The rule of thumb for number of characters for an article is 3'500 400 (incl. spaces). For double page it is 8'000 characters since on the second page usually does not contain a title. These numbers give the maximum length of an article that does not contain any images and have a rather short lead and title. Depending on the layout, the number of characters varies. We have collected some example articles that can give you some directions on how long your text can be.
Title, Lead, Biography
Every article contains a title, lead and biography. The lengths should be within the following ranges:
- Title: max. 40 characters
- Lead: ca. 250 to 300 characters
- Biography: ca. 150 characters
Special Pages
Editorial
- Title: 25 to 30 characters
- Text: 1300 characters
Präsikolumne
- Title: 30 to 40 characters
- Text: 2500 to 3000 characters
Example Layouts
However, the text length varies depending on the images and layout. In the table below you can find some examples from previous issues. Please note, that this is not an exact science. The length of the text does not include the characters of the lead.
| Layout | Length |
|---|
| Lead: - Text: 2'500 |
| Lead: 420 Text: 3'200 |
| Lead: 300 char Text: 3'900 |
| Lead: 210 Text: 5'000 |
| Lead: 250 Text: 3'000 |
| Lead: 210 Text: 2'700 |
| Lead: 250 Text: 5'000 |
| Lead: 150 Text: 4'800 |
| Lead: 250 Text: 3'500 |
| Lead: 300 Text: 6'300 |
| Lead: 250 Text: 6'900 |
| Lead: 340 Text: 5'500 |
| Lead: 330 Text: 8'200 |
