Ad Sizes for Print

There are many ad sizes for print available. Newspapers, magazines and other publications have different specifications.

Common Magazine Ad Dimensions

The most commonly used in magazines are 1/6 page: (horizontal) 4-5/8″ x 2-1/4″, full page: 7″ x 10″, 1/4 page: (vertical) 3-1/2″ x 4-3/4″, 2/3-page: (vertical) 4-5/8″ x 9-3/4″, 1/6 page: (vertical) 2-1/4″ x 4-3/4″, 1/2 page: (horizontal) 7″ x 4-3/4″, /3 page: (square) 4-1/2″ x 4-7/8″, 1/3 page: (vertical) 2-1/4″ x 10″ and 1/3 page: (horizontal) 3-3/8″ x 7″.

These magazine advertisement specs are known as Mechanical Dimensions. These figures may fluctuate a bit from publication to publication. But for the most part, magazine publishers use these figures or numbers very close to them. Whatever changes may be, they will be minor.

The content and appearance will be similar. A few magazines also have 1 inch: 2-1/4″ X 1″ and 1/12 page: 2-1/4″ X 2-1/4″. Most of the time though, these types of ad sizes for print are featured in specific parts.

Newspaper Ad Specifications

Newspaper ads are measured and sold by inches and columns. In other words, every ad must fit with the width of the newspaper’s column. This can vary from paper to paper. Most of the papers in the US are six columns wide.

Every column is 1 13/16 inches in width. This means a full page is approximately 21 inches high. The total column inches of an advertisement is determined using the following formula: column width x height in inches. For instance, an advertisement 2 inches high and 2 columns wide is regarded as a 2 x 2. When converted to column inches that is 4.

Making Effective Ads

Of course size is not all that matters. The design is just as important. Chief among these elements is the headline. This is what will be used to capture the attention of readers. Ad designers make dozens of headlines prior to deciding which one to use.

Headlines either provide news or give info that has bearing on the reader’s self interest. Successful ads also use simple words (not necessarily short ones). Intricate, complicated words will turn off most readers. An effective ad will also use as many words necessary to get their point across.

Using the right ad sizes for print is absolutely crucial. But as the facts show, it isn’t the only factor that comes into play. If the ad is properly designed, people will read it no matter what its dimensions are.