1. Standard Japanese Manga Book Formats
Unlike western comic books which largely follow standard American comic book trim (6.625 × 10.25 inches), Japanese manga is published across several distinct paper standards based on traditional JIS B-series and ISO A-series formats:
- Tankobon (112 × 176 mm): The ubiquitous standard volume format used for shonen and shojo weekly series collected volumes (e.g. Naruto, One Piece, Demon Slayer). Aspect ratio ~1 : 1.57.
- B6 Format (128 × 182 mm): Commonly used for seinen and josei demographic releases and wider trade paperbacks (e.g. Berserk, Tokyo Ghoul). Aspect ratio ~1 : 1.42.
- A5 / Kanzenban (148 × 210 mm): Deluxe "Complete Edition" collector releases, often featuring restored color pages and heavier archival paper.
- B5 Magazine (182 × 257 mm): Phonebook weekly magazine format such as Weekly Shonen Jump, Young Jump, and Weekly Shonen Magazine.
- Bunko (105 × 148 mm): Miniature pocket paperback edition, popular in Japan for compact portability.
2. The 3mm Bleed Rule & Safe Dialogue Areas
In commercial printing, artwork intended to run off the physical edge of the page must extend beyond the cut line into the **Bleed Box**. Japanese publishing standard specifies a **3.0 mm (0.118 in)** bleed margin on all four borders.
The 3 Page Boxes Defined
1. Bleed Box (Full Canvas): Trim Width + 6mm, Trim Height + 6mm.
2. Trim Box (Finished Book Edge): The exact physical dimension of the bound volume.
3. Safe Dialogue Live Area: Trim dimensions minus 10mm (5mm inset from each edge) to prevent speech bubbles from being truncated during binding.
3. Master Pixel Matrix (300, 600, 1200 DPI)
| Format | Trim Size | 300 DPI Trim | 600 DPI Trim (Master) | 600 DPI with 3mm Bleed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tankobon | 112 × 176 mm | 1,323 × 2,079 px | 2,646 × 4,157 px | 2,787 × 4,299 px |
| B6 Edition | 128 × 182 mm | 1,512 × 2,150 px | 3,024 × 4,299 px | 3,165 × 4,441 px |
| A5 Kanzenban | 148 × 210 mm | 1,748 × 2,480 px | 3,496 × 4,961 px | 3,638 × 5,102 px |
| B5 Magazine | 182 × 257 mm | 2,150 × 3,035 px | 4,299 × 6,071 px | 4,441 × 6,213 px |
4. Preserving the 1 : 1.57 Golden Aspect Ratio
When preparing digital manga for tablet readers, never stretch or arbitrarily squeeze images into standard 16:9 or 4:3 device screens. Manga panels are drawn with carefully proportioned character anatomy and perspective vanishing points. Always crop according to the volume's true physical aspect ratio (e.g. 1 : 1.57 for Tankobon) and allow reading software to letterbox naturally.
5. Interactive Resolution Calculators
Calculate Your Specific Book Specs
Have a unique volume with non-standard dimensions? Use our live interactive tools: