Reference
Every print advertising term, in plain English.
The vocabulary media buyers, agencies and publishers actually use, defined clearly and linked to the free tool that puts each one to work. 36 terms and counting.
- Ad-noting
- The share of a publication's readers who actually notice a specific ad. Ad-noting is smaller than readership because not every reader sees every ad; it depends on ad size, page position, section and competing clutter. Print ad visibility score
- Audited circulation
- Circulation verified by an independent body (such as AAM or BPA) rather than self-reported by the publisher. Audited figures are more trustworthy for media buying and usually justify a rate premium.
- Bleed
- Printing an ad so the image extends to the very edge of the page with no margin. Bleed ads feel more immersive and typically command a small premium over standard-margin placements.
- Bonus distribution
- Extra copies distributed beyond normal circulation, often at an event or trade show. It can lift reach, but bonus readers are typically less engaged than regular subscribers, so weight them accordingly.
- Brand recall
- The probability that a reader remembers the advertised brand after exposure. Print recall is generally higher than digital display recall because print readers spend more attention time per page. Print ad brand recall
- Circulation
- The number of copies a publication distributes per issue. Circulation is a distribution figure, not an audience figure: each copy is typically read by more than one person, so true readership is larger, while ad-noting is smaller. Circulation vs readership
- Classified advertising
- Small, text-led ads grouped by category (jobs, real estate, autos). Classified sections have high reader intent within a category but low overall engagement and high clutter, which discounts attention per ad.
- Column inch
- A unit of print ad space one column wide and one inch tall. Newspapers often price display ads by the column inch; total cost is column inches multiplied by the rate.
- Cost per reader
- What an advertiser pays to reach one estimated reader: ad price divided by quality-adjusted readership. It is a clearer efficiency metric than raw CPM because it reflects pass-along readership. Cost per reader calculator
- CPM (cost per mille)
- The cost to reach one thousand of something, calculated as (ad cost ÷ audience) × 1,000. Circulation-based CPM uses copies; true CPM uses estimated readers and is usually lower thanks to pass-along. Print CPM calculator
- Digital halo
- The lift a print ad creates in online behaviour, branded search, direct traffic and paid-search performance. Accounting for the digital halo captures value a print-only view misses. Digital halo calculator
- Display advertising
- Image-led print ads placed within editorial pages, as opposed to classified or insert advertising. Display ads are priced by size and position and carry the highest attention potential in print.
- Flight
- A defined burst of advertising activity within a campaign, followed by a gap (a hiatus). Flighting concentrates frequency into periods that matter rather than spreading spend thinly across the year.
- Frequency
- The average number of times a person is exposed to an ad over a campaign. In print, recall builds with frequency up to a point, after which additional insertions deliver diminishing returns and risk wearout. Insertion schedule planner
- Gatefold
- An oversized ad page that folds out, common on premium magazine covers. Gatefolds carry one of the highest attention multipliers of any print format because of their size and novelty.
- Gutter
- The inner margin where two facing pages meet at the spine. Content near the gutter is harder to see, so ad value is slightly lower there than at the outer edge of a page.
- Impression
- A single exposure of an ad to a reader. In print, impressions are modeled from readership and the probability that a reader reaches the page and notices the ad, rather than counted directly as in digital.
- Incrementality
- The portion of outcomes (sales, awareness, search) genuinely caused by an ad, over and above what would have happened anyway. Measuring incrementality separates the ad's true lift from baseline organic demand. Incrementality calculator
- Insert
- A standalone printed piece (flyer, catalogue, card) inserted into a publication rather than printed on its pages. Inserts can target by zone and stand out, but engagement varies widely by format and distribution. Newspaper insert advertising
- Make-good
- Free or discounted ad space a publisher provides to compensate for an error, such as a misprint or a missed insertion date.
- Open rate
- The undiscounted, one-time price for an ad before frequency or volume discounts. It is the top line of a rate card and the starting point for negotiation. Rate-card fairness check
- Pass-along readership
- The additional readers per copy beyond the original buyer, e.g. household members or waiting-room readers. The pass-along multiplier converts circulation into total readership and varies by title type. Readership multiplier
- Preferred position
- A guaranteed, premium placement (such as back cover, page 3, or opposite a specific section) for which a publisher charges extra. Preferred positions trade higher cost for materially better visibility.
- Rate card
- A publisher's published price list for ad space by size, position and frequency. Rate cards are a starting point; actual rates are often negotiated, and Adscribed can grade a rate card against audience value. Media kit grader
- Reach
- The number of distinct people exposed to a campaign at least once. In print, reach is modeled from readership adjusted for the probability that a reader actually notices the ad. Print ad reach calculator
- Readership
- The total number of people who read or look into an average issue, including pass-along readers. Readership is larger than circulation and is the right starting point for audience-based planning. Newspaper readership
- ROP (run of paper)
- Advertising placed anywhere in the publication at the publisher's discretion, rather than a guaranteed section or position. ROP is cheaper than fixed-position placement but offers less control over visibility.
- Run of paper position
- Where an ad sits within an issue (front page, inside front, back cover, by section). Position is one of the strongest drivers of visibility: covers and early right-hand pages outperform deep interior pages. Newspaper ad placement
- Section engagement
- How actively readers engage with a given section (main news, sports, lifestyle, classified). Higher-engagement sections lift the effective reach of an ad placed within them. Section engagement calculator
- Share of voice
- An advertiser's portion of total advertising in a category or publication. Higher share of voice within an issue means less competing clutter and more attention per ad.
- Spread (double-page spread)
- An ad running across two facing pages. Spreads command high attention and a premium rate, though content crossing the gutter loses a little visibility.
- Standard Advertising Unit (SAU)
- A standardised system of newspaper ad sizes that lets one creative run across many papers without resizing. SAUs simplify multi-title buys by making sizes and rates comparable.
- Tearsheet
- A page torn (or scanned) from a publication proving an ad ran as ordered. Tearsheets are the traditional proof-of-performance document for print buyers. Proof of performance
- Viewability
- The likelihood that an ad is actually seen, not just delivered. In print, viewability is a function of size, position, section and clutter, the same factors the Adscribed engine models.
- Wearout
- The point at which repeated exposure to the same ad stops adding recall and may start to annoy readers. Effective frequency planning stops short of wearout. Print advertising frequency
- Zoned edition
- A geographic sub-edition of a publication that carries different ads (and sometimes content) for a specific area. Zoning lets advertisers buy just the neighborhoods they want instead of full circulation.