What is Masthead and Colophon in a Document ?

[Subeesh A C]

While surfing the internet I came across some unfamiliar terms (at least to me) to our field. I have tried to detail it below.

Masthead

A masthead is a list of information about a newspaper or magazine which is typically printed near the editorial page or inside cover. This information is included in every issue, making it easy for people to see who is involved with the publication and where it is published.

The term “masthead” is also used in online publishing to describe the pages which provide information about the site's owners. But for news papers it is called nameplate.

In addition, a masthead contains information about circulation, typically indicating how many papers or newspapers have been printed, and sometimes indicating the number of subscribers as well. The masthead also lists information about subscription and advertising rates, along with contact information for these departments to make it easy for potential advertisers or subscribers to reach the paper. You may also see a newspaper's slogan printed on its masthead, as well as on the nameplate.

Except for changes to the names of contributors to each issue and the date/volume number, most information remains the same from issue to issue. You can place the masthead anywhere you want in your publication but it is typically found on the second page or last page of a newsletter or somewhere in the first several pages of a magazine.

Colophone

A list or description of how a book or magazine was produced is its colophon. Not all publications include a colophon but when they do it may contain production materials such as software, hardware, typefaces, and type of paper. Traditionally found at the back of the publication, some modern books place the colophon near the front. Some Web sites provide a colophon describing how the site was produced.

Have a good day.

Links: Masthead and Colophone

[Omkar Prasad Ahirwar]

thanku sir