EPUBFILEThe ebook cover is a single panel
Retail ebook listings generally display a portrait front cover. It needs to read at thumbnail size, use the retailer's accepted file type and dimensions, and keep important text comfortably inside the edges. A design prepared for one store may need a different crop or export for another.
For an EPUB, the cover may also be embedded in the book package so it appears in a reader's library. This is still a front-cover image, not a print wrap.
The print cover is a measured spread
A paperback cover normally unfolds into a back cover, spine, and front cover. The total canvas width depends on the trim size and spine width; the spine in turn depends on the page count and the printer's paper and binding specifications. The printer's template is the authoritative starting point for that edition.
Print production also accounts for bleed beyond the trim edge, safe areas for text, and a color workflow suited to the printer. A file that looks bright on a screen may reproduce differently on paper, so order and review a proof when possible.
What you can reuse—and what you should rebuild
- Reuse: the core illustration, photography, title lettering, and visual identity, provided the licenses cover both uses.
- Rework: the composition. A narrow front panel may need a new crop or repositioned title when it becomes part of a full wrap.
- Add for print: back-cover copy, barcode space where required, spine text when the spine is wide enough, and the printer's bleed and safe areas.
- Export separately: keep the ebook image and print-ready PDF or image as clearly named files so they cannot be mixed up at upload.
A safer production order
- Finalize the trim size, paper, binding, and approximate page count for the print edition.
- Download the current cover template from the printer or use its cover calculator.
- Build the print wrap to the template and check the spine, bleed, and safe zones.
- Export a separate ebook front cover to the retailer's requirements and inspect it at thumbnail size.
- Open both final exports and confirm that the intended file is attached to each edition.
