split run
- noun
- Jargon
- The publisher decided to produce a split run of the magazine to target different audiences with tailored content.
Examples
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I do not know whose fault it was, but the split-run magazine issue generally showed that it was a failure in the FTA to try to do something that had a worthwhile objective.
Academic text (2001) -
The editor announced the split run of the next issue, featuring unique articles for subscribers in various areas.
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The appellate body focused on the fact that when the excise tax was drafted in Canada, it was drafted as a tax on split-run periodicals, not on the advertising content.
Academic text (2001) -
To cater to regional interests, we will create a split run of the local newspaper with customized advertisements.
Synonyms
The number of copies made for one edition of a magazine, book or newspaper
A period when a printing press makes one set of newspapers or magazines
How Local
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines the transparent meanings of 'split' (to divide) and 'run' (a sequence or run), so a learner could infer it refers to a run that has been divided into different editions. However, the specific publishing sense — altering articles/ads for different regions — is industry-specific and not fully predictable from everyday senses of 'run', making the expression only partially derivable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
The noun split run comes from printing: printers took one run, a batch of copies, and split it into two or more versions, changing some pages or ads for different places. So a split run means 'different editions' made from the same print batch for different readers.