8.5 × 8.5 in (8.5x8.5) book size on KDP: specs, page limits and cover size
8.5 × 8.5 in (often written 8.5x8.5; 215.9 × 215.9 mm) is the larger square size, a classic format for picture books and early-childhood books. It is a large trim on KDP, offered as a paperback only (24–590 pages, or up to 600 in standard color). With bleed, each interior page is 8.625 × 8.75 in.
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8.5 × 8.5 in at a glance
| Trim size | 8.5 × 8.5 in · 215.9 × 215.9 mm · 21.59 × 21.59 cm |
| Shape | Square |
| Size class | Large trim (wider than 6.12 in), higher printing cost |
| Interior page with bleed | 8.625 × 8.75 in · 219.1 × 222.3 mm |
| Bindings | Paperback only |
| Expanded Distribution | Standard color, Premium color |
Page limits by ink and paper
Page counts KDP accepts at 8.5 × 8.5 in, by binding, ink and paper:
| Ink and paper | Paperback pages | Spine per page |
|---|---|---|
| Black & white · white paper | 24–590 | 0.002252 in |
| Black & white · cream paper | 24–550 | 0.0025 in |
| Black & white · groundwood paper | 24–578 | 0.00235 in |
| Standard color · white paper | 72–600* | 0.002252 in |
| Premium color · white paper | 24–590 | 0.002347 in |
* KDP's table gives 72–600 pages for standard color at this size, more than the 590 pages it allows for black and white on white paper; kdpbook stops standard color books at 590 pages to stay on the safe side.
Spine width at 8.5 × 8.5 in for your page count: spine width calculator.
At 8.5 × 8.5 in, standard color and premium color are eligible for Expanded Distribution (40% royalty through bookstores and libraries); black and white on white paper, black and white on cream paper and black and white on groundwood paper are not.
Eligible doesn’t mean accepted: the books KDP’s distributors don’t take.
Margins and text area at 8.5 × 8.5 in
Widest text block at 8.5 × 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) | 7.875 in | 7.75 in |
| 151–300 | 0.5 in (12.7 mm) | 7.75 in | 7.625 in |
| 301–500 | 0.625 in (15.9 mm) | 7.625 in | 7.5 in |
| 501–590 | 0.75 in (19.1 mm) | 7.5 in | 7.375 in |
The text block can be up to 8 in tall at 8.5 × 8.5 in (7.75 in with bleed). Every margin to scale: margins and bleed calculator.
Full-wrap cover size at 8.5 × 8.5 in
Full-wrap cover sizes at 8.5 × 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Premium color | 0.056 in | 17.306 × 8.75 | 439.6 × 222.3 | No |
| 32 | Premium color | 0.075 in | 17.325 × 8.75 | 440.1 × 222.3 | No |
| 48 | Premium color | 0.113 in | 17.363 × 8.75 | 441 × 222.3 | No |
For 32 pages: 0.125 + 8.5 + 0.075 + 8.5 + 0.125 = 17.325 in wide, and 8.5 + 2 × 0.125 = 8.75 in tall. The bleed is trimmed off after printing.
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 premium color takes 96 pages.
Exact size and a PNG or SVG template for your page count: cover size calculator.
Printing cost at 8.5 × 8.5 in on Amazon.com
Amazon.com printing cost at 8.5 × 8.5 in in US dollars, with the lowest list price KDP accepts:
| Pages | Premium color | Standard color |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | $4.20 flat fee · min. list price $8.40 | From 72 pages |
| 100 | $9.00 min. list price $15.00 | $5.02 min. list price $9.99 |
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.
8.5 × 8.5 in is a large trim (wider than 6.12 in), so it prints at KDP's large-trim rate: a 300-page black-and-white paperback costs $6.10 to print on Amazon.com, against $4.60 at 6 × 9 in, a regular trim. That is $1.50 more per copy.
Every marketplace: printing cost calculator. What a copy earns: royalty calculator.
When to choose 8.5 × 8.5 in
- Open, a double-page spread measures 17 × 8.5 in, room for a full-bleed scene with text above or below it.
- As an 8.5 in wide trim it has lower page limits than the smaller sizes (590 pages on white paper), still far more than a picture book needs.
kdpbook book types at 8.5 × 8.5 in
These kdpbook book types start at 8.5 × 8.5 in by default:
- Baby & toddler book: premium color · white paper, 24 pages by default
- Picture book: premium color · white paper, 32 pages by default
- ABC book: premium color · white paper, 32 pages by default
- Counting book: premium color · white paper, 24 pages by default
You can also choose 8.5 × 8.5 in for illustrated storybook, early reader, bedtime story collection, kids' fact book, poetry collection, kids' coloring book, adult coloring book, kids' activity book, maze book for kids and sketchbook.
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.
8.5 × 8.5 in questions
How many pages can an 8.5 × 8.5 in book have on KDP?
As a paperback: 24–590 pages in black and white on white paper, 24–550 pages in black and white on cream paper, 24–578 pages in black and white on groundwood paper, 72–600 pages in standard color and 24–590 pages in 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 8.5 × 8.5 in book need on KDP?
It depends on the page count and the paper, because the spine grows with every page. A 32-page 8.5 × 8.5 in paperback in premium color needs a full-wrap cover of 17.325 × 8.75 in (440.1 × 222.3 mm): back and front at 8.5 in each, a 0.075 in spine and 0.125 in of bleed on the outside edges.
Can an 8.5 × 8.5 in book be a hardcover on KDP?
No. KDP prints hardcovers only in 5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9, 6.14 × 9.21, 7 × 10, 8.25 × 11 in, all portrait, so there is no square hardcover: an 8.5 × 8.5 in book is published as a paperback.