# Spine text not allowed: the minimum page count for spine text on KDP, IngramSpark and Lulu

Why thin books get rejected for having words on the spine, the page counts each printer uses, and how to fix the cover in Word or a design program.

Facts last checked 4 October 2026. https://bervet.com/forum/guides/212/spine-text-not-allowed-the-minimum-page-count-for-spine-text-on-kdp-ingramspark-and-lulu

A thin book has a very narrow spine, and binding always shifts a little. On a narrow spine, that small shift is enough to push the title round onto the front or back cover. So printers won't print spine text below a certain page count.

### The page counts (as at 4 October 2026)

| Printer | Spine text allowed from |
|---|---|
| KDP (paperback) | 80 pages |
| IngramSpark | 48 pages |
| Lulu | 100 pages if you want retail distribution (see below) |
| Barnes & Noble Press | 48 pages |
| Bookvault | No page count; see below |

**KDP** says on the same help page that you need "at least" 79 pages and "more than" 79 pages. Page counts are always even, so in practice it's 80 either way, and 80 is also the minimum KDP's Cover Creator uses. KDP rejects a cover that has spine text on a book below the limit.

**Lulu** gives two numbers. Its Book Creation Guide says not to put spine text on books of 80 pages or fewer. Its rules for retail distribution say no spine text under 100 pages. If your book might go to retail, use 100.

**Bookvault** gives no page count. It suggests a spine of around 10 mm or more gives you room, and recommends leaving text off very thin spines.

Your page count is every page in the PDF: title page, copyright page, blank pages, the lot. KDP rounds an odd count up to even.

To picture how thin that is: an 80-page KDP paperback on cream paper has a spine 0.2 in wide (80 × 0.0025 in).

### Room around spine text, when it's allowed

- **KDP:** at least 0.0625 in between the text and each edge of the spine, and it allows 0.0625 in of movement either side of the folds.
- **IngramSpark:** 0.0625 in each side on spines 0.35 in or wider; 0.03125 in on narrower ones.
- **Lulu:** 0.125 in each side in its guide, and 0.0625 in in its distribution rules.

### How to fix it in Word

1. Click the spine text box (usually turned sideways) and delete it. Check for anything else on the spine too: author name, logo, series number.
2. Let the cover's background colour or picture carry on across the spine, so it doesn't look empty.
3. Don't shrink the text to make it fit. The rule is about any text on the spine, not its size.
4. Save as PDF and upload again.

If your book is just a few pages short, adding blank pages to get over the line isn't a good fix: KDP limits runs of blank pages, and so does Lulu for distribution. See [too many blank pages](/guides/fix-too-many-blank-pages).

**Using a designer, InDesign, Affinity or Canva?** Hide or delete the spine text layer and keep the spine as background. On books over the limit, keep spine text inside the spine safe area marked on the printer's template.

### Check before you upload

Bervet's free [spine width calculator](https://bervet.com/tools/spine-width-calculator) works out the spine width for your page count and paper with each printer, so you can see how much room you really have, and checks your finished cover PDF. The check runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded; checking a PDF needs a free Bervet account.

### Sources
- Sourced from https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201953020, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834260, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G202145060, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201857950, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://www.ingramspark.com/hubfs/downloads/file-creation-guide.pdf, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://help.ingramspark.com/hc/en-us/articles/5341425168013, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://assets.lulu.com/media/guides/en/lulu-book-creation-guide.pdf, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://help.lulu.com/en/support/solutions/articles/64000255462-mandatory-print-book-distribution-requirements, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from http://www2.nookassets.com/npassets-spb/pod/resources/BN-Press-Formatting-Guide-v1.pdf, as at 4 October 2026.
- Sourced from https://help.bookvault.app/book-cover-spine-misaligned, as at 4 October 2026.

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From Bervet (bervet.com), indie books straight from the people who wrote them. Page: https://bervet.com/forum/guides/212/spine-text-not-allowed-the-minimum-page-count-for-spine-text-on-kdp-ingramspark-and-lulu
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