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Book cover maker: join the front, spine and back into one print-ready cover

Add your front and back covers, tell us the book size and page count, and get a full wraparound cover with the spine sized correctly, crease marks for the binder and a 600 DPI CMYK file that opens at true size. Covers can also come straight from a PDF.

  • 100% free
  • No upload
  • 600 DPI CMYK
  • Spine calculator
  • Crease marks
  • 12×18 & 13×19 PDF

Book cover maker with spine – front, spine and back in one print-ready file

Private: pictures are processed on this device only 600 DPI · CMYK · 1:1 size
Cover pictures

Laid out the way the cover wraps the book: back on the left, spine in the middle, front on the right. JPG, PNG, WebP or a PDF (its first page is used; for the back, its last page).

First page becomes the front, last page the back.
Book size and spine

Spine: . Worked out as pages ÷ 2 × paper thickness + 0.5 mm for glue. Paper varies by mill, so measure a printed block if you can and use “I measured the spine”.

Fit, margins and bleed

For AI-made covers with text too close to the edge, shrink by 5–10%. Choose the colour of the space around them in the Colours panel under the preview (“Fill”).

Spine

Text sizes itself to the spine and is written over the spine picture if there is one. Spine and text colours are in the Colours panel under the preview.

Crease and fold marks

All marks are printed outside the cover, never on it: above and below the two spine edges, and above and below the fold lines on the front and back covers, where the cover bends open. Use 8–12 mm for most books and a little more for thick ones.

Export

A5 covers always print on 13 × 19: two per sheet when they fit in the 12.5 × 18.5 in printable area, otherwise one. Other sizes print two per sheet whenever two fit.

Live preview

ColoursChoose what to colour, then pick from the cover, the swatches or the colour box.

Spine edges · Bleed / trim — guides are not printed. The short black marks in the white border are.

Want the cover printed on 300 GSM with gloss or matte lamination and bound? Send it on WhatsApp or see book printing.

PDF to JPG converter

Every page as a JPG, with its DPI written in

    In short: To make a print-ready book cover, add the front and back cover pictures (or one PDF), choose the book size and enter the page count and paper GSM, or the measured spine width. The tool puts the back on the left, the spine in the middle and the front on the right, adds 1 pt crease marks at the spine edges and fold lines 1 cm away, and exports a 600 DPI CMYK JPG at exact size or a PDF on a 12 × 18 or 13 × 19 inch sheet – A5 covers two per 13 × 19. All marks sit outside the printed cover. Nothing is uploaded.

    How to make a full book cover with spine in five steps

    Works on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone. Nothing to install.

    1. Add the covers

      Drop the front and back pictures, and a spine picture if you have one. Or take both covers from one PDF.

    2. Set size and spine

      Pick A4, A5 or another size, then enter pages and GSM, or the spine width you measured.

    3. Fix the look

      Shrink covers that sit too close to the edge, colour a blank back cover and type the spine title.

    4. Check the marks

      Crease marks sit outside the cover above and below the spine edges and the fold lines 10 mm away.

    5. Download

      Save a 600 DPI CMYK JPG that opens at true size, or a PDF on a 12 × 18 or 13 × 19 sheet.

    Where the crease and fold marks go

    Short 6 mm lines, 1 point thick, printed just outside the cover at top and bottom – never on the artwork. The binder lines up the creasing blade on them.

    BACK FRONT SPINE 10 mm10 mmspine left sideright side

    The marks sit 2 mm outside the cover edge, in the white border of the JPG and on the sheet margin of the PDF, so they stay visible on any cover colour and are cut away with the waste when the cover is trimmed. Thin trim marks show the corners.

    Spine width calculator: pages and GSM

    Approximate spine width for perfect-bound books on uncoated paper. Pages means both sides counted.

