Column Inches and Advertising
Newspapers sell advertising space on a page to retail advertisers, advertising agencies and other media buyers. Newspapers publish a "per column inch" rate based on their circulation and demographic figures. Generally, the more readers the higher the column inch rate is. Newspapers with more affluent readers may be able to command an even higher column inch rate. For most newspapers, however, the published rate is just a starting point. Sales representatives generally negotiate lower rates for frequent advertisers.
Advertisements are measured using column inches. An advertisement that is 1 column inch square is 11 picas wide by 1 inch high. The column inch size for advertisements that spread over more than one column is determined by multiplying the number of inches high by number of columns. For example, an advertisement that is 3 columns wide by 6 inches high takes up 18 column inches (3 columns wide multiplied by 6 inches high).
To determine the cost of the advertisement, multiply the number of column inches by the newspaper's rate. So, if a newspaper charges $10 per column inch, the cost for the advertisement discussed above would be $180.00 (18 column inches multiplied by $10.00). Advertisements that span over more than one column also gain a small amount of extra space in between columns because they stretch across the gutters. Gutters are the empty space between columns. Gutters range from about 10 points to about 1 pica wide. In addition, most newspapers charge for an extra column if an advertisement is a double truck.
Read more about this topic: Column Inch
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