Magazine Design Terminology

additive color:
Color produced by combining red, green, and blue light in varying intensities. Computer monitors use additive color, while the printing process uses subtractive color. This causes inconsistency between what a designer sees on the monitor and what comes off the printing press.

airbrush (verb):
To retouch photographic images with dye sprayed from a small, high-pressure gun (also known as an airbrush, noun). Similar retouching can be performed digitally with the use of image-manipulation software.

art production:
A term used to describe the process of preparing images, copy and/or layouts for print production. This task typically involves image enhancement, kerning of type, making sure files conform to the printer's requirements, etc.

banner:
The name of a publication as it is displayed on the cover. Also known as the Logo.

bar code:
A series of vertical lines that identify the magazine, the magazine's publisher, and the magazine's price.

blow up (verb):
To enlarge an image, either photographically or digitally. 

bold:
A set of type or font that is heavier (thicker or darker) than the text type of the same typeface. Short for boldface.

camera-ready:
Artwork that is ready to be photographed in preparation for platemaking. While almost obsolete, this term is also used to describe digital advertising files that are properly formated and ready to drop into a layout.

classified ad:
An advertisement that uses only text, as opposed to a display ad, which also incorporates graphics.

design:
The task of arranging art, text and other graphic elements on a page. See also "layout."

display ad:
An advertisement that uses graphics, as opposed to a classified ad, which uses only text.

edit:
To modify and correct a manuscript to conform to the publisher's standards.

exclusive:
Sole distribution or publishing rights given to or sold to only one distributor or publisher in a particular geographic area. Also a news or feature article published by a publication before any of its competitors.

font:
A complete typeface design in any or all point sizes.

genre:
A category of a certain type of writing, such as horror, romance, mystery, science fiction, and so forth.

glossy:
A photograph, image, or other printed material with a shiny surface, as opposed to matte, which is a dull surface.

header:
A headline or title that appears at the top of a page

image editing:
The process of changing and manipulating photographs and other graphics, usually performed electronically using software applications such as Adobe Photoshop.

italic:
A style of type in which the letterforms slant toward the right, used for emphasis and titles of books, magazines, and so forth.

JPEG:
Joint Photographic Experts Group, a sophisticated lossy compression technique for reducing the amount of data needed to describe a full-color, bitmap image.

kern:
To adjust the space between letters so that it appears optically proportioned.

landscape:
An image or page that is horizontally oriented, as opposed to portrait, which is vertically oriented.

layout (noun):
The compilation of text and graphics on a page.

logotype:
A graphic treatment of text, or a combination of text and graphics, that identifies a company or a product. Also the text portion of a logo.

manuscript:
The raw copy for a book or magazine article (either handwritten or computer-generated) before it is edited and typeset.
media:
The means by which information is distributed such as print, broadcast, CD-ROM, World Wide Web, and so forth.

news release:
An announcement of a new book or a new product sent to a news organization for publication.

overlay:
A transparent covering, sometimes made of tissue, that is placed over a page layout for marking instructions for printing or corrections.
pixel:
Picture element. The smallest unit of a bitmapped image as displayed on a computer monitor.

portrait:
An image or page that is vertically oriented, as opposed to landscape, which is horizontally oriented.
print run:
The total number of copies of a publication to be printed, also called a press run.

QuickTime:
A video compression standard developed by Apple Computer, frequently used for video clips on the World Wide Web.

reprint:
To print a article or portion of a magazine using the original materials.
scaling:
The process of determining the amount an image should be reduced or enlarged to fit a specified area

sharpen:
To heighten the contrast between the dark and light tones of an image.

tagline:
An identifying line of text that appears at the top or bottom of a printed page that shows the file name, page number, date, and/or time.

template:
A preformatted document that is protected from overwriting and can be used repeatedly to create new documents.

upload:
To send a file to another computer, as opposed to download, which means to retrieve a file from another computer.

varnish:
A thin, clear coating applied to a printed piece for protection or special effect

work and tumble:
To print one side of a sheet of paper, then turn the sheet over from gripper edge to back using the same side guide and plate to print the second side

X-acto knife:
A cutting device used for making precise cuts in typeset copy, page layouts, or other artwork for the purpose of pasting it onto artboards.

yellow:
One of the subtractive primaries (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) used in four-color process inks