Magazines

A magazine is a public or private publication, edited periodically, with different multi-themed content, grouped in a certain number of pages (with limitation depending on the weight of the pages).

Format

There are multiple formats for magazines, but the most common are: A4, A5, A6, 17x24, 21x21...

Virtually any format is valid for making a magazine.

Of course, it is also possible to make them in "custom" format.

Printing

Colour (four-colour), black or mixed.

Medium

Any type of paper can be used, but the most common are: Coated, offset, recycled and specific speciality papers.

Binding

The most common type of binding in magazines is: Saddle-stitched.

Saddle-stitched: It is a very practical type of binding for publications.  The content is printed in double-page-sized formats, so that all printed sheets are folded in half and then sewn or stapled onto the spine.

Type of Cover

In saddle-stitched magazines, the cover is usually made of the same material as the inside, but not always.
Sometimes a different type of paper is used for the cover for aesthetic or practical reasons.
It is also not unusual to use the same material for the cover as for the inside, but with a heavier weight for the cover in order to better protect the inside or make the publication thicker.

Finishes and Effects

There are many effects and finishes to incorporate in magazines, on the cover as well as inside, including the following:

  • Plastic-coated / laminated
  • UV varnish
  • Drip off varnish
  • Stamping
  • Embossing
  • Die-cutting
  • Hole drilling
  • ...

These effects are to protect the magazine, prevent its deterioration over time, highlight specific contents or simply to improve the quality of the finish and, ultimately, give added value to its contents or improve the overall image of the product or service advertised.

Manufacturing process

Magazines are usually "saddle-stitched" bound.

The magazine is made up of one or more sheets folded in booklets.

Once the sheets are printed, they are sent to the folding machine.

After folding, they are ready to be stapled or inserted and stapled.
There are two forms of staple. Normal staple and archive staple or omega staple.

For the stapling phase, the booklets are placed in each insertion station in their corresponding order. Then the machine takes them one by one and superimposes along the spine, until they form the final magazine with the total number of pages.
Subsequently, a wire head will place the staple/s along the spine.

Once the magazine is sewn, it must pass through the three-knife trimmer, which is a component of the machine used to make the simultaneous final cut of the top, bottom and side, to leave the magazine in its final format.