Enrichment · Passion Projects · Publishing

Set up the page
before the words.

Pick a trim size, the bleed and the margins. The calculator gives the exact page file size, the pixels an image needs and about how many pages the manuscript will make.

Size my bookWhat you get

The book trim size calculator

The worked example is a 6 by 9 inch local history with photos that run to the edge. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

Enrichment · Passion ProjectsFree

What you finish with
The interior page file size with bleed in inches, millimeters and pixels, the live text block, characters a line, words a page and the estimated page count, with other trims compared. It prints as a spec sheet for the layout.
Who it is for
Self-publishing authors setting up a manuscript, students printing a book or zine, and teachers producing a class anthology.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Pick the trim size.
  2. Choose bleed only if art hits the edge.
  3. Set the margins.
  4. Set the type size and spacing.
  5. Type the word count.

Size my book

How the page is worked out

Trim, bleed, margins, then the type.

The worked example: a local history with photosTrim6 × 9 inthe finished pageWith bleed6.125 × 9.25 in+0.125 inLive area4.75 × 7.8inside the marginsPagesabout 17472,000 wordsThe worked example: a local history with photosTrim6 × 9 inthe finished pageWith bleed6.125 × 9.25 in+0.125 inLive area4.75 × 7.8inside the marginsPagesabout 17472,000 words
Bleed is added outside the trim; margins come off inside it; the text block and type settings decide how many words fit.

Trim and bleed

The trim size is the finished page. If any image or color runs to the edge, the file must extend past the trim, usually 0.125 inch at the outside edge, top and bottom, so the cut never leaves a white sliver. The inside edge at the spine needs no bleed.

Lines that read well

Typographers recommend lines of about 45 to 75 characters for continuous reading. The estimate here assumes an average character half the type size wide and six characters a word with its space; your typeface will move the real figure a little either way.

Sources

  1. Bringhurst, R. (2004). The Elements of Typographic Style (3rd ed.). Hartley & Marks: line length and measure.
  2. The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed. (2024). University of Chicago Press: book production and design.
  3. Library of Congress. Preassigned Control Number program and book publishing basics (loc.gov).
  4. U.S. Government Publishing Office. Style Manual: typography and page layout (govinfo.gov).

Estimates for planning; the printer’s own template and proof decide the final file. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.