'Magnificent Magforum'- University of Westminster Journalism website
Contributions, comments and corrections welcomed:
tony @ magforum. com
Glossary of magazine terms and jargon
As quoted in Mag Scene, the careers guide from the Periodicals Training Council.
NB: terminology varies between industries, titles and internationallyUse Ctrl-F to find specific words on this page
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| MB | megabyte. Approx a million bytes | |
| Mb |
megabit. Approx a million bits |
|
| macro | a computer routine that carries out a sequence of tasks | |
| magazine | periodical that is published frequently. In 1755, Samuel Johnson's Dictionary defined the word in its publishing sense: 'Of late this word has signified a miscellaneous pamphlet, from a periodical miscellany named the Gentleman's Magazine, by Edward Cave.' | |
| Magazine Publishing Association (MPA) | group that represents US consumer magazine publishers. Established in 1919 | |
| makeready |
preparing the printing press for a production run | |
| managing editor | journalist who carries out managerial tasks on behalf of the editor. Usually includes production and budgetary duties, while still having writing and editing responsibilities | |
| manga | Japanese comic books. Sectors include: bijinesu manga - business manga; bunkashi - literary; manga magazine - manga-zasshi; ecchi/hentai - for adults (abbreviated to h-manga). Manga sometimes called komikku (because it sounds like the English comic), hence rediizu komikku, comics for women | |
| marketing | carrying out advertising, publicity, public relations and events campaigns to promote a magazine to readers, advertisers or the distribution trade | |
| MARS | Magazines Add Real Sales. PPA-run 2005 research study aiming to show advertisers when buyers actually read magazines | |
| mascot |
magazine mascots include:
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| masthead | 1 the name of a publication traditionally printed at the top of the first editorial page, often as a logo and often accompanied by issue number and date 2 the word has evolved to encompass the box that gives details of the publisher, staff and contact information. Different publishers put this information in different places: on the contents page or on the leader page or on one of the pages near the back of a magazine. Again, it is often acompanied by the magazine's logo 2 also used for the logo - the name of the magazine in its chosen font on the front cover |
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| Matchprint | colour proofing system. Trademark of 3M | |
| media pack |
promotional material to help sell advertising space | |
| metamarism | phenomenon of a colour looking different under different lighting conditions | |
| media | methods of communication used for information and entertainment, such as print, television, radio and the internet | |
| media pack | information used by a publisher to attract advertisers. Usually includes: data on circulation; advertising rates; editorial policy; copy of the magazine | |
| media quadmap | chart that plots; the profile of a magazine against two criteria, such as the age and socio-economic group of its readers | |
| meg | see megazine | |
| mega | standard international unit prefix meaning a million; generally , something very large | |
| megazine | Special issue of a title devoted to a single subject. The Judge Dredd Megazine was a spin-off from 2000 AD in October 1990 (Dredd lived in Mega City 1). Also, 'Life ... began publishing special newsstand "megazine" issues on topics such as 9/11 and the Holy Land in 2001. These issues, which were printed on thicker paper, were more like softcover books than magazines.' [Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_(magazine)] | |
| merchandising | selling of products other than magazines by a publisher, for example, T-shirts | |
| m/f |
more follows | |
| Mobizine | Platform for cut-down versions of magazines that can be downloaded to mobile phone. Trademark by Refresh Mobile | |
| modem | MOdulator DEModulator. Device for converting digital data into pulses to be sent down telephone lines and converting them back again | |
| mook | Publications that are more thorough than magazines and more timely than books. Derived from 'magazine' and 'book' (Japan) | |
| MPA | Magazine Publishers Association (US) | |
| m/s | abbreviation of manuscript: the raw copy provided by writers | |
N |
back to top | |
| net paid circulation |
total paid circulation, either through single copy newsstand sales or subscription in ABC reports. Payment must be not less that half of the cover or subscription price | |
| Neuman, Alfred E. | mascot for Mad in the form of a freckled boy. | |
| new media |
digital media such as CD-Rom, websites, broadcast e-mail and web casting | |
| newsprint |
cheapest type of printing paper. Produced from wood pulp. Typically 45 g/sq m | |
| NFRN | National Federation of Retail Newsagents (UK) | |
| non-heatset printing |
uncoated paper absorbs ink, so heat is no needeed to dry the pages after printing | |
| non-paid circulation |
free copies of a publication sent to individuals who meet certain criteria set by a publisher | |
| NRS |
National Readership Survey. Matches newspaper and magazine buying patterns to demographic data. Published yearly (UK). NRS Xtra is a separate survey of about 50 computer titles |
O |
back to top | |
| OCR |
Optical Character Recognition for scanning in text
into computer. Text can then be edited |
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| official organ |
a periodical for members of an association or group |
|
| offset litho lithography or offset printing |
main printing method for UK magazines. Ink from image on litho
plate is transferred to a rubber blanket, which then comes into
contact with the paper |
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| OJD | Office de Justification de la Diffusion de la Presse Payante. French organisation tracks circulations (www.ojd.com) | |
| open prepress interface (OPI) |
computer system that enables allows files to be shared across
a network and replaces printing-quality files with lower-resolution
versions for production work |
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| opens | the number of times a digitalmagazine is 'opened'. See 'publication opened criteria' | |
| outsert |
preprinted material attached to the exterior of
