Format

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Required field

Per a Policy Vote of December 12, 2012, there are now five separate fields that record various Format data. These correspond to the five elements previously recorded in the single Format field. By long-standing convention, the preferred entry method for all text-based information is to use the language the comic was published in. English can always be used as an alternate.

  1. Color (color, 4 color, painted, 2 color, black and white)
  2. Dimensions (standard Golden Age US, standard Silver Age US, standard Modern Age US, digest, tabloid, A3, A4, A5, 8.5 in. x 11 in., 21 cm x 28 cm).
    When using actual measurements in the size format field use the abbreviation in. (only for American comics) and the abbreviation cm (with no periods) for all others. For measurements in inches, either decimals or fractions can be used, and neither is preferred.
    The numbers should be given as width by height. Note the spaces in the measurements.
  3. Paper Stock
    Some of the more common paper stocks are:
    a) newsprint: A lower quality off-white, acid-pulp paper, subject to yellowing and brittleness with time. It is used to print newspapers and was used to print traditional American newsstand comics for decades.
    b) glossy: Paper that has a shiny "slick" surface produced by coating the paper with a thin coat of varnish.
    c) bond: A high quality durable writing paper having a weight greater than 50 grams per square meter. Usually somewhat stiffer than paper used for computer printers and copy machines.
    d) Baxter: A brand name for a type of high quality (non-glossy) smooth white paper introduced in the early 1980s. A generic term for such paper is "smooth white".
    e) Mando: A brand name for a type of high quality (non-glossy) smooth white paper introduced in the early 1980s, better than newsprint but not as good as Baxter. A generic term for such paper is "smooth white".
    f) cardstock: A paper that masses between 110 and 300 grams per square meter. This is the sort of paper used for playing cards, trading cards, and the binding of paperback books. It also may be used for the covers of squarebound or saddle-stitched comics, especially for “deluxe” editions. Actual thickness levels used vary between nations and publishers. Cardstock used for covers may be glossy on one or both sides.
  4. Binding (stapled, saddle-stitched, bound, squarebound, hardcover, trade paperback)
    Binding terms are defined in part as:
    a) stapled: stapled through the top and bottom of the book. This included multiple or single staples.
    b) saddle-stitched: stapled through the folded edge of the book. (This is sometimes referred to as "staple bound" in the United Kingdom.)
    c) squarebound: pages are glued along the edge and bound together by the cover. There are two common types and the term Squarebound may be used for either, as the difference is not always clear. This also includes the use of tape around the book edge instead of glue.
    True squarebound comics are in signatures of usually 16 pages, or 8 leaves folded in half and bundled. A group of signatures is then glued into the cover and sometimes also stapled. Most trade paperbacks are in this form.
    Perfect bound are also glued into the cover, but as individual leaves. A perfect binding stacks all the signatures together, but then guillotines away the spines (the folded part), exposing the edge of each sheet individually and then applies glue onto the new spine to hold the book block together, as each sheet is now glued to every other sheet. It’s similar to the way a notepad is bound at the top with glue so you can tear off each sheet individually. Most mass-market paperbacks are in this form.
    d) hardcover: A hardcover binding consists of the pages encased into a cardboard casing with strong glue. The cardboard is thick and stiff and may be covered with fabric or man-made or real leather. The casing does not touch the pages along the edge. Also known as case bound, these may have either square or round edges.
    Hardcovers can have the pages be sewn or glued. Smyth sewn is the most common type of sewing used. It is similar to saddle stitching in concept, except that instead of staples, thread is sewn continuously through the spine of each signature several times, and all the signatures are tied together in an elaborate sewing process to create the “book block.” When you open the book and page through, you can see where the thread comes up through the paper to secure that signature every 16 pages in a book with 16-page signatures. (The number of pages in a signature can vary but will always be divisible by 4. 16 is usually the most cost effective. If a book calls for a page count that is not divisible by 4, a single two-page sheet can be glued on at the beginning or end of a signature.).
    Hardcovers with glued pages can be perfect bound.
    e) coil bound (or spiral bound): A plastic or metal coil is wound through both covers and every page to bind the book together. The metal coil is sometimes known as Wire-O.
    f) plastic comb bound: A plastic comb of multiple prongs is inserted through multiple holes punched through the book pages. Often used for reports but seldom used for books.
    g) fastener bound: Metal fasteners of various designs are inserted through holes in the pages and secured on the bottom of the book, usually by bending them. There are several styles: single brass fasteners, prong fasteners, and two-piece plastic strips. Often used for reports but seldom used for books.
    h) slide binding: Pages are slid into a plastic piece. Often used for reports but seldom used for books.
    i) folded: This consists of pages folded together without binding. Many different folds can be employed, with the simplest being a single page folded in half to create 4 pages. Newspapers are an example of folded binding.
  5. Publishing Format (on-going series, limited series, miniseries, maxiseries, one-shot, graphic novel, collected edition)
    For Publishing Format, the following is suggested:
    a) one-shot - intended as a standalone publication (use with 'Is Singleton' set to "yes")
    b) limited series - intended as a finite series (use with 'Is Current' set as needed)
    c) ongoing series - intended as an open-ended series with no set endpoint (use with 'Is Current' set to "yes")
    d) was ongoing series - a formerly ongoing series that has ceased publication (use with 'Is Current' set to "no")
    For Publishing Format using French terminology, the following is suggested by some of our French-speaking members:
    a) récit complet - Histoire complète dans un seul ouvrage en VF (Champ 'Is Singleton' à « "yes")
    b) mini-série - Série dont la numérotation était limitée à la création (Champ 'Is current' à « Selon)
    c) série continue - Série conçue comme continue au moment de sa création (Champ 'Is current' à « "yes")
    d) série continue terminée - Série conçue comme continue au moment de sa création (Champ 'Is current' à « "no")


  • If all five elements are not known, or if they change over the run of the series, Notes may be necessary to help describe special cases for any of these Format fields. Special cases would be things like "started as a limited series and became ongoing", "started referring to #75 as the final early on", "was supposed to be ongoing, but was canceled after one issue", etc.
  • Page counts do not belong in any of these Format fields.
  • Note that at some point the Format fields will be associated directly at the issue level.
  • Also note that we do not split series due to a change in format; see Variant Issues, Point 8.


NOTE: Though the Policy vote that created these five fields did not state how to punctuate the fields, use of semicolons to separate multiple values within a field is a longstanding GCD policy. The use of semicolons instead of commas will facilitate breaking the fields into multiple fields if that is ever desired, such as separating cover paper stock and interior paper stock. Periods are not needed at the end of a list, because it is not a sentence.

Policy Votes Affecting This Topic


Back to the Formatting Documentation