REFERENCE · PUBLICATION STANDARDS
Book Size Standards
Standard book trim sizes, binding types, and production specifications for print publishing
Standard Book Trim Sizes
| Name | Size (mm) | Size (inches) | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket / Mass Market | 108 × 175 | 4.25 × 6.87 | Paperback novels, airport books |
| A6 | 105 × 148 | 4.13 × 5.83 | Small notebooks, pocket guides |
| Digest | 140 × 216 | 5.5 × 8.5 | Magazines, digests, manuals |
| A5 | 148 × 210 | 5.83 × 8.27 | Notebooks, academic, literary fiction |
| Royal | 156 × 234 | 6.14 × 9.21 | Non-fiction, textbooks |
| Trade / US Trade | 152 × 229 | 6 × 9 | Standard paperback |
| Crown Quarto | 189 × 246 | 7.44 × 9.69 | Illustrated books |
| B5 (JIS) | 182 × 257 | 7.17 × 10.12 | Manga, Japanese publications |
| B5 (ISO) | 176 × 250 | 6.93 × 9.84 | Technical, academic |
| A4 | 210 × 297 | 8.27 × 11.69 | Reports, manuals, catalogs |
| Letter | 216 × 279 | 8.5 × 11 | US standard, workbooks |
| Square Small | 210 × 210 | 8.27 × 8.27 | Art books, photo books |
| Square Large | 254 × 254 | 10 × 10 | Children's books, portfolios |
| Coffee Table | 280 × 356 | 11 × 14 | Art, photography, luxury |
| Tabloid | 279 × 432 | 11 × 17 | Posters, large format |
Binding Types
Perfect Binding
Glued spine, flat back, most common for paperbacks, 40+ pages minimum
Saddle Stitch
Stapled through fold, thin booklets, up to ~64 pages
Case / Hardcover
Sewn signatures + rigid boards + cloth/paper wrap, premium
Spiral / Wire-O
Coil or wire binding, lies flat, cookbooks and manuals
Coptic Stitch
Exposed decorative spine sewing, art books and journals
Japanese Stab Binding
Side-sewn decorative binding, single sheets
Smyth Sewn
Thread-sewn signatures, durable, opens flat, quality paperbacks
Lay-flat
Special binding that opens completely flat, photo albums
Bleed & Safe Zone Guide
- Standard bleed 3 mm (0.125 in) on all sides
- Safe zone 5-6 mm (0.2 in) keep text/logos from trim edge
- Spine text > 5 mm only if spine width exceeds 5 mm
- Barcode area 38 × 25 mm min back cover lower-right
- Hardcover wrap 15-20 mm extend cover beyond board edge