This glossary of newspaper terms was developed to increase the understanding of the terms and acronyms that may be unique to the newspaper industry. It was created by the New York
Newspaper Publishers Association, Newspaper In Education program with heavy contributions from The Democrat & Chronicle’s, “Newspaper Jargon” booklet whose contents were written by Val Busacco, Advertising Administrative Assistant and by contributions from Craig Lancto of CCI Press.
Jargon…
…the specialized vocabulary of those in the same work, way of life, etc.
A
ABC: (Audit Bureau of Circulations). a non-profit industry auditing firm organized to verify
circulation of member newspapers and magazines.
ABOVE THE FOLD —the most important stories of the day appear on the top half of the
cover—above the fold—where they can show in coin boxes or on stacks.
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE: Department responsible for amounts owed to suppliers.
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Department responsible for amounts owed by customers of the
newspaper.
ACCRUAL: 1. Expense accrual - an amount recorded as an expense representing a cost incurred
for goods delivered or services rendered.
2. Revenue accrual - an amount recorded as representing revenue earned for goods delivered or
services rendered.
3. Reverse accrual - an amount recorded that reverses a prior accrual.
ADJUSTMENT: Compensation to an advertiser when the newspaper makes an error in an ad.
(see MAKE-GOOD)
AD SERVICES: The department responsible for layout of the newspaper.
ADVANCE RUN: Sections of the newspaper that are printed before the publication date, and
then inserted into the paper.
AGATE: A type size, approximately 5-1/2 points or 14 lines per inch, used mainly in sports
scores, legal notices, stocks, credit lines and classified line ads.
ART ONLY: A feature or news photo that does not have an accompanying story.
ARTWORK: Materials other than text, such as photos, illustrations and diagrams.
AUDIENCE: The people or households who are exposed to the newspaper.
B
BACK COPIES: Copies of the newspaper with prior publication dates.
BAD BREAK: A word that is incorrectly hyphenated, or broken, at the end of a line of text.
BALLOON: A cartoon device, used in comic strips and occasionally in other ways, that show
the words of a person coming directly from his mouth or thoughts from their mind.
BANNER: The main headline that runs across the top of the front page.
BEAT: Area assigned to a reporter for regular coverage: for example, police or city hall. Also, a
term sometimes used for an exclusive story.
BENDAY: A piece of film with an overall pattern of halftone dots, used to create a shaded area.
Named after Benjamin Day, an American printer.
BEST FOOD DAY: The day newspapers focus on food-related editorial content.
BIT: The smallest unit of information that a computer can hold.
BULLET POINT: A heavy dot, or “bullet,” followed by brief copy.
BLACK PLATE: The plate used with cyan, magenta, and yellow plates to create a process
color image.
BLANKET: Rubber-surfaced fabric that encases the cylinder of an offset press to transfer the
image from the plate to the paper.
BLEED: To print past the finished image area into the trim area.
BLEED-THROUGH: A printed image on the reverse side of the page that can he seen through
the paper.
BLOWUP: An enlargement of an advertisement or message.
BLUELINE: 1. Type of proof. 2. To mark with non-reproducing blue pencil to indicate
corrections or changes.
BODY: Refers to the physical characteristic of inks, consistency.
BOX NUMBER: A number assigned to a classified advertisement at the advertiser’s request to
conceal the identity of the advertiser.
BOX SCORE: Statistics of a baseball game, football game, or other sporting event, giving
details and scores inning by inning, quarter by quarter.
BREAK: 1. The point at which a story turns from one column to another or “jumps” to another
page. 2. The time when a story becomes available for publication. News is said to “break” when
it happens
BROADSHEET: A full-sized newspaper. Dimensions for a broadsheet page vary from about
25″ x 21.5″ to 27″ x 23″.
BUDGET: List of stories for the next day’s paper.
BUDGET MEETING: A conference to decide which stories will appear in the next day’s
paper, and where.
