Discovering the Sizes of Magazine Covers

COMMON MAGAZINE SIZES:

There are two standard sizes for magazines.

Standard Size:

8 3/8" x 10 7/8"
is an economical and common magazine page size. 


Digest Size:

5 3/8" x 8 3/8


With that being said, magazine sizes often vary from these two standard
sizes. Over sized and under sized magazines can be produced and their
cost per square inch is almost always higher. As the size of the print run
increases, the cost per unit for the magazine will decrease.

(Magazines are usually done in page increments of 8 starting with a minimum of
16 pages signatures. It is most cost effective to create your layouts in multiples of
16 (16, 32, 48, etc) because the printer’s form is often 16 pages at a time, 32 pages
if the magazine is digest size.

PAPER WEIGHT:
Standard magazine paper weight can range anywhere from 45# to 100#
weight with an average of 50# – 60#. Often the paper stock is coated
stock, with a sheen.

BINDERY:
Saddle Stitched
Sewn or stapled through the gutter. This process is good for magazines
with fewer signatures/pages.

Perfect Bind: 
To perfect bind magazines means to glue bind them in the spine like a
paperback book. You can print your files in 16 page signature booklets
and when binding, group your signatures, shave off the spine edge, add
glue on the spine and attach the cover by wrapping it around the spine.
(For this process you must create a separate In Design file for the cover—this file
would be for the 4 pages and the spine which makes up the front cover. When
working with the printer on a project like this they might give you this specification
which might look something like this: 48 pages plus cover.)

SAMPLING OF MAGAZINE SIZES:

People Magazine
Entertainment Weekly
Money Magazine
Fortune Magazine
7 7⁄8” x 10 7⁄16” Final Trim Size

Discover Magazine
Scientific American Magazine
8” x 10 1⁄2” Final Trim Size

Martha Stewart Living
9” x 10 13⁄16” Final Trim Size

Print Magazine
8 7/8” x 12” Final Trim Size

Rolling Stone Magazine
Magazines published by Condé Nast:
WIRED
GQ
Traveler
Bon Appétit
Vogue
8” x 10 7⁄8” Final Trim Size

Nylon Magazine
9” x 10 3⁄4” Final Trim Size

Architectural Digest
8 3⁄8” x 10 7⁄8” Final Trim Size