    Approximate spine width in mm
    Pages70 GSM80 GSM100 GSM
    1005.0 mm5.5 mm6.5 mm
    2009.5 mm10.5 mm12.5 mm
    30014.0 mm15.5 mm18.5 mm
    40018.5 mm20.5 mm24.5 mm
    50023.0 mm25.5 mm30.5 mm

    Formula: pages ÷ 2 × sheet thickness (about 0.09 mm at 70 GSM, 0.10 at 80, 0.12 at 100) + 0.5 mm for glue. Paper varies by mill, so measure a printed block when you can. Perfect and hard binding take up to 250 sheets (500 pages) per volume; thicker books are split into volumes.

    Made the way a binder needs it

    • Right orderBack on the left, spine in the middle, front on the right – exactly as the cover wraps the book.
    • True 600 DPI CMYKA real CMYK JPEG, drawn in strips so even 1200 DPI covers never overload the browser.
    • Opens at 1:1The DPI is written into the file, so CorelDRAW, Photoshop and InDesign open it at exact millimetres.
    • Crease and fold marks1 pt, 6 mm marks outside the cover, top and bottom, on the spine edges and fold lines 10 mm out.
    • Spine from pagesEnter pages and GSM, or a measured width. The layout updates live.
    • Spine textType a title and author; the text sizes itself and sits over a spine picture if you add one.
    • Blank back fixedColours picked from the front, a gradient, a blurred front or any colour you choose.
    • Margin rescueShrink AI-made covers by a percentage and fill the gap with a matching colour.
    • 2 covers per 13×19A5 covers print two per 13×19 sheet within the 12.5×18.5 in printable area.

    Which sheet does my cover print on?

    Cover sizes and print sheets (with marks)
    Book sizeCover without spineSheet
    A5296 × 210 mm13 × 19 in, 2 per sheet up to a 21 mm spine; 1 per sheet above that
    5.5 × 8.5 in279 × 216 mm13 × 19 in, 2 per sheet up to a 38 mm spine
    6 × 9 in305 × 229 mm12 × 18 in, 1 per sheet
    B5352 × 250 mm12 × 18 in, 1 per sheet, spine up to about 92 mm
    A4420 × 297 mm13 × 19 in, 1 per sheet, spine up to about 49 mm

    Everything, marks included, stays inside the printable area: 12.5 × 18.5 in on a 13 × 19 sheet and 11.5 × 17.5 in on 12 × 18. Spine limits shown are without bleed. Bigger covers are saved at exact size with a border for the marks.

    Who uses the cover maker

    • Self-publishing authors

      Join a front cover from a designer or AI tool with a back cover and spine, ready for a print run.

    • Schools and coaching institutes

      Textbook and study-material covers in A4 or A5, with the spine sized to the page count.

    • Designers

      A 1:1 CMYK base to open in CorelDRAW, with spine and fold positions already marked.

    • Printers and binders

      Check a customer's cover, fix a blank back and send a clean 12 × 18 file to the press.

    Quick answers

    How do I calculate the spine width of a book?

    Divide the page count by 2 and multiply by the paper thickness, then add about 0.5 mm. 200 pages on 70 GSM is about 9.5 mm.

    What size is a full cover for an A5 book?

    296 mm plus the spine wide and 210 mm tall. With a 10 mm spine that is 306 × 210 mm, plus bleed if your printer wants it.

    Which side does the front cover go on?

    On the right. Laid flat and printed side up, a wraparound cover reads back cover, spine, front cover from left to right.

    What DPI should a book cover be?

    300 DPI is the minimum for print; 600 DPI matches laser presses and keeps small text sharp. That is the default here.

    How do I convert a cover to CMYK online?

    Choose CMYK under Export and download the JPG or PDF. The file is written as a real CMYK JPEG in your browser.

    Where does the cover crease on a paperback?

    On both spine edges, plus a hinge fold about 8–12 mm out on the front and back so the cover opens without cracking.

    Frequently asked questions about making a book cover

    How do I make a full book cover with front, spine and back?