BULLDOG: Earliest/first edition of a newspaper.
BULL’S EYE: A type of registration mark.
BULKED OUT: Inserts delivered separately to carriers to hand insert into the paper instead of
machine inserted at the production facility.
BUMP: To move a story in time, or to another location in the newspaper.
BUNDLES: Packages of newspapers delivered by truck to various drop points for distribution
into the community.
BUNDLE TOP: List of starts, stops, complaints and messages for carriers.
BURIED LEAD: The point of the story that is buried in the story instead of being in the first
paragraph.
BUREAU: A branch news and/or advertising office.
BYLINE: A line at the beginning of an article that gives the name of the writer(s).
C
CALIBRATE: To adjust imaging equipment to ensure standards are met.
CAMERA-READY: Material ready for the Plate Camera Department. Composition not needed.
CAPTION: The title or brief description of a picture; a cutline.
CARRIER: Independent contractor who delivers newspapers in a given district/route.
CHOKE: 1. Process by which an image is slightly reduced to provide an outline between that
image and an adjacent image. 2. A jamming of the press equipment with newsprint, usually
refers to a fold jam.
CHURN: 1. Term which describes the selling of new subscriptions and losing of others. 2. Term
which describes the selling of new advertising and losing of others.
CIRCULATION: The number of newspaper copies sold or distributed. Circulation figures of
established consumer media are audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). Circulation
figures do not determine the number or quality of a publication’s readers and should not be
confused with READERSHIP.
CITY EDITOR: The editor in charge of the collection, writing and editing of local news.
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: advertising arranged according to the product or service
advertised, and usually restricted in size and format. The ads are “classified” into various
categories such as help wanted, autos for sale, apartments for rent, etc.
CLIP: A tear sheet or photocopy of a published article. Editors usually require them as proof of
previous publication or to evaluate a writer’s suitability.
CLIPART GRAPHICS: Electronically filed directory of logos and various pieces of art
frequently used in ads.
CMYK: The four process colors used for printing full color pictures: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow,
and blacK. (See Color Separation)
COLOR CORRECTION: Adjustments made during the color separation process to
compensate for known deficiencies.
COLOR GUIDES: Printed tonal scales of each of the process colors and as many combinations
of colors as possible, to be used for comparison with a sample. Also used with layout to indicate
color placement. Also called color charts.
COLOR KEY: A proof made from film; used to compare color quality and consistency with the
original.
COLOR SEPARATION: Four negatives for a four color photo that carry the halftone dots for
the basic primary colors –cyan, magenta yellow, and black.
COLUMN: Vertical dimensions of a newspaper page that change in width depending upon the
product. Editorial and Retail Advertising are composed of six columns per broadsheet page:
Classified Advertising is composed of 10 columns.
COLUMN INCH: One vertical inch of a column or leg. The length of stories is sometimes
calculated by column inches, sometimes by number of words.
COLUMNIST: A writer using the same space daily, such as Ann Landers, in contrast to a
reporter.
CO-OP ADVERTISING: Ads run by a local advertiser in conjunction with a national
advertiser. National usually provides the copy and/or artwork, and the local advertiser’s
name/address appears in the ad. Ad cost is shared.
COPY: 1. Material submitted with the layout for inclusion in an ad or news reproduction. 2. A
single newspaper.
COPY EDITOR: A newspaper worker who corrects or edits copy written by a reporter and
writes headlines.
COPYRIGHT: Ownership of intellectual property such as a story or photograph. It protects the
owner’s right to decide where, when, and by whom the work is published.
CPM: 1. (Cost per thousand), A figure used in comparing or evaluating the cost efficiency of
advertising schedules; determined by dividing the cost of the ad by the number of homes.
Circulation costs are divided by the number of net paid newspapers to arrive at the CPM.
Advertising rates are evaluated by determining ad cost to customers by dividing that cost by net
paid circulation copies. 2. Complaints per thousand. A way of measuring the number of
complaints per thousand papers delivered.
