Cover Prep · Start here
Create Your Book Cover
You do not have to design a cover in the program you used to write your manuscript. Choose a cover tool for the platform you are publishing through.
What to do
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Choose a guided cover builder or prepare your own print-cover PDF using your printer’s template.
Why it matters
A print cover includes the back, spine, and front together. Its size depends on your finished book—not just the front-cover picture.
Before you start
- Have your title, author name, back-cover description, and cover artwork ready. Use artwork you have permission to publish.
- Finalize your interior and book specifications first: page count and paper affect the spine.
- A print cover wraps around a physical book. An ebook cover is a separate front image.
Publishing through both? Use each printer’s own specifications. One cover file may not fit both.
Guided option 1
Amazon KDP Cover Creator
KDP offers a free browser-based builder with layouts and image options.
Getting started in KDP
- In your KDP Bookshelf, open your title’s Content page.
- Upload the finished interior and wait for processing to finish. The builder needs its page count.
- In the cover area, launch Cover Creator. Choose a design, then a layout.
- Add your image and replace sample text with your description and author information. Check that title and author match your book details.
- Preview the cover, address warnings, then check it again in the print preview.
Using both platforms? Do not rely on downloading a KDP stock-image design for IngramSpark. KDP restricts downloading covers made with its stock images for outside use.
Official video linked from KDP’s help page. Video screens may differ from the current interface.
Guided option 2
IngramSpark Book-Building Tool
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This free tool offers cover layouts within your IngramSpark account.
Getting started in IngramSpark
- Sign in, choose Add a Title, and select the edition you are making.
- Choose the option indicating that your files are not ready to enter the builder.
- Set your book information, then open the Cover area. Choose and save a layout.
- Add images and edit the front, spine, and back. Replace sample text.
- Keep the safety and bleed guides visible. Extend backgrounds to the bleed edge; keep important text inside the safe area and clear of the barcode box.
- Save as you work and review the completed cover.
The official overview is hosted on Vimeo on IngramSpark’s page, rather than YouTube. The written guide includes editing controls.
Prefer YouTube? Watch a cover-template walkthrough
▶ Watch M.K. Williams on YouTube
“How To Use IngramSpark Book Cover Templates” (2021). Independent creator tutorial—not the built-in builder. Covers getting a template, setting guides, designing, and placing artwork into the template. Start around 2:05 for the template or 4:06 for design guides. Older screens may differ; follow current IngramSpark specifications.
Designing in Canva or another cover tool?
If IngramSpark’s direct template link does not open, sign in to your own IngramSpark account and look under My Tools for Cover Template Generator. Its access controls are managed by IngramSpark.
A sizing template is an outline, not a finished cover design. Generic “book cover” templates may show only the front and may not match your book’s spine.
- Get the template for your exact edition from KDP’s Cover Calculator or IngramSpark’s Cover Template Generator.
- Build your artwork against that guide. Paperback, hardback, and dust-jacket dimensions differ.
- Export the cover separately from the interior. Remove template markings that would print, but keep your actual design and required barcode.
- Check the final PDF in the platform’s preview and inspect a physical proof.
Use the Cover Dimensions Calculator for sizing help, then verify the result against your official template.
What do these cover terms mean?
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Full wrap
The back, spine, and front arranged in one continuous print-cover layout. A dust jacket also has flaps. The finished upload needs the file type required by your platform.
Bleed and safe area
Bleed is artwork beyond the cut edge. The safe area is farther inside, where important text and faces stay protected. Use the guides for your exact printer and binding.
Image resolution
Aim for enough pixels at the size the image will print—not just a file tagged “300 DPI.” For example, a 6-inch-wide image needs 1,800 pixels across for 300 pixels per inch. Enlarging a small image does not restore lost detail.
RGB and CMYK
RGB describes screen color; CMYK describes printing inks. Follow the platform’s export requirements. Screen color is not a guarantee of printed color, so review a physical proof.
Flattening and embedded fonts
Flattening transparency helps prevent unexpected missing or altered artwork. Embedded fonts travel inside the PDF so lettering does not change. Follow your design program’s print-PDF guidance; do not turn the whole cover into a low-resolution screenshot.
Barcode area
A scannable block identifying the book. Leave its designated area free of important text or artwork. Follow your platform’s instructions for supplying a barcode or allowing it to add one.
Completion checklist
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What does this mean? Correct dimensions
Use the template for your exact platform, binding, paper, trim size, and final page count—or let that platform’s builder manage the wrap.
Read the explanation → -
What does this mean? Full wrap
The back, spine, and front arranged in one continuous print-cover layout. A dust jacket also has flaps. The finished upload needs the file type required by your platform.
Read the explanation → -
What does this mean? Bleed and safe area
Bleed is artwork beyond the cut edge. The safe area is farther inside, where important text and faces stay protected. Use the guides for your exact printer and binding.
Read the explanation → -
What does this mean? Image resolution
Aim for enough pixels at the size the image will print—not just a file tagged “300 DPI.” For example, a 6-inch-wide image needs 1,800 pixels across for 300 pixels per inch. Enlarging a small image does not restore lost detail.
Read the explanation → -
What does this mean? RGB and CMYK
RGB describes screen color; CMYK describes printing inks. Follow the platform’s export requirements. Screen color is not a guarantee of printed color, so review a physical proof.
Read the explanation → -
What does this mean? Bleed and safe area
Bleed is artwork beyond the cut edge. The safe area is farther inside, where important text and faces stay protected. Use the guides for your exact printer and binding.
Read the explanation → -
What does this mean? Barcode area
A scannable block identifying the book. Leave its designated area free of important text or artwork. Follow your platform’s instructions for supplying a barcode or allowing it to add one.
Read the explanation →
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Before you approve it
Check spelling, title and author consistency, image sharpness, text contrast, spine alignment, barcode clearance, and leftover sample text. Recheck the wrap if the interior page count changes.
Saving a cover design is not the same as publishing your book. Review a physical proof before approving the edition.
Instructions reviewed October 28, 2026 against the linked official guides. Account screens may change.