Magazine size: standard magazine dimensions and page counts

The most common magazine size in the United States is 8.375 x 10.875 inches, slightly smaller than a letter-size sheet. Many independent and company magazines use a full 8.5 x 11 inch page instead. Digest, oversized and tabloid formats are also common. This guide lists standard magazine sizes and covers page counts, binding, paper and file setup.

Standard magazine sizes

• 8.375 x 10.875 in: the standard trim size for most consumer magazines.
• 8.5 x 11 in: a full letter-size page, common for company magazines, newsletters, catalogs and annual reports.
• 9 x 10.875 in or 9 x 12 in: oversized formats used by fashion, art, design and photography titles.
• Digest, about 5.5 x 8.5 in: a small format for literary journals, travel guides and pocket magazines.
• Tabloid, 11 x 17 in: a large newsprint-style format for community papers and event publications.
• A4, 210 x 297 mm: the standard magazine size in Europe and most other countries.

Trim size, bleed and safe area

The trim size is the finished size of the page. Images and colors that run to the edge need 0.125 in of bleed beyond the trim on every side, so an 8.375 x 10.875 in page is set up at 8.625 x 11.125 in. Keep text and important details at least 0.25 in inside the trim, and more on thick magazines. Our guide to bleed in printing explains the setup.

Page counts

Saddle stitched magazines are made from sheets folded in half and stapled through the fold. Each sheet makes four pages, so the total page count, including the cover, must be a multiple of four, such as 16, 24, 32 or 48 pages. Perfect bound magazines are printed in signatures as well, so page counts in multiples of four or eight are the most efficient.

Binding

• Saddle stitch: the most common binding for magazines up to about 64 pages, depending on the paper weight. It is economical and lets the magazine open flat.
• Perfect binding: pages are glued into a cover with a square spine that can carry the title and issue number. Used for thicker magazines and quarterly journals.
• Wire binding: the magazine opens completely flat, which suits manuals and workbooks.

On perfect bound magazines, part of the inside margin disappears into the spine, so leave a wider gutter. Our guide to saddle stitch vs perfect binding compares the two.

Paper for magazines

• Inside pages: 60 lb to 80 lb text. Coated paper prints photographs sharply; uncoated paper gives a natural, readable page for text-heavy titles.
• Cover: 80 lb or 100 lb cover for a plus cover magazine, or the same paper as the inside for a self cover.

Recycled papers come in both coated and uncoated finishes and print full-color photography well. Our guide to coated vs uncoated paper explains the difference, and our paper weight guide covers text and cover weights.

Planning a magazine

• Choose the trim size first, since it sets the layout grid, the paper and the mailing cost.
• Check postal rules before you settle on an oversized format. Larger and heavier pieces cost more to mail.
• Build the file as single pages in reading order, with bleed.
• Plan the page count in multiples of four and leave room for ads, contents and contributor pages.

For printing, see our magazine printing. Shorter publications are covered in our booklet size guide.

Common questions

What is the standard magazine size?

Most US magazines are 8.375 x 10.875 inches. 8.5 x 11 inches is also common for company and independent magazines.

What size is a digest magazine?

Digest magazines are about 5.5 x 8.5 inches, roughly half the size of a standard magazine.

How many pages does a magazine need?

A saddle stitched magazine needs a page count that is a multiple of four, including the cover, such as 16, 24 or 32 pages.

What paper is used for magazines?

Inside pages are usually 60 lb to 80 lb text, and the cover is often 80 lb or 100 lb cover. Coated paper is common for photo-heavy titles.