'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 internationally
Use Ctrl-F to find specific words on this page
| U | ||
| URL | uniform resource locator. Address for a file on the internet | |
| UPC | Universal Product Code. A 14-digit number carried with the barcode on US titles. An initial single digit identifies the type of product. The first five-digit grouping identifies the distributor or publisher and the next gives the magazine's unique BIPAD. There is then a checking digit. Finally, 2 digits identify the issue. Distributors and the Uniform Code Council (UCC) issue UPCs | |
| USP | unique selling point |
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V |
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| VALS | Values and Lifestyles – US method of segmenting consumer markets using psychographic (personality) attributes. The principle behind the system is that people express their personalities through their behaviour. Based on answers to a questionnaire, consumers are placed in one of eight segments. Segmentation is based on three primary motivations (ideals, achievement and self-expression) and resources. The segments, called VALS types, are: Innovators; Thinkers; Achievers; Experiencers; Believers; Strivers; Makers; and Survivors. VALS system was created by Arnold Mitchell and developed by SRI International as a commercial product in the late 1970s. | |
| variable costs | costs that vary with the use of something (as opposed to overheads, fixed costs such as the rent of a building, that still have to be paid when office not being used |
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| variance | difference between a budgeted cost and the actual cost | |
| vertical hubs | website that aims to act as a gateway to information about an industry, for example CNN Money (money.cnn.com) built around Money, Fortune, and CNNfn | |
| VLF | very large format. Printing press that uses much larger sheets than is usual, for example a 1,510mm x 2,050mm sheet (an A0 sheet is just 1 sq metre - 1,189mm by 841mm) | |
| voucher copy | free copy of a magazine sent to advertisers to prove an advertisement has been published to the promised quality |
W |
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| WARC | World Advertising Research Centre. www.warc.com | |
| waterfall shelving | staggered shelving used by retailers to display titles cover-on | |
| web | 1) reel of paper for continuous printing of long-run publications.
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| web-offset | common form of magazine printing. Press is fed by web of paper. Image is transferred from (lithographic) printing plate onto an intermediary roller called a blanket. From there, image is brought into contact with paper. | |
| white space | use of space around headlines or images for design purposes | |
| WWW | World-Wide Web. File system on the internet whereby documents stored as pages can be linked to each other. Pages can be viewed using browser software | |
X |
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| XPress | software from Quark for typesetting and page design |
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Y |
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| yield | usually page yield. revenue that results from selling advertising after commission is paid |
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Z |
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| zasshi | see manga | |
| zine | 1) amateur magazine. |
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| zip/unzip | compression/decompression utility for computer files | |
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©2004 tony @magforum. com
Updated September 2006