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Graphic Design vocabulary · Layout & Grids

Spread

Meaning in graphic design, with examples

/sprɛd/nounCommon term

In graphic design, spread means: Two pages that face each other when a book, magazine or brochure is open, designed and viewed together as one wide layout.

In Turkish: çift sayfa, karşılıklı sayfalar

How it is used

Used in editorial and book design. Designers lay out, design or present spreads; a double-page spread is often used for big photos. Note that printers may need single pages, not spreads, in the final PDF.

Example sentences

  1. The opening spread of each chapter has a full-bleed photo on the left and the title on the right.

  2. Please export single pages, not spreads, for the printer.

Common collocations

  • double-page spread
  • opening spread
  • design a spread
  • export as spreads
  • gutterThe space between two columns of a grid, or the inner margin of a book or magazine where the pages meet at the binding.
  • layoutThe way text, images and other elements are arranged on a page, screen or poster, including their size, position and the space between them.
  • 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.
  • bleedExtra image or background that extends past the edge of the final page, usually 3 mm, so that no white edge appears when the printed sheet is trimmed.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Layout & Grids

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