Kindle Cover Mockup | 1600x2560 PNG matching the KDP 1.6:1 spec
Type a title, subtitle, and author name, choose a background pattern, and a placeholder Kindle eBook cover is rendered at 1600x2560 in portrait orientation (the 1.6:1 aspect ratio Amazon KDP recommends for marketing cover images). The PNG is meant for early mockups and reveal posts, not as a final shipping cover.
💡 About this tool
The cover is almost always where KDP first-timers stall. The manuscript is done, but setting up a tall portrait page in Canva or a general image editor with the correct aspect ratio is fiddly, and authors often default to the built-in Cover Creator, which makes most placeholder covers look like every other placeholder cover.
This tool is intentionally narrow. Three text rows (title, subtitle, author), three background patterns (solid, vertical gradient, angled stripes), and a portrait output locked to KDP's recommended 1600x2560 marketing size. The title wraps onto multiple lines automatically, a decorative rule is drawn underneath it, and the author name sits near the bottom. The point is to let you iterate on color palette, title wording, and visual weight before any real cover art exists.
For a shipping cover you will still want custom typography, illustration or photography, and probably a designer. Use this output for SNS reveal posts, mood-board reviews, or as a temporary placeholder while the real cover is in production.
🧐 Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why 1600x2560 pixels? A. That is the marketing cover image size Amazon KDP recommends for Kindle eBooks: 2560 px tall by 1600 px wide, aspect ratio 1.6:1. It is large enough for KDP's upload checks and downscales cleanly to store thumbnails.
Q. How long can the title be? A. The title field accepts up to 50 characters, the subtitle up to 60, and the author name up to 40. If the title is long, the font size shrinks automatically and the text wraps onto multiple lines.
Q. Can I make a paperback cover with spine and back here? A. No. This tool only renders the front cover of a Kindle eBook. Paperback covers include the back cover and a spine whose width depends on page count, so for print you should pull a PDF template from the KDP Cover Calculator and lay it out in a dedicated image editor.
Q. KDP prefers JPEG for upload. Can I upload this PNG directly? A. KDP lists JPEG (.jpg / .jpeg) and TIFF as the preferred formats, so for the final upload you will want to convert the PNG to JPEG. Treat the PNG as a mockup for previews, reveal posts, and internal review.
Q. Can I change the stripe angle or stripe count? A. No. The stripe angle is fixed at -30 degrees and the stripe count is set automatically from the output size. Adjust the two background colors if you want a different mood.
📚 Why Indie Authors Use Cover Mockups Before Art Is Final
KDP recommends a 1.6:1 aspect ratio for a practical reason: the same image has to look right as a thumbnail in the Kindle store, on the device home screen, and in the "also bought" carousel. A square or 4:3 cover gets letterboxed in those slots and reads as amateur, which is one of the strongest signals indie readers use to skip a book.
For self-publishing indie authors, the "cover reveal" post on social media is now part of the launch loop. The image posted is usually not the production cover yet, but a placeholder that lets the author gather first reactions on color, typography, and title wording. A tiny, throwaway mockup pipeline like this one is enough for that purpose. Once a palette and title treatment survive the reveal post, you can hand the brief to a designer with concrete direction instead of vibes.