CREDIT LINE: Type that identifies the photographer, artist, illustrator, or an agency usually
placed at the bottom right corner of the art.
CROP: The trimming of an image for publication.
CROP MARKS: Lines drawn to specify the area where the image is to be trimmed.
CUSTOMER: External — the reason we are in business. Internal—our co-workers who are
treated with professional respect and without whom a quality product is impossible to produce.
CUB: A beginner reporter
CUTLINE: Caption or text near a photo that describes the action or identifies the subject(s).
CYAN: The subtractive primary color that absorbs red light. One of the four inks used in a
process color; often incorrectly called blue.
D
DATELINE: Line at the beginning of a story identifying the place of origin of the story, but not
the date.
DEALER LIST: Portion of advertisement devoted to listing local retailers who carry that
product.
DECKHED: Sub-headline over article, usually half the size of main headlines.
DEMOGRAPHIC: A specific population characteristic, such as age, income, sex or occupation.
DESK: An editor’s section, such as the city desk or foreign desk.
DIGITAL EDITION: A supplement to a newspaper appearing on the Internet.
DINGBAT: A decorative typographic symbol.
DINK(Y): A quarter roll of newsprint.
DISCLAIMER: Copy which is intended to limit an advertiser’s liability regarding promotional
claims.
DISPLAY ADVERTISING: Any Retail or Classified ad containing special type, illustrations,
and/or a border.
DOT: Individual element of a halftone.
DOT GAIN: The general tendency of an image to become darker when it is printed caused by
an increase in the dot size.
DOUBLE TRUCK: Ad or editorial pages that are printed across the gutter (or fold) of facing
pages.
DOWN ROUTE: Circulation route that does not have a contracted distributor assigned to it at
the moment.
DRAW: Used in reference to the number of papers needed on the press run, or the number of
papers needed for a particular delivery route.
DSM: District Sales Manager - person in charge of a specific sales district.
DUMMY: A draft page layout which indicates the position of each story, picture, headline, and
ad on a newspaper page.
DUMMY PLATE: l. A non-imaged plate, used as a spacer to hold the plate to the plate
cylinder. 2. A type of high solid non-imaged plate used for taking ink from inking rollers when
changing from one color to another.
E
EARS: Boxes above the name on the front page of the newspaper or sections of the newspaper.
EDITOR: A person who decides what goes where in the news hole, or one who reviews and
revises stories submitted by reporters.
EDITORIAL: An article appearing on the editorial page presenting the opinions of the
newspaper. Also refers to the department where editorials originate.
EDITORIAL (POLITICAL) CARTOON: Cartoons that use humor to make a serious point.
EDITION: Newspapers of a single press run. A newspaper may run one or more editions daily.
EMBARGO: A restriction on releasing material before a specific time.
EMULSIFICATION: Term used to describe the ink & water interaction taking place during the
printing cycle.
EVERGREEN: A timeless or perennial story.
EXTRA: An edition other than a regular one, generally published only for extraordinary
breaking news.
F
FACING PAGES: Pages that run side by side, but are separated by a “gutter” or fold.
FAIR USE: The limited use of copyrighted material allowed without payment or permission.
FEATURE: An in-depth look at a subject that interests readers but is not necessarily related to
breaking news.
FILE SERVER: A computer with special software that allows network users to store and
retrieve files.
FILLER: Material used to fill space, usually promotional in nature.
FILL-IN: A type of dot gain, usually in the middle tones.
FILM NEGATIVE: A photo record of an image that is tonally reversed.
FIVE FREEDOMS: Guarantees in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: 1) Religion,
2) Speech, 3) Press, 4) Assembly and 5) Petition for the redress of grievances.
FIVE Ws AND H: The questions (Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?) that should be
answered in the lead of an article written as an inverted pyramid.
