Learning Type

Layout Terminology

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Bleed
An image that extends beyond the edge of the page. The term is specific to printing. The image goes beyond the edge of the page so that when the page is cut, you don't get a white edge.
Block Quotation
A quotation set off from the main text, forming a paragraph of its own, often indented or set in a different font or smaller size than the main text.
Body Text
The main part of a text. The type for the body text is typically set at 9 to 12 point depending on the font and the usage. Also referred to as body copy.
Byline
The credit line, often beginning with the word “by.” Writers, artists and photographers all tend to get credit.
Callout
The selection of a word or phrase from an article that is pulled out of the text and highlighted by being set in a larger point size and may be either in a bold or italic font.
Caption
Small, descriptive text placed near an illustration or photo explaining the illustration or photo. Typically sized one to two point sizes smaller than the body copy.
Columns
A vertical division of a page.
Display Type
This term refers to type above 14 points in size. It may be in a more decorative style than the body copy. It is typically used as a headline for an article.
Drop Cap
A capital letter at the beginning of a text that is inset two or more lines into the first paragraph.
Footer
The bottom portion of information that may be included in a publication. It may indicate the title, chapter name, magazine name, issue number, web address, and/or the page number.
Grid
The imaginary lines defining boundaries on a page. It serves as the underlining structure on the page. Images and text are aligned
to it.
Gutter
The space between columns. It also refers to the space where two pages meet. In that case, typically part of the page is lost to the binding.
Header
The top portion of information that may be included in a publication. It may indicate the title, chapter name, magazine name, and/or the page number.
Headline
The title of an article or other document. Text that is uppermost in hierarchy. It is typically in a different font than the rest of the article.
Initial Cap
A capital letter at the beginning of a text that is set in a larger point size and typically with a decorative font. Unlike a drop cap, it often shares the baseline with the body copy.
List
Typset as an individual list of terms, one above the next. Each item typically has a bullet or dingbat at the beginning of each line, in front of each list item.
Margins
The space from the edge of the page to the type or printing.
Masthead
It is the title of a magazine, newspaper, or other periodical. Typically found on the cover or front page. It is usually set in the same manner month after month. It is almost like a logo.
Orphan
A word or few words in its own row that end a paragraph, thus creating too much white space between paragraphs.
Pull Quotes
A phrase from the body text that is set larger, often in a different typeface, as a quotation that summarizes a main idea of the article.
Sidebar
Text that is set in a column off to the side of the main text. It is used to describe or present supporting material that clarifies a point or provides an example to support the main story. A box or other visual element may be used to help set it off from the rest of the page.
Subhead
The head that is lower in hierarchy than one or more heads above it. Typically used to denote a new section within the body of an article.
Text Type
Type set in small sizes, usually set between 7 and 10 points, and intended for continuous reading.
Text Wrap
Text gets wrapped around a picture or other object. It may be set close to the image or further away. Most word processors and design programs offer this as a functionality.
Widow
A line of text at the end of a paragraph separated from the rest of the text, meaning that this line is either in the next column or in the next page. It can also appear as an opening line of a paragraph at the bottom of the column or a page, thus separated from the rest of the paragraph.