What Dimensions and File Specs Does Your Ebook Cover Need?

Every major ebook retailer requires a different cover image size, and uploading the wrong dimensions can mean rejection, cropping, or a blurry thumbnail that costs you sales. The universal safe starting point for ebook cover dimensions is 1,600 pixels (width) × 2,560 pixels (height) in RGB colour mode, saved as a JPG; this meets KDP’s ideal spec and scales cleanly for every other platform.

Throughout this post, dimensions are given as width × height. You will find some platform documentation lists these in the opposite order (height × width), so check which convention a platform is using when you compare numbers.

What Ebook Cover Dimensions Does Each Platform Require?

Each retailer publishes its own pixel requirements, and they do not all agree. The table below compiles the current specifications from each platform’s official documentation.

According to KDP’s cover image guidelines, the ideal marketing cover is 1,600 × 2,560 pixels at a minimum of 300 DPI. Covers below 1,000 pixels tall are rejected outright. We see this rejection regularly with authors who export their cover from Canva at screen resolution without checking the output dimensions, or use a screenshot of the designed cover rather than an exported file; KDP’s error message simply says the image is “too small” without specifying by how much.

IngramSpark’s ebook file requirements specify that the cover must be a standalone JPG (not bundled with the EPUB), must be at least 1,600 pixels on the shortest side, and must be RGB. Full-spread print jackets with a spine and back cover are rejected; this catches authors who accidentally upload their print cover PDF instead of the front-only ebook image.

Why Do Aspect Ratios Differ Between Ebook Platforms?

KDP’s ideal dimensions produce a 5:8 width-to-height ratio (narrower and taller), while Apple Books and Kobo prefer 2:3 (slightly wider in proportion, closer to a standard printed book). The difference is small but real: a cover designed at 1,600 × 2,560 for KDP has the same width as Apple’s preferred 1,600 × 2,400, but it is taller, so the proportions do not match.

In practice, most retailers accept minor ratio variations without rejection. Apple’s Book Cover Art guidelines state that covers must be at least 1,400 pixels on the shorter axis but do not mandate an exact ratio. Similarly, Kobo’s cover image documentation recommends a 3:4 width-to-height ratio but accepts other proportions.

Where ratio mismatches become visible is in thumbnail rendering. Each retailer’s storefront crops or letterboxes covers to fit its own display grid. A cover that fills KDP’s frame perfectly may show thin strips of white space on Kobo’s wider grid. When we prepare covers for authors distributing across multiple platforms, we build the artwork at the widest ratio any target retailer uses and then verify the crop on each storefront’s preview tool before approving the final file.

Should Your Ebook Cover Be JPG or PNG?

JPG is the safest choice across all platforms. Every major ebook retailer accepts JPG, and several (KDP and IngramSpark among them) either prefer it or require it exclusively. PNG is accepted by Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, and Draft2Digital, but not by IngramSpark for ebook covers.

You may see both “JPG” and “JPEG” in platform documentation and design software. They refer to the same file format. JPEG 2000 (.jp2) is a different format entirely and is not used in ebook publishing.

The technical trade-off between the two formats is straightforward. JPG uses lossy compression: it discards some colour data to produce smaller files, typically 200-500 KB for an ebook cover at quality 85. PNG uses lossless compression: it preserves every pixel exactly but produces files 3-5 times larger. For photographic covers (the vast majority of fiction and non-fiction covers), JPG at quality 80-90 is visually indistinguishable from PNG on e-reader screens and loads faster on lower-bandwidth devices.

What about TIFF?

KDP accepts TIFF files, and TIFF supports both RGB and CMYK colour spaces at high bit depth. TIFF files are dramatically larger (often 15-30 MB for a single cover), and no other ebook platform accepts them. Unless you have a specific workflow reason to deliver TIFF to KDP, JPG is simpler and more portable.

Does DPI Matter for an Ebook Cover?

DPI (dots per inch) causes more confusion than almost any other cover spec. The short answer: for ebook covers, DPI does not affect how your cover looks on screen. What matters is the total number of pixels.

A cover that is 1,600 × 2,560 pixels will look exactly the same on every e-reader regardless of whether the file says 72 DPI or 300 DPI. The device displays pixels; it does not use the DPI number embedded in the file.

KDP’s documentation says covers should be “at least 300 DPI,” which leads many authors to think a 72 DPI cover will look blurry. It will not. KDP checks pixel dimensions (minimum 625 × 1,000), not DPI. The 300 DPI recommendation is a useful shorthand: if you set your file to 300 DPI in Photoshop or InDesign, you tend to end up with a large, high-quality image that compresses well. But the DPI number itself is not what makes the cover sharp; the pixel count is.

If you are also producing a print cover (where DPI genuinely affects output quality), design the master file at 300 DPI and export a pixel-matched version for ebook. This avoids the common mistake of designing at 72 DPI and later trying to upscale for print, which produces visibly soft results.

What Happens If You Upload an Ebook Cover with the Wrong Dimensions?

The consequences depend on the platform and the nature of the error. Each retailer handles incorrect covers differently.