    Add the front and back cover pictures to the tool above, choose the book size and enter the number of pages and paper GSM, or the spine width you measured. The tool places the back on the left, the spine in the middle and the front on the right, and exports one print-ready file.

    How is the spine width worked out?

    Pages divided by 2 gives the number of sheets; that is multiplied by the paper thickness, about 0.09 mm for 70 GSM, 0.10 mm for 80 GSM and 0.12 mm for 100 GSM, and 0.5 mm is added for the glue. 200 pages on 70 GSM comes to about 9.5 mm. Paper varies by mill, so a measured spine is always better.

    Can I take the covers from a PDF?

    Yes. Use Or take both covers from one PDF: the first page becomes the front cover and the last page the back cover. You can download both as JPG files, and a separate PDF to JPG converter on the page turns any page into a JPG you can use as front, back or spine.

    What are the crease and fold marks?

    Short lines 6 mm long and 1 point thick, printed just outside the cover at the top and bottom, never on the artwork. Two line up with the spine edges, where the binder creases the cover around the book. Two more line up with the fold lines on the front and back covers, 10 mm from the spine by default, where the cover bends open. The distance, length and thickness can all be changed.

    Is the file really CMYK and 600 DPI?

    Yes. The cover is drawn at the DPI you choose, 600 by default with 300 and 1200 as options, and written as a true CMYK JPEG in your browser. The conversion is a straightforward one without a colour profile, so for colour-critical jobs ask for a printed proof.

    Will the JPG open at the right size in CorelDRAW?

    Yes. The resolution is written into the JPG in both the JFIF and Photoshop headers, so CorelDRAW, Photoshop and InDesign import it at exactly the cover size in millimetres with no scaling needed.

    Which sheet size is used for the PDF?

    A5 covers always go on 13 × 19 inch sheets, two per sheet when both covers and their marks fit in the 12.5 × 18.5 inch printable area, which works up to about a 21 mm spine, and one per sheet for thicker books. Other sizes use 12 × 18 or 13 × 19 and print two per sheet whenever two fit. You can also choose the exact cover size.

    My back cover is blank. What can I do?

    The tool notices a blank back and switches it to a colour taken from the front cover. You can pick any colour from a palette of matching colours, pick a colour straight from the preview or your screen, use a two-colour gradient, or use a blurred copy of the front cover.

    My AI-made cover has text right at the edge. Can I fix that?

    Yes. Enter a shrink percentage, such as 5 or 10. The front and back pictures shrink evenly on all sides and the space around them fills with a colour you choose, so nothing important is lost in trimming or binding.

    Can I add text on the spine?

    Yes. Type a title and an author or publisher name. The text sizes itself to the spine, reads top to bottom by default, and picks black or white for contrast. It is also written over a spine picture if you added one. Spines thinner than about 5 mm are best left without text.

    Does the front cover have to be the same shape as the book?

    No. Fit whole shows the complete picture and fills any gap with the fill colour, Fill and crop covers the whole side and trims the edges, and Stretch fits it exactly. The summary warns you when a picture is a different shape or too low in resolution.

    Are my pictures uploaded?

    No. Everything runs in your browser on your own device. Nothing is sent to our server or anyone else's, so unpublished covers stay private.

    Does it work on a phone?

    Yes, at 300 or 600 DPI. A 1200 DPI cover needs a lot of memory and is best made on a laptop or desktop.

    Can you print and bind the book?

    Yes. BulkPrintouts.com prints books in Borivali West, Mumbai, with perfect binding from ₹50 per book at 50+ copies and hard binding from ₹250, covers on 300 GSM with gloss or matte lamination, and courier across India. Send your files on WhatsApp to +91 98201 69619.

    Last reviewed: 20/09/2026 · Published by BulkPrintouts.com, Borivali West, Mumbai · Questions? Call or WhatsApp +91 98201 69619 (Mon–Sat, 3 PM–10 PM IST).