Text that has been formatted and set into type but does not fit within the designated column or page boundaries. In physical layout and digital desktop publishing, this leftover text is held in a buffer or galley until it can be cut by an editor or accommodated by expanding the layout. If left unresolved, the missing text simply drops off the final print.
We have about twelve lines of overset on the front page, so you need to cut a paragraph from the mayor's quote.
Also heard as
- overmatter
Related terms
Overrun
To push text forward into the next line or column when adding material to an existing paragraph.
Copyedit
To review and correct raw manuscript text for grammar, style, and formatting before typesetting.
Galley
A shallow, three-sided metal tray used to hold lines of set type before they are made up into pages.