FLAG: The banner or name of the newspaper on the front page.
FLAT RATE: An advertising rate not subject to frequency or quantity discounts.
FLIER: A single sheet printed on front or on front and back, usually 8.5” x 11”, that is inserted
into the newspaper.
FLOAT: To center material (ads) that does not fill the allotted space. A 1” x 3” ad may be
floated in a 1” x 3.5” hole, for example.
FLOP: To create a mirror image electronically or on a photo mechanical.
FLYING PASTER: An automatic pasting device on a web press that splices a new web onto an
expiring roll, without stopping the press.
FLY SHEET: A single sheet of newsprint, placed in a section of the paper and printed on both
sides when the number of pages is not a multiple of four.
FLUSH LEFT: Type composed with successive lines aligned to the left, but not on the right;
also called flush left/ragged right. Fully justified type is aligned on both margins.
FLUSH RIGHT: Type composed with successive lines aligned on the right, but not on the left.
FOCUS GROUP: Form of research utilizing moderated sessions of consumers.
FOD: Frequency of Delivery.
FOIA, FOIL: Freedom of Information Act, Freedom of Information law. State and national
laws that make it easier to obtain information from government agencies.
FOLO: Follow-up story.
FOLD LINE: Imaginary vertical line that divides the “gutter” in half.
FOLIO: A line at the top or bottom of a newspaper page that gives the newspaper name, section
and page number, and publication date.
FONT: In composition, a complete assortment of type and a given size and design, including
letters, numbers, punctuation marks and symbols.
FOUR-COLOR PROCESS: Full-color reproduction method that adds a black printer to the
three process-color printers, increasing contrast and detail.
FOURTH ESTATE: Traditional term for “the press” which originated in the 18th century
English parliament
FREELANCE: An independent writer or photographer who works for another person or
publication as needed.
FREQUENCY DISCOUNT: An ad discount given to customers for running a certain number
of advertisements within a designated time period.
G
GALLEY: Final proof print before publication.
GRAF (GRAPH): A short form of paragraph
GRAVURE: A printing process which allows a number of impressions to be made in one
operation at high speed. Sheet-fed paper is printed from a plate on which a design is etched.
Roll-fed printing from an etched cylindrical plate is called Rotogravure.
GRAY BAR: A narrow screened strip composed of the three process colors which are placed
across a color image to check evenness of ink.
GRAY SCALE: A strip placed at the side of an original with various tones of gray bars, used to
measure negative exposure and development. Also called a “step wedge.”
GRID: Presentation of material in matrix form. For example, times and contents of television
shows are listed in a grid.
GRIPPER MARGIN: Unprintable blank edge of paper on which grippers bear, usually 1/2” or
less.
GROSS PRESS RUN: Total number of newspapers printed in a time period. It includes
spoilage and overruns.
GUTTER: The margin of white space between two columns or where two pages meet.
H
HALFTONE: Tiny dots that make a photograph suitable for printing.
HARD NEWS: Timely news of an important event.
HAWKERS: Vendors who sell newspapers on sidewalks and medians.
HEADLINE (HED): The title of a story or article.
HEADSHOT: A portrait photograph.
HOME DELIVERY: Newspapers delivered to subscribers’ homes.
HOME PAGE: Web site primary entry page. Frequently containing links to other important
areas of content.
HONOR BOX: Vending machine that sells newspapers on the street. Also called a “rack”.
HOOK: The stylistic device used by a reporter to draw a reader into the story
HUMAN-INTEREST STORY: A story with emotional appeal.
I
INSERT: Any preprinted material “inserted” into the newspaper. See “Preprint”.
INSERTION ORDER: A form which provides descriptive documentation and authorization for
a specific advertising schedule. Written instruction from an agency or advertiser telling when and
in which publication an ad is to run, its size, and other essential information.
ISLAND: A single ad that is positioned on a news page and is surrounded by editorial copy.
