THE AUTHOR’S TOOLBOX
A little clarity for your next chapter.
Practical tools to help prepare your book. No registration, no file uploads and no email gate.
- Free Image DPI Checker for Book Photos and Illustrations
- Free Book Page Count Estimator for Manuscript Planning
- Free KDP Paperback Spine Width and Cover Size Calculator
- Compare Book Trim Sizes: Free Visual Planning Tool
- Free Manuscript Preparation Checklist for Book Authors
- Book Print Specifications Checklist for Independent Authors
01 · Image resolution
Will it print clearly?
Enter the image’s pixel size and the size it will print. No upload needed.
Meets the common 300 PPI target for photos and illustrations.
Uses the lower of the horizontal and vertical resolution. A guide, not a printer certification. Never enlarge an image to raise its PPI: it adds pixels, not detail.
02 · Page count
How many pages will it be?
A planning estimate for a text-led book. The real count comes from the finished layout.
Includes about 10 pages of front and back matter, rounded to an even number.
Generous spacing, many chapters or dialogue-heavy text can add 10–20%. Use the result with the cover calculator below.
03 · Cover size
Spine and full-wrap cover.
Paperback cover dimensions using Amazon KDP’s paper thickness figures.
Bleed is 0.125 in on each outside edge. Keep text at least 0.25 in inside the trim. IngramSpark and other printers use different paper figures, so always confirm with your printer’s own cover template.
04 · Book shape
Compare trim sizes.
See the proportions of common book sizes. What is available depends on your printer and binding.
inches
Shown to scale with each other, not actual size. Trim is the finished page size. Bleed extends artwork past the cut edge. Margins keep text safely inside it.
05 · Ready for production
Your manuscript checklist.
Work through it before layout begins. Fewer changes later means a faster, less expensive book.
0 of 9 items checked
06 · Print specifications
Decisions to make early.
Confirm these with your printing platform before cover or interior work begins.
- Printer and distribution platform (KDP, IngramSpark, local printer)
- Paperback or hardcover, and the binding
- Trim size, paper colour and ink
- Whether any artwork runs to the page edge (bleed)
- Final page count, which sets the spine width
- An ISBN for each edition and format