Above the fold

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"Above the fold" is a graphic design concept that refers to the location of an important news story or a visually appealing photograph on the upper half of the front page of a newspaper. Most papers are delivered and displayed to customers folded up, meaning that only the top half of the front page is visible. Thus, an item that is "above the fold" may be one that the editors feel will entice people to buy the paper. Alternatively, it reflects a decision, on the part of the editors, that the article is one of the day's most important. By extension, the space above the fold is also preferred by advertisers, since it is the most prominent and visible even when the newspaper is on stands.

The term can be used more generally to refer to anything that is prominently displayed or of highest priority.

[edit] Variants

Above the scroll, a concept in web design referring to location of an item near the top of a web page, which can thus be viewed in a browser without scrolling. Some web marketers have called this "above the crease" referring to the way in which newspapers of yesteryear were folded and creased.

Newspaper stories that appear below the fold are said to be located “under the crease.”^{[citation needed]}