Pagination Process

Pagination is the process of assigning page locations for editorials and ads. It’s like putting together a brand new puzzle each month - there are different lengths of editorial sections and a new combination of ad sizes that need to fit within your total page count. Below is some insight into the guidelines the production team operates under when paginating a magazine.

General Pagination Notes

• Pagination occurs the day after your agreement/first ad deadline.
• All insertions must be finalized by the deadline. We cannot accept late changes or additions.
• Although it may seem like an easy request or suggestion, please know that some things simply cannot be done based on the combination of articles, ads, and physical page space in the magazine. In the instance that something can’t be done, we will do our best to find a solution that is close to what has been requested.

Placing House Ads

House ads are used as filler content whenever fractional ad arrangement leaves remaining space on a page. Whenever there is an uneven or non-standard combination of fractional ads, a house ad may be required to fill remaining page space.

• 1/4 Vertical House Ad: Placed when there is an odd number of 1/4 vertical ads, completing the 2x2 or 4-up page grid.
• 1/3 Horizontal House Ad: Placed when there are two 1/3 horizontal ads, completing the full page.
• 1/3 Vertical House Ad: Placed alongside a 2/3 vertical ad when no editorial content is available to fill the remaining space.

Front of Book, Back of Book, and Content Flow

Certain Front of Book (FOB) and Back of Book (BOB) sections are standardized with set positions that cannot be changed.

Front of Book (FOB) Anchor Content Sequence

The pages at the beginning of each magazine follow a fixed order across every issue:

1. Cover
2. Lifestyle Letter
3. Table of Contents
4. City Scene
5. Business Monthly
6. City List

Back of Book (BOB) Anchors

The following sections must always be placed within the final 25% (last quarter) of the publication:

• Events
• Realty Report

Ad Placement & Editorial Guidelines

• Ad Volume Allocation: Larger publications require additional ad placements in the front of the magazine to maintain balanced visual flow throughout the remaining pages.
• Ad Clustering Limit: No more than three consecutive pages of advertising may be placed between articles.
• Article Layout Integrity: Article layouts must maintain their standard structure; editorial content will not be broken up or altered in non-standard ways to accommodate ad placements.

Editorial Content Cuts and Page Reductions

When the ad count exceeds available editorial space, content must be trimmed or removed to fit the magazine’s set page count. While reductions are prioritized to protect local editorial content, preservation of specific articles cannot be guaranteed.

Content Reduction Hierarchy:

1. Evergreen Content
2. Market-Ready Content Kits
3. Select Anchor Content (City Scene, Business Monthly, City List, and Events)
4. Local Articles

Editorial Requests & Production Notes

To specify preferred articles for removal or trimming, submit preferences via Production Notes prior to the editorial deadline. Instructions submitted after the deadline cannot be accommodated.

Managing Ad Placement Notes

Placement Notes define ad positioning within an issue. Once added into a client's contract before the deadline. Publishers may update these placement preferences monthly for clients. Note that all placement notes must comply with our Advertising Policies and Editorial Policies. Any placement note that violates these guidelines will be disregarded. Learn more about placement notes here: Ad Placement Notes.