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What bookmark size should you print?

Print a bookmark about 2 inches wide and 6 to 8 inches long, and take the exact length from the book it will sit in. Keep the strip shorter than the page so the closed book hides it.

What are the standard bookmark sizes?

The common bookmark cuts are 2 inches wide and 6, 7 or 8 inches long, with a wider cut of 2.5 by 8.5 inches. Printers and guides disagree on which one is standard: one design guide gives 2.5 by 8.5 inches and one online printer gives 2 by 6 inches, so let your book decide rather than the label. The longer cuts give you more room for a design or for writing, but if you want one size for every book on the shelf, start with 2 by 6 inches and go longer only for books tall enough to hide the strip.

CutLength in mmListed byGood for
2 by 6 in152.4Moda, UPrinting, PrintPlaceMarking a page in almost any book
2 by 7 in177.8PrintPlaceBooks taller than 7 in
2 by 8 in203.2Moda, UPrintingBooks taller than 8 in
2.5 by 8.5 in215.9Moda, PrintPlaceBooks taller than 8.5 in, such as 6 by 9 in

Each millimeter length is the inch figure times 25.4, the exact number of millimeters in an inch.

Scale drawing with bottoms aligned: a 2 by 6 inch filled bookmark, a 2.5 by 8.5 inch filled bookmark, a 6 by 9 inch page outline, and a 148 by 210 millimeter page outline.

Which bookmark length fits your book?

Choose the longest cut that is still shorter than the page. Measure the page height with a ruler, or use the trim size if you know it, then find the book in the table below. A strip exactly as tall as the page sits level with the top edge, where it is neither hidden nor easy to pinch, so drop to the next cut down. Books 6 inches tall or shorter, such as A6, take none of the listed cuts, so cut a strip to fit. Before you print a full sheet, cut one strip, close the book on it, and check that it sits where you want; then cut the rest.

Book pageHeightLongest listed cut that stays insideSource
6 by 9 in228.6 mm2.5 by 8.5 inKDP trim sizes
5.5 by 8.5 in215.9 mm2 by 8 inKDP trim sizes
5 by 8 in203.2 mm2 by 7 inKDP trim sizes
A5210 mm2 by 8 inISO paper sizes
A6148 mmNone; cut a strip shorter than the pageISO paper sizes

KDP prints its 5.5 by 8.5 and 6 by 9 inch trims as hardcovers as well as paperbacks, so those rows cover both. A5 and A6 are both ISO sizes used for books.

How long should a tracker bookmark be?

Go as long as your book allows, because length is what gives you rows. Each row runs across the 2 inch width, so every extra inch of length is room for another title, date or page count. Width sets something different: how much of a title fits on one line. If a title wraps on the 2 inch line, give it two rows or write a short form of it. The wide 2.5 by 8.5 inch cut gives a longer line and more rows, but only a 6 by 9 inch book or a taller one hides it. The 2 by 7 inch cut is a good middle for a tracker, since it hides in a 5 by 8 inch paperback and in an A5 book. Before you rule the whole strip, write one sample entry on a scrap of the same card.

Once the length is set, what weight paper for bookmarks covers the card, laying strips on Letter or A4 shows how many fit on a sheet, a tracker you rule yourself covers the lines, and how to laminate bookmarks covers sealing it.

These are published trim sizes and print menus; none of the sources measured a book on your shelf.

All three is Print Bookmarks' set of reading-tracker bookmarks for a to-be-read list, the book you are on, and the books you finished.

Sources