Alternatives

Canva alternatives for a print-ready book cover

Canva is a design tool for almost everything. A paperback cover needs one thing above all: front, spine and back in one file that fits your trim size and page count. Here is what each option delivers for that job.

Checked against the providers' websites on

Short answer

Bookfairy builds the whole paperback cover for you in one print PDF. In Canva you set up the wrap yourself at a custom size.

  • Front, spine and back in one fileSpine width calculated from your page count and paper.
  • Barcode and logo placedISBN barcode and your publisher logo on the back.
  • $12 once per bookThree drafts free, no subscription. Canva Pro: $18 a month or $144 a year in the US, plus tax.

Five ways to get a print-ready book cover

Same job for every option: a complete paperback cover for KDP or IngramSpark, for one book.

  1. Whole cover, sized for you

    AI cover tool for self-publishers: describe your book, look at three drafts, change them in your own words, download the full wrap.

    Good for
    Paperback and hardcover covers for KDP and IngramSpark, plus the ebook front and an audiobook version
    Runs on
    In the browser
    Price
    $12.00100 tokens per book, no subscription needed; 3 drafts free
    • Front, spine and back in one print PDF with bleed
    • Spine width calculated from page count and paper
    • Back cover text, ISBN barcode and publisher logo placed on the back
    • Translate the cover (it looks exactly the same, only in the other language), change the trim size or make an audiobook cover later
    • Up to three bestsellers from your genre as style models
    Open the tool

  2. Canva

    Design tool with book cover templates and a drag-and-drop editor. For a paperback wrap you create a design at a custom size and lay out front, spine and back yourself. PDF Print export with bleed; CMYK colour profile on paid plans.624

    Price
    Free plan $0; Pro $18 a month or $144 a year for one person, excl. tax; free trial1

  3. KDP Cover Creator

    Amazon's cover tool inside KDP with layouts and fonts; adds your ISBN to the barcode area on the back. Covers made with its stock images cannot be downloaded for use outside KDP.7

    Price
    Free for KDP titles7

  4. IngramSpark cover template

    Cover template generator: the template with spine and barcode area is emailed to you, you design the cover yourself or hire a designer.8

    Price
    No template fee listed in the price guide; design by you or a paid designer9

  5. 99designs contest

    Freelance designers send concepts in a contest, you pick one.10

    Price
    Bronze US$299, excl. sales tax10

  6. Book Brush

    Image tool for authors with a Cover Creator, 3D cover templates and mockups.11

    Price
    Plus $149 a year, Gold $149 a year (reduced from $199), Platinum $246 a year11

As of 8 November 2026, from the providers' websites (US prices in USD).

Canva, Kindle Direct Publishing, IngramSpark, 99designs and Book Brush are trademarks of their respective owners. Bookfairy is not affiliated with them.

What a print cover needs that a front image doesn't

An ebook only needs the front. A paperback needs one file with back, spine and front side by side, plus bleed around the edges. The spine width depends on your page count and paper, so the file size is different for every book. If the spine is off by a few millimetres, the title slides onto the front or back after trimming.

How the cover works at Bookfairy

  1. Enter title, subtitle, author, genre, trim size and page count, and name up to three bestsellers as style models if you like.
  2. Look at three drafts for free, in low resolution with a watermark.
  3. Say in your own words what should change: colours, type, motif.
  4. Unlock the cover for $12.00100 tokens: the full wrap as a print PDF with bleed and the front as its own image for the ebook.
  5. Enter your ISBN and the EAN-13 barcode lands on the back; upload your logo and it goes next to it.

Canva and Bookfairy side by side

  • Spine width, bleed and safe area set from your trim size and page count
  • Front, spine and back designed together as one cover
  • Back cover text, ISBN barcode and publisher logo placed for you
  • Print PDF for KDP and IngramSpark, plus the ebook front

Canva

  • Template or blank design at a custom size you work out26
  • Front, spine and back laid out by hand2
  • Barcode from the barcode generator app, placed by you5
  • PDF Print export with bleed; CMYK profile on paid plans34

More from the same cover

The cover workshop takes a finished cover from Bookfairy or one you upload, including a cover made in Canva.

  • Translate the cover: it looks exactly the same, only in the other language (title, subtitle and back cover text), $4.8040 tokens
  • New trim size, paper or page count, with the spine recalculated: $2.4020 tokens
  • Audiobook cover, square 3,000 × 3,000 px: $2.4020 tokens
  • Swap or remove the barcode and logo on the back: $1.2010 tokens
  • Change an uploaded cover in your own words: $1.2010 tokens per change

The rest of the book in the same account

FAQ

Frequently asked

What should a Canva alternative for book covers do?

For a paperback, it should size the wrap from your page count, build front, spine and back together and place the barcode. Bookfairy does all three and delivers the print PDF for KDP and IngramSpark, for $12 per book with three drafts free.

Is Bookfairy free to try?

Yes. You see three cover drafts free, in low resolution with a watermark. You pay $12 only when you unlock the cover you want. No subscription.

Does Bookfairy calculate the spine width?

Yes. The spine width comes from your page count and paper type. If the page count changes later, the cover is rebuilt for the new spine for $2.40.

Does Bookfairy add the barcode and my logo?

Yes. Enter your ISBN and Bookfairy places the EAN-13 barcode on the back, next to your publisher logo and the back cover text.

Can I keep a cover I designed in Canva and still use Bookfairy?

Yes. Upload it to the cover workshop: translate it (same look, other language) for $4.80, resize it for $2.40, swap barcode or logo for $1.20 or change it in your own words for $1.20.

Will the Bookfairy file work for KDP and IngramSpark?

The wrap is sized with bleed for your trim size and page count, so it matches what KDP's cover calculator expects. Check the proof copy before you publish.

Sources (11)
  1. Canva, Plans and pricing, US view: prices in USD, excluding applicable tax (page as of 1 Nov 2026, checked 8 Nov 2026). canva.com/pricing/
  2. Canva Help Center, Design from scratch: custom size (accessed 7 Nov 2026). canva.com/help/design-from-scratch/
  3. Canva Help Center, Use margins, bleed, rulers, and crop marks (accessed 7 Nov 2026). canva.com/help/margins-bleed-crop-marks/
  4. Canva Help Center, Choose the right download file type (accessed 7 Nov 2026). canva.com/help/download-file-types/
  5. Canva, Free Online Barcode Generator (accessed 7 Nov 2026). canva.com/barcode-generator/
  6. Canva, Book cover templates (accessed 7 Nov 2026). canva.com/book-covers/templates/
  7. Amazon KDP Help, Cover Creator (accessed 7 Nov 2026). kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201113520
  8. IngramSpark, File Creation Guide (24 Aug 2026), p. 5 (accessed 7 Nov 2026). ingramspark.com/hubfs/downloads/file-creation-g…
  9. IngramSpark, Pricing & Services Guide (effective 15 Aug 2023, accessed 7 Nov 2026). ingramspark.com/hubfs/downloads/pricing.pdf
  10. 99designs, Book cover design, US packages, prices exclude sales tax (page as of 27 Oct 2026, checked 8 Nov 2026). 99designs.com/book-cover-design
  11. Book Brush, Plans and pricing (accessed 7 Nov 2026). bookbrush.com/pricing/
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