KDP cover setup · Updated 2026-05-30
KDP cover image quality and 300 DPI guide
Check KDP cover image resolution, effective DPI, scaling, pixelation, and final canvas size before exporting a paperback cover.
300 DPI depends on final printed size
An image file can say 300 DPI and still look poor if it is enlarged too much on the cover. What matters is effective DPI at the size it prints. Check the pixel dimensions of your placed image and divide by the printed inches it occupies.
Worked examples for cover art
Use the same DPI logic for full covers and individual images. A full cover canvas uses the calculated spread size. A photo placed on the front cover uses only the physical size of that photo on the page.
| Printed area | Pixel dimensions | Effective DPI |
|---|---|---|
| Full 6 × 9, 120-page cover file: 12.520 × 9.25 in | 3756 × 2775 px | 300 DPI |
| Front-cover photo printed 6 × 9 in | 1200 × 1800 px | 200 DPI |
| Front-cover photo printed 4 × 6 in | 1200 × 1800 px | 300 DPI |
| Tiny logo printed 1.5 × 1.5 in | 600 × 600 px | 400 DPI |
Do not fake resolution by changing metadata
Changing a file’s DPI metadata does not create new detail. If an image is blurry, pixelated, heavily compressed, or manually upscaled, fix the source image or reduce its printed size. For final cover art, flatten visible artwork only after you are done editing and keep an editable source copy.