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Graphic Design vocabulary · Layout & Grids

Gutter

Meaning in graphic design, with examples

/ˈɡʌtər/nounCommon term

In graphic design, gutter means: The space between two columns of a grid, or the inner margin of a book or magazine where the pages meet at the binding.

In Turkish: sütun arası boşluk, cilt payı

How it is used

Used in editorial design, web grids and printing. You set, widen or reduce the gutter; designers warn that text or faces placed near the gutter of a spread may disappear into the binding.

Example sentences

  1. Increase the gutter between the columns to 5 mm; the text looks squeezed.

  2. Don't put the CEO's face across the gutter; it'll be lost in the binding.

Common collocations

  • column gutter
  • set the gutter
  • wide gutter
  • across the gutter
  • gridA hidden structure of columns, rows and margins that designers use to place elements consistently, so that pages in a book, website or campaign feel organised and related.
  • marginThe empty space between the content and the edges of a page or screen. It frames the content and keeps important text away from where the paper is cut or bound.
  • spreadTwo pages that face each other when a book, magazine or brochure is open, designed and viewed together as one wide layout.
  • layoutThe way text, images and other elements are arranged on a page, screen or poster, including their size, position and the space between them.

More terms: Layout & Grids

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