hardcover at this size or any other; at that length it has to be a paperback.
  • KDP hardcovers are case laminate: the art is printed on the case itself, and KDP offers no dust jacket or cloth binding.

kdpbook book types at 8.25 × 11 in

No kdpbook book type starts at 8.25 × 11 in by default, but you can choose it when you set up a book.

You can also choose 8.25 × 11 in for illustrated storybook, bedtime story collection, kids' fact book, cookbook, kids' coloring book, adult coloring book, kids' activity book, puzzle book, word search book, sudoku book, maze book for kids, educational workbook and comic & graphic novel.

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.

8.25 × 11 in questions

How many pages can an 8.25 × 11 in book have on KDP?

It isn't offered as a paperback. 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 an 8.25 × 11 in book need on KDP?

It depends on the page count and the paper. A 120-page 8.25 × 11 in hardcover in black and white on white paper needs a cover file of 18.534 × 12.417 in (470.8 × 315.4 mm), because the art wraps around boards larger than the trim.

Can an 8.25 × 11 in book be a paperback on KDP?

Not as a standard size: 8.25 × 11 in is hardcover only on KDP. The closest standard paperback is 8.5 × 11 in. KDP accepts custom paperback sizes from 4 to 8.5 in wide and 6 to 11.69 in tall, so an 8.25 × 11 in paperback is possible as a custom size, but KDP's Expanded Distribution table lists 8.25 × 11 in as not eligible with any ink and paper.

Make it with kdpbook

Make a book at 8.25 × 11 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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