Newspaper Advertising: A Guide to

Newspaper Display Ad Sizes

Newspaper advertising is one of the most popular advertising media having a mass reach and great
impact. Reading a newspaper is a popular morning habit for Indian households irrespective of age and
gender. Promoting a brand through newspaper advertising ensures your message reaches across
households and offices with an impact. With digital advertising growing at an unprecedented rate, the
future of newspaper advertising might look bleak but there’s more to what meets the eye. A recent
study by Google and Kantar reveals that a newspaper display ad is 4X popular than online display ads.

What is a newspaper display ad?

Newspaper advertisements usually fall into two categories- newspaper classified ads and newspaper
display advertisements. Newspaper classified ads are limited by size, placement, and features. They
are mostly text-heavy and information-rich and are restricted to the classified section of the
newspaper. In terms of pricing, newspaper classified advertisements are cheaper. Being restricted to a
designated space, classified ads are read by people who are actively looking for them.
 Classified Text Ad

Classified Display Ad
Newspaper display ads, in the truest form, are exactly that- ‘display’ advertisements. Not restricted by
space and placement limitations, they have the opportunity to express through vibrant pictures (can be
color/BW) or prominent placements (as newspaper jacket) or innovation through quirky content.
Newspaper display ads merge with news content seamlessly, attracting the attention of the
newsreaders.
How is the newspaper ad size measured?
Newspaper ad sizes are usually measured in centimeters. Few newspaper publishers still measure
newspaper width in terms of columns. One column is about 1.6 inches or 4 cm long. Usually, a
newspaper has about 7-8 columns which means it is 28-32 cm wide and about 50 cm in length. In this
article, we would measure all the ad sizes in centimeter.

What are the various newspaper ad sizes popular in India?

Newspaper Ad Sizes
Newspaper display ads can come in different sizes. In this article, we will discuss some of the popular
ones. Overall, newspaper display advertisement sizes can be classified in two-
  Fixed-size newspaper advertisement
 Custom/variable size newspaper advertisement

Fixed-size Newspaper Advertisements

Following are the fixed sizes for newspaper display ads that are popular among newspaper
advertisers:

a. Quarter Page Newspaper Advertisement (16 cm X 25 cm)

As the name suggests, a quarter-page newspaper advertisement would cover an area equivalent to a
quarter or 1/4 of a newspaper page. If translated in terms of width and breadth, it would be about 16
cm wide and 25 cm long. A quarter-page newspaper advertisement can be placed in any of the four
quadrants of the newspaper. However, most advertisers prefer it to be placed on the right side of the
newspaper page, in the lower quadrant preferably (as shown in the diagram).

b. Half Page Newspaper Advertisement

As can be understood by the name, a half-page newspaper advertisement cover half the area of a
newspaper page. This can be done in the following two ways:

Vertical Half Page Newspaper Advertisement (16 cm X 46 cm): Vertical half-page newspaper ads
divide the newspaper area into two halves vertically. In terms of dimensions, the ad would measure 16
cm wide and 46 cm long and would cover an area of 736 sq cm. Just like a quarter size newspaper
advertisement, the popular choice of placement for vertical half-page newspaper ads is the right-hand
side.
Horizontal Half Page Newspaper Advertisement (~32.9 cm X 25 cm): Horizontal half-page newspaper
ads divide the newspaper area into two halves horizontally. In terms of dimensions, the ad would
measure ~32.9 cm wide and 25 cm long and would cover an area of 825 sq cm. Just like quarter size
newspaper advertisement, the popular choice of placement for horizontal half-page newspaper ads is
the bottom half of the page.
c. Full Page Newspaper Advertisement (~32.9 cm X 52 cm)
Considered to be the most impactful of all, a full-page newspaper ad covers an entire newspaper page.
It is about ~32.9 cm wide and 52 cm long. This size may differ slightly based on the placement of the
ad.

d. Skybus Newspaper Advertisement (~32.9 cm X 5 cm)

Skybus newspaper advertisements are narrow horizontal ads that cover the entire width of the
newspaper and is present just under the newspaper title (masthead). In most cases, Skybus ads
appear on the front page of the newspaper. A Skybus roughly covers an area of 165 sq cm.

e. Pointer Newspaper Advertisement (4 cm X 5 cm)

Pointer newspaper advertisements are small ads of 20 sq cm that appear on the front page of the
newspaper.
f. Jacket Newspaper Advertisement
Jackets are extra pages meant to carry advertisements and are placed before the front page.
Following are the sizes for the jacket:

Jacket Front Side: ~32.9 cm width X 48 cm height

Jacket Back Side: ~32.9 cm width X 52.5 cm height

Variable-size Newspaper Advertisements
Apart from the popular fixed-sized newspaper ads, there can be a number of options for variable-sized
advertisements. They are quite similar to fixed-sized display ads in all other aspects although, there is
a lesser control over the placement of variable ads. The prices for these ads are determined in units of
square cm. The popular categories of variable size newspaper ads are:

a. Custom-sized newspaper advertisement

The minimum accepted size for a custom-sized display ad for the newspaper is 20 sq cm except that
in the case of the front page where the minimum required size is 240 sq cm.
Following are a few ad dimensions that are high in demand (refer to the pics that follow)

1. 4 cm (wide) * 5 cm (long)
2. 8 cm (wide) * 8 cm (long)
3. 8 cm (wide) * 12 cm (long)
4. 12 cm (wide) * 20 cm (long)
5. 16 cm (wide) * 20 cm (long)
b. Advertorial newspaper advertisement
Advertorials are newspaper ads written in the format of articles/editorials. In terms of language and
style, they look like a news/article but are demarcated by the tag “advertorial”.

A relatively new option, currently offered by Times of India only, MediaNet newspaper ads are very
similar to advertorial but are more authentic, trustworthy and effective. The content for MediaNet
advertorial is designed and approved by the editorial team. There is no “advertorial” tag with the ad.
However, the final decision for the publication of such ads lies with the editorial team only.

Innovation Ads in the Newspaper

Apart from the regular newspaper ads, newspaper publishers like Times of India also offer innovative
formats for ad placements to create an amplified and long-lasting impact. There are many innovative
newspaper ads possible (as shown in images below). Write to us at Help@TheMediaAnt.com to know
more about innovation ads.

Following are some examples of innovative ads in newspapers:

(a) Front Page Gate Fold

(b) Product Sampling

(c) Vertical Flap
(d) Envelope

(e) Letter Hijack

Newspaper Advertising Rates
Newspaper advertising rates are primarily based on two factors- newspaper ad size and ad placement.
It is usually higher for certain positions like the front page, back page, jacket, etc. As can be guessed
by the names, fixed-size newspaper ads have pre-determined pricing whereas, for variable ad sizes,
prices can be determined by multiplying the unit price with the desired sizes. Special advertising types
like advertorial and MediaNet have premium pricing.