a magazine or inserted with the magazine into a plastic bag for posting |
|
| overheads |
costs of running a business that are not directly
related to the business, for example the costs of heating
and lighting |
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| overrun |
extra copies above the set print run that are charged to the
publisher at a 'run-on' rate |
|
| ozalid |
a proofing system whereby light-sensitive paper takes an image
from the black printing film |
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P |
back to top
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| Pagemaker |
software from Adobe for typesetting and page layout | |
| pagination | the number of pages in a publication. Simple in theory, but not in practice. Some publishers number the covers, some don't. So the total number of pages in a magazine with 96 as the page opposite the inside back cover may be 96+2 (back covers) or 96+4 (front and back covers). This may be complicated by the use of gatefold covers and bound-in inserts; or special sections (which sometimes have separate numbering). A magazine with a total of 100 pages is common because it is very efficient for printing purposes: 6 x 16-page sections plus cover | |
| paid circulation |
copies of magazine copies that are sold through news agents or subscriptions | |
| paper sizes | the ISO range of A, B and C sizes is used in Europe. A4 is the most common size of sheet used for office stationery. It measures 210x297mm and is approximately the size of most magazines. In practice, consumer magazines are printed on large presses that use large reels of paper - webs. The printed paper is cut, folded and trimmed, so the actual size of a magazine page varies between titles. Short-run magazine are produced on presses that are fed with RA or SRA sheets, each of which is slightly larger to allow for gripping, ink bleeding and trimming. So SRA3 trims down to A3 size. For more details, see Bob's Print Guide. US titles are still based on the Imperial measurement system of feet and inches. | |
| pass-along reader |
someone who reads a publication that was purchased by someone
else. Typically, there are 3 readers to each magazine sold, though
the figure can be much higher |
|
| PDF |
Portable Document Format. File format used by Adobe's
Acrobat |
|
| perfect binding |
printed sections are laid on top of one another, glued at one
edge and held together by a cover to produce a square spine. More
expensive than saddle-stitching, but has a perceived higher quality
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|
| periodical |
a publication with a fixed interval between issues |
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| Periodical Publishers Association (PPA) |
trade body representing magazine publishers in
the UK |
|
| Periodicals Training Council | UK careers and training body run by the Periodical Publishers Association (PPA) | |
| PIB | Publishers Information Bureau tracks advertising carried by consumer magazines in the US | |
| pica |
unit of typographical measurement; six picas equal one inch | |
| picture-snatcher | a person once employed by UK newspapers with the disreputable job of finding pictures of people in news stories, for example, by stealing them from a home or even a police record | |
| pink sheet |
publisher's statement (printed on pink paper) of circulation over a six-month period that is certified by the ABC (US) | |
| PiP | pricing in proportion. Royal Mail package charging system based on size and format rather than weight from 21 August 2006 | |
| Pira |
Printing Industries Research Association. Carries
out technical research on behalf of printing, packaging and publishing
companies. Based in Leatherhead, UK |
|
| plate |
flexible metal or plastic sheet that carries the page image
in the printing process |
|
| PMT |
Photo-Mechanical Transfer. Technology of paper-based
typesetting using light-sensitive paper to carry images |
|
| point of sale material |
promotional material supplied to shops to attract
consumers to buy a magazine |
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| portal |
website that aims to act as a general or subject-specific entry
point to the web. Magforum is a magazine industry portal |
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| positive |
repro film that reproduces the original image's light and shade
(as opposed to negative) |
|
| PostScript |
computer language for describing images as mathematical
curves. Trademark of Adobe |
|
| PPA |
see Periodical Publishers Association |
|
| pre-clipped coupon |
advertiser's coupon that is printed separately and inserted
into a publication or bound in |
|
| preferred position |
the page where an advertiser would like his copy to appear (though
is not guaranteed) |
|
| premium position |
page in a magazine for which a higher advertising rate is charged |
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| prensa rosa | 'pink press'. Celebrity magazines in Spain, such as Hola! | |
| presse people | celebrity magazine sector in France | |
| production |
processes involved in the manufacture of a magazine, from making of film through to printing and binding | |
| promotion |
activities carried out to assist advertising sales department or distributors in meeting sales targets | |
| proof |
evidence provided in the form of a copy of a page
to demonstrate that work has been carried out as specified |
|
| proofreading |
the checking of proofs to ensure writers and designers work
has been accurately carried out |
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| PTC | see Periodicals Training Council | |
| 'publication opened' criteria | measure of how many times a digital magazine has been opened being developed with ABCe and software providers such as Ceros. Includes filters to eliminate 'opens' made by the publisher and spy techniques that aim to ensure the figures are accurate | |
| publisher |
1. the person responsible for the profitability of a publication
2. a publishing company |
|
| Publishers Row | Nickname for part of Sixth Avenue in New York's Manhattan where many publishers, such as Time Inc, have offices | |
| publisher's statement |
stated sales figure that has not been audited |
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| pull quote |
phrase or sentence taken from an article and used to attract
a reader's attention by setting it in a larger type size |
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