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Full-wrap cover

Printing & file preparation

Also called: wraparound cover, cover spread

A single file containing back cover, spine, and front cover as one continuous image. It is the format KDP requires for print books, as opposed to a front-cover-only image.

Print covers are not uploaded as three separate pieces. KDP wants one file laid out left to right as back cover, spine, front cover, sized so that the folds land exactly on the spine edges.

The width is therefore two cover widths plus the spine width, plus bleed on the outer edges. Because the spine width depends on page count, the correct cover file size is not knowable until the interior is final — which is why cover design usually comes after the interior is locked, not before.

Ebook covers work differently: they are front-cover-only images with no spine, no back, and no bleed. A print cover cannot be reused as an ebook cover without cropping.

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SmartKDP is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon. Amazon, Kindle, and Kindle Direct Publishing are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Related terms

  • Spine width

    How thick the book's spine is — page count multiplied by a per-page paper thickness, plus a fixed board offset on hardcovers. It determines where the fold lines sit on your cover file.

  • Bleed

    Extra artwork extended past the trim line so that ink still reaches the edge of the finished book after cutting. KDP's bleed is 0.125 inches — on every outer edge of a cover, but on only three edges of an interior page.

  • Safe area

    The inset region of a cover or page where text and important artwork are guaranteed to survive trimming. On KDP covers it sits 0.125 inches inside the trim edge.

  • DPI

    How many dots of ink per inch an image contains at its printed size. KDP expects 300 DPI for print interiors and covers; screen images at 72 DPI print visibly soft.