INVERTED PYRAMID: The traditional organization of a news story, with the most important
facts at the top and less important details at the end, where they can be lopped off if necessary.
J
JUMP: Text continued on another page.
JUMP LINE: Bold and regular type at end of column that tells the reader where the text is
continued.
JUSTIFY: To space lines of text and align margins.
K
KEYWORD: First word(s) of an ad or story carried by a wire service, an identifying word.
KICKER: The first sentence or two of a story’s lead, set in a larger font than the rest of the
copy.
KILL: An ad or story that is being cancelled.
L
LAYOUT: Rough sketch which gives the general appearance of the finished printed product,
indicating the relationship between ads, text and photos/illustration.
LEAD (LEDE): The first few sentences or paragraphs of a story, usually spelled lede to prevent
confusion with lead, the metal that was once used in printing.
LEADER: Row of dashes or dots used to guide the eye across the page to text or figures.
LEADING: In a block of copy, the space between lines or paragraphs. The name originated
when type was set by hand using pieces of lead for spacers.
LEG: A column of type.
LEGAL NOTICE: An advertisement required by law to be published in a newspaper of general
circulation. Examples: Bids, notices of incorporation, change of name, etc.
LETTERPRESS: Method of printing from raised images on plates. There are four types of
letterpress presses: platen, flat-bed cylinder, rotary and belt.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: A letter in which a reader expresses his or her views in the
newspaper; usually printed on the editorial pages.
LIBEL: Publish false or defamatory information about an individual or organization.
LINE ART: Art suitable for reproduction without using a halftone screen.
LINE SCREEN: A method of producing special effect halftones using horizontal or vertical
lines of varying thickness to produce a tone range.
LITHOGRAPHY: Printing process that prints from flat plates using water to repel ink from
non-image areas of the plate.
LOGO: Unique graphic or type element used for identification of a business or product.
LOUPE: Small magnifying glass used to examine art and graphic elements throughout the
production process.
M
MAGENTA: One of the four inks used in process color. Incorrectly referred to as red.
MAKE-GOOD: Free rerun of an ad because of an error or misprint on the part of the
newspaper.
MANAGING EDITOR: The person who coordinates news.
MARGIN: The area beyond the image area of a printed page.
MARKUP: Selection of the typeface and point size of ad copy.
MAST: Section head - Sports, Inside, etc.
MASTHEAD: Box or section printed in each issue, listing the publisher, owner, editors, the
location of office.
MOIRE: Objectionable screen pattern in color process printing that results from incorrect screen
angles of halftones over-printed onto each other.
MORGUE: Newspaper library of past editions.
MOTOR ROUTE: A newspaper route delivered by an adult driver.
N
NAMEPLATE: The newspaper’s name on page one, also called the flag or masthead.
NDM: Newspaper designated market, the primary circulation marketing area.
NEGATIVE: Reverse photographic image of copy, on film, negative film or paper. A full page
negative is used to burn a plate.
NEWS HOLE: Space in a newspaper allotted to news features, editorials, illustrations, and other
non-advertising material.
NEWSPRINT: Paper made mostly from ground wood pulp and small amounts of chemical
pulp; used for printing newspapers.
NIE: Newspapers In Education, a program that encourages schools to use newspapers as
teaching tools.
NUT PARAGRAPH (NUT GRAF): A summary paragraph that explains (“in a nutshell”) why
the reader should read a story.
O
OBIT (OBITUARY): A biography of person who died and other necessary information
including time and place for memorial, wake and/or funeral.
OFFSET: Printing method in which ink is transferred from plate to a rubber surface (blanket)
before it is transferred to paper.
OFF THE RECORD: Information provided on the condition that the source not be revealed.
OP-ED: An opinion column or article, especially one that appears opposite the editorial page.
OPEN RATE: A non-contract advertising rate.
ORPHAN: Part of a word that carries over to the final line of a paragraph.