Rejection (file won’t process): KDP rejects covers below 625 × 1,000 pixels. IngramSpark rejects covers that include a spine and back cover (a full print wrap). Apple Books rejects covers below 1,400 pixels on the shorter axis. In each case, the upload fails with an error message and you cannot proceed until you fix the file.

Automatic resizing (quality loss): Draft2Digital explicitly resizes your cover to match each distribution partner’s requirements. If you upload a small image (say 800 × 1,200), D2D will upscale it for partners that require larger files, and upscaling always softens the image. Kobo and Google Play Books also resize internally; the result depends on how far the original is from the target size.

Aspect ratio cropping: When your cover’s ratio doesn’t match a platform’s display frame, the platform either letterboxes (adds blank space) or crops. Neither looks professional. A cover designed at KDP’s 5:8 ratio displayed in Kobo’s 3:4 frame will show narrow white bands at the top and bottom of the thumbnail. Most readers won’t consciously notice, but the cover occupies less visual real estate than competitors’ covers in search results.

The most common error we encounter in our formatting work is authors uploading their print cover PDF to the ebook cover field. A print cover includes bleed, spine, and back cover artwork that ebook platforms cannot parse. The result is either a rejection or a badly cropped image showing half the spine text.

How to Make One Ebook Cover Work on Every Platform

Designing a separate cover file for each retailer is unnecessary. A single master file works everywhere if you follow three rules.

1. Design at the largest dimensions any platform requires. Start at 1,600 × 2,560 pixels (KDP’s ideal). This exceeds every other platform’s minimum and scales down without quality loss. If you also distribute through Apple Books, consider starting at 1,707 × 2,560 (which gives you Apple’s preferred 2:3 ratio at KDP’s pixel height) and cropping the width to 1,600 for KDP.

2. Keep critical content away from the edges. Title text, author name, and key artwork should sit within the inner 90% of the canvas. This gives every platform room to crop or resize without cutting into essential elements. Think of the outer 5% on each side as a visual safety margin, similar to the safe zone concept used in children’s picture book illustrations.

3. Export platform-specific versions from one master. Save your working file as a layered PSD or AI file at maximum resolution. Export JPG at quality 85 for KDP and IngramSpark. Export JPG or PNG for Apple Books and Kobo. Verify each export against the target platform’s preview tool before submitting.

One detail that is easy to overlook: your cover also needs to be legible at thumbnail size. On a storefront like Amazon, covers appear as small images (often around 150-170 pixels wide) alongside dozens of competitors. If your title text is too small, too thin, or too close in colour to the background, readers scrolling through search results will not be able to read it. Design at full resolution, but zoom out regularly during the process to check that the title (and ideally the author name) remains clear at the size readers will actually see it.

All ebook covers must be RGB colour mode. Unlike print covers (where CMYK is standard for offset and sometimes required by IngramSpark’s print division), every ebook retailer specifies RGB. Submitting a CMYK image to an ebook platform produces flat, desaturated colours on screen because the file is designed for ink mixing, not light emission.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum file size for a KDP ebook cover?

KDP accepts ebook cover images up to 50 MB. In practice, a well-compressed JPG at 1,600 × 2,560 pixels and quality 85 weighs 200-500 KB, so file size limits are rarely an issue. Kobo’s limit is 5 MB, which is still generous for a single-image JPG.

Does my ebook cover need to be a different file from my print cover?

Yes. An ebook cover is a single front-only image (JPG or PNG, RGB colour mode). A print cover is a full wraparound file (PDF, typically CMYK) that includes the front, spine, back, and bleed area. Uploading a print cover file to an ebook platform will either be rejected or display incorrectly.

Can I use the same ebook cover dimensions for KDP and IngramSpark?

Yes. A 1,600 × 2,560 pixel JPG in RGB meets both KDP’s ideal specification and IngramSpark’s minimum requirements (2,560 on the longest side, 1,600 on the shortest). The key difference is format: IngramSpark accepts JPG only, while KDP also accepts TIFF.

What aspect ratio should I use if I publish on both Amazon and Apple Books?

KDP’s ideal ratio is 5:8 (width to height), while Apple Books prefers 2:3. If you design at 1,600 × 2,560 for KDP, the image will display on Apple Books with minimal letterboxing. For a pixel-perfect fit on both, design at 1,707 × 2,560 (Apple’s ratio at KDP’s height) and crop the width to 1,600 for KDP.

Is 72 DPI acceptable for an ebook cover?

Yes. E-readers display pixels, not inches, so the DPI number in your file does not affect how the cover looks on screen. What matters is the total pixel count: a 1,600 × 2,560 pixel cover looks identical whether tagged at 72 DPI or 300 DPI. KDP recommends 300 DPI as a best practice, but it checks pixel dimensions, not DPI.

Your ebook cover is the single most viewed asset in your publishing workflow. It appears in search results, retailer carousels, “also bought” grids, and reading app libraries, all at different sizes and on different screen technologies. Getting the dimensions and file specs right once, from a single well-prepared master file, saves time and ensures your cover looks sharp wherever readers encounter it.