OVERRUN: Copies printed in excess of the quantity needed for distribution in the newspaper.
P
PAGE PROOF: Full size copy of a composed page that is sent to the editorial departments to be
checked for errors. Sometimes called a “galley proof”.
PAGINATION: To create a page layout on a computer screen instead of cutting and pasting
paper.
PASTER: Process used to transfer an expiring newsprint roll to a new roll to allow continuous
flow of paper.
PDF: Portable Document File. A format developed by Adobe Systems, in which documents can
be created and transferred independent of software or operating system.
PIA (PBM): Paid-in-advance home delivery subscriber of the newspaper. Could also be
referred to as “Paid-by-mail”.
PICA: Printing measure; there are 12 points in a pica and 6 picas in an inch.
PICA RULER: Gauge used by a printer to measure points, picas, and inches. Also called pica
pole or line gauge.
PIX: Abbreviation for pictures
PLAGIARISM: Intellectual theft; using the work of another person (written words or other
intellectual property) as your own.
PLATE: Sheet of metal, plastic, rubber or other material used to produce an image that transfers
ink to newsprint.
POLYBAGS: The bags newspapers are put into to keep them together and dry during delivery.
Some polybags have advertising printed on the bag or samples included inside.
POSITION: Location of an ad within the newspaper.
POINT: The smallest unit of type measurement. There are 72 points in an inch.
POSTSCRIPT: Output language used by some computer systems.
PREPRESS: Departments (composing, plate room, etc.) that prepare pages for printing and
distribution.
PREPRINT: Advertising or editorial sections that are printed before the daily run and inserted
in the newspaper before delivery. Also known as FSIs (free-standing inserts).
PRESS CONFERENCE: A meeting called to give information to the news media
PRESS RELEASE: A specially prepared statement for the news media.
PRESS RUN: Total number of copies printed.
PRIVATE PARTY AD: Ad placed by an individual in Classified. Also called line ads.
PROCESS COLOR: Printing process which uses halftone plates in the three primary colors and
black to produce a full-color image for publication.
PROCESS INKS: Cyan, magenta, yellow, black – See “CMYK”.
PROMOS: Promotional items, often called teasers.
PROOF: A print made to check for errors.
PULLOUT: Copy extracted from a story and enlarged or highlighted to draw readers’ attention.
PUBLISHER: The chief executive of the newspaper, sometimes the owner of a newspaper or
other publishing firm.
Q
QUARTERFOLD: Format that is one-fourth the size of a broadsheet or standard page (booklet
size).
QUOTE: Words spoken by someone in a story. In page-design jargon, a liftout quote is a
graphic treatment of a quotation, often using bold or italic type, rules or screens.
R
RACK: A coin-operated vending machine for the purchase of single copy newspapers. Also
called an “Honor Box”.
RAGGED LEFT or RIGHT: Copy set with an unjustified, uneven left margin, or uneven right
margin.
REACH: Total number of households to which a given publication is exposed.
READERSHIP: The average estimated number of readers of a given publication. Readership
includes primary readers (those who buy or subscribe) and secondary or pass-along readers
(those who do not buy the publication, but read it - members of subscribers families, people who
read in waiting rooms. etc.)
REFER: (Pronounced reefer) Term used to indicate a reference on one page to a related story on
another page.
REGISTER: To align one or more images or negatives so they will be in focus when printed.
REPLATE: A change to the newspaper during press run.
RETAIL ADVERTISING: Advertising from a local retailer who sells directly to the customer.
RETOUCHING: Methods of altering original artwork or photography to make corrections,
improve or change the character of the image.
ROP: Run-of-Press. An item that appears in every copy of a press run.
RUN: 1. The printing of the newspaper from the time press starts until the required number of
newspapers have been printed. 2. The number of papers printed for each edition. 3. The printing
of a story.
S
SANS SERIF: Type style without fine cross strokes on the ends of the letters. The face is
generally even in overall weight with very little contrast between thick and thin strokes.
SAU: Standard Advertising Unit, copyrighted, nationwide system that standardizes the
advertising column width.
SCOOP: A story obtained and distributed ahead of competitive media.
SERIES (SERIAL): A group of related stories or features generally run on successive days or
weeks.
SERIF: Type style characterized by uneven lines and/or light cross strokes at the top, bottom,
and ends of characters.
SHEET FED PRESS: Type of printing in which the press is supplied with paper in sheet form.
SIDEBAR: A secondary story related to a main story.
SINGLE COPY: A newspaper sold at newsstands, in stores, through racks or by hawkers.
SKID: Platform designed to hold a quantity of product, which can be moved intact by a fork-lift
truck. In the newspaper industry, a skid is usually used to store and move pre-printed inserts.
SKY BOX: Teasers, or promotional boxes, above the nameplate of the newspaper.
SLANT: An angle of a story.
SLUG: Editorial code used on stories and photos that corresponds with code on the page
dummies. These codes are used to show positioning.
SOURCE: A person, document, or organization that provides information.
SPADEA: A single page folded vertically around the spine of a section (i.e. advertising, color
comics) covering 1/2 of the front page and 1/2 of the back.
SPIKE: To kill a story.
SPIN: Shaping a story to produce a desired interpretation.
SPREAD: A newspaper package, element, ad or feature that spreads (bleeds) across the gutter of
facing pages.
STRINGER: An independent writer or photographer who sells materials for publications. The
name comes from a time when payment was determined by measuring the story or photo with a
piece of knotted string.
START: New subscriber or order for the Circulation Department.
STET: Proofreading term signifying that copy marked for correction should remain as originally
written.
STITCH AND TRIM: Process that binds and cuts printed material.
STOP: Discontinue delivery of newspaper.
STYLE BOOK: The guide for grammar, capitalization, and other word usage for a publication.
The Associated Press (AP) style book is widely used however, some newspapers develop their
own.
SUBHEAD (SUB HED): Small headline within the text used to break up a long story and make
it more readable.
SYNDICATION: Selling material—comics, columns etc.— to a number of publications at the
same time.
T
TABLOID (TAB): A newspaper about half the page size of a broadsheet.
TEARSHEET: Entire page that is torn from a publication for one of the following: 1. For proof
of publication. 2. To initiate corrections or changes. 3. For color guidance or as a layout.
TEASER: A small promotional item to whet interest for something inside the paper.
TELEMARKETING: Selling, soliciting or researching via telephone.
TK (“To Come”): Indicates that something (headline or art) will come later.
TMC: Total market coverage. A separate product delivered to non-subscribers to provide
advertisers a way to reach every household.
TRANSPOSE: To interchange two items, i.e. as to switch the positions of photos running on the
same page.
TYPEFACE: All type of a single design (font).
TYPO: Typographical error - a mechanical error in typing a story.
W
WEB: 1. A continuous sheet of newsprint in roll form as it is fed through the press. 2. The
“World Wide Web” or Internet.
WEB PRESS: Printing press that prints from a continuous roll of paper and delivers onto
another roll or delivers folded signatures.
WIDOW: A word or paragraph that carries over to the top of the next column or a single word
at the end of a paragraph left on a line of its own.
WIRE (WIRE SERVICE): A source of information, stories, maps and photos. Agencies with
offices around the world provide global coverage for subscribers or members. Examples of wire
services include Associated Press and Reuters.
WINDOW: A timeframe usually referring to time constraints for meeting beginning and ending
deadlines.
Y
YELLOW JOURNALISM: Fabricated or sensationalized news.
Z
ZONED EDITION: Any edition planned for a specific area or zone, with news and or
advertising content tailored for that particular zone.
ZONING: Offering advertisers the opportunity to target specific areas with preprints or run of
paper.
George Joseph, I MA Communication, August, 2010
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