Magazine issue Gantt chart template: closes, print slot and on-sale date
An editable Gantt chart for one magazine issue: features, ad sales, layout and proofs, a booked print slot, distribution and the on-sale date, with editorial close, ad close and page approval as gates.
What the magazine issue gantt chart template: closes, print slot and on-sale date process is
A magazine issue repeats on a rhythm, and the rhythm is made of closes. Editorial closes when the copy is final, advertising closes when the space is sold, and the pages are approved when the proofs are clean. The printer's slot is booked long before any of them, and it does not move when the pages are late. That is what separates an issue from an ordinary project: the end is a slot and an on-sale date, so the plan is mostly about protecting them. A timeline shows which close decides the date and what a late page costs.
This template has four groups: Editorial, Advertising, Layout and proofs, and Print and distribution. It has 20 tasks and four milestones: "Editorial close", "Ad close", "Pages approved" and "Issue on sale". There are two starting tasks. "Set the issue plan and page count" (3 working days) leads to "Commission features and photography" (3) and to "Sell and book ad space" (12), so editorial and advertising run at the same time. "Book the print slot" (1) stands apart, because the slot is arranged with the printer and does not depend on the content.
The sequencing is built on overlap. "Edit and fact-check features" (8) starts 4 working days into "Writers file features" (10), so the editor works on the first pieces while the last are still being written. "Design the cover and opening pages" (5) and "Lay out feature pages" (7) each start 3 working days into the edit, once there is copy to set. "Editorial close" follows the edit, and the layout finishes 2 working days after it with a finish-to-finish link, because the last pieces are placed after they are final. "Collect and check ad artwork" (4) follows "Ad close", and "Place ads and balance the pages" (2) waits for both the artwork and the layout.
In the illustrative numbers the advertising chain ends 1 working day before the layout does, so editorial decides the date. Where ad sales run long or artwork arrives late, "Place ads and balance the pages" waits for the ads instead. After that the chain is serial: "Read first proofs" (3), "Correct pages and proofread again" (3), "Pages approved", then "Prepare and send files to the printer" (2). "Print and bind the issue" (6) needs both the files and the slot. "Deliver to wholesalers and mail house" (3) is followed by "Mail subscriber copies" (3), which starts 1 day later. "Issue on sale" comes 40 working days after the first task. All durations are illustrative; replace them with what your printer and distributor tell you.
The expensive late change is a page that moves after "Pages approved": it costs a corrected proof, a new set of files and possibly the slot. Treat that as the gate to guard. A timeline schedules the work. It does not clear image rights, agree terms with advertisers or reserve a slot with the printer. For comparison see /templates/book-publishing-gantt-chart for a title with one publication date, /templates/content-calendar-gantt-chart for a continuous publishing rhythm and /templates/document-approval-workflow for the approval step. For the review rounds see /guides/review-rounds-gantt-chart, and for fixed lead times /guides/release-date-lead-times-gantt-chart.
What this flowchart covers
In this template
- Four groups, Editorial, Advertising, Layout and proofs and Print and distribution, with 20 tasks and four milestones: "Editorial close", "Ad close", "Pages approved" and "Issue on sale".
- Editorial and advertising running side by side after "Set the issue plan and page count", then joining at "Place ads and balance the pages".
- Overlap that is safe: "Edit and fact-check features" starts 4 working days into "Writers file features", and "Lay out feature pages" starts 3 working days into the edit and finishes 2 working days after "Editorial close".
- A serial proof chain, "Read first proofs", "Correct pages and proofread again" and "Pages approved", in front of "Prepare and send files to the printer".
- A printer's slot, "Book the print slot", that "Print and bind the issue" needs alongside the files, followed by "Deliver to wholesalers and mail house", "Mail subscriber copies" and "Issue on sale".
When to use this template
- You edit or produce a regular magazine, newsletter or journal and want one plan for editorial, advertising, layout and print.
- You want to see whether editorial close or ad close decides when the files reach the printer.
- The on-sale date and the print slot are fixed and you want to check that the proofs fit before them.
- You run issues on a rhythm and want a standard plan to reuse and resize for each one.
The plan, task by task
Every task in the chart with its length in working days and what it waits for. A dependency is a step number; SS is start-to-start, FF is finish-to-finish, and +n is a lag in working days.
| # | Task | Group | Working days | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Set the issue plan and page count | Editorial | 3 | |
| 2 | Commission features and photography | Editorial | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | Writers file features | Editorial | 10 | 2 |
| 4 | Edit and fact-check features | Editorial | 8 | 3SS+4 |
| 5 | Editorial close | Editorial | Milestone | 4 |
| 6 | Sell and book ad space | Advertising | 12 | 1 |
| 7 | Ad close | Advertising | Milestone | 6 |
| 8 | Collect and check ad artwork | Advertising | 4 | 7 |
| 9 | Design the cover and opening pages | Layout and proofs | 5 | 4SS+3 |
| 10 | Lay out feature pages | Layout and proofs | 7 | 4SS+3, 5FF+2 |
| 11 | Place ads and balance the pages | Layout and proofs | 2 | 8, 10 |
| 12 | Read first proofs | Layout and proofs | 3 | 9, 11 |
| 13 | Correct pages and proofread again | Layout and proofs | 3 | 12 |
| 14 | Pages approved | Layout and proofs | Milestone | 13 |
| 15 | Prepare and send files to the printer | Layout and proofs | 2 | 14 |
| 16 | Book the print slot | Print and distribution | 1 | |
| 17 | Print and bind the issue | Print and distribution | 6 | 15, 16 |
| 18 | Deliver to wholesalers and mail house | Print and distribution | 3 | 17 |
| 19 | Mail subscriber copies | Print and distribution | 3 | 18SS+1 |
| 20 | Issue on sale | Print and distribution | Milestone | 18, 19 |
How it works
Set the issue plan
Keep "Set the issue plan and page count" as the single start of the content. Shorten it if the contents list and page count are already agreed.
Replace the editorial times
Set "Writers file features" and "Edit and fact-check features" from your commissioning and editing practice, and keep the 4-day overlap only if the editor really starts on the first pieces.
Set the ad close
Give "Sell and book ad space" and "Collect and check ad artwork" the days your advertising team works to, then check that "Place ads and balance the pages" is not waiting on them.
Add the proof rounds
Set "Read first proofs" and "Correct pages and proofread again" from how long your readers take. Add another correction task if you run a second round.
Use the printer's terms
Set "Print and bind the issue" and the two delivery tasks from the printer's and distributor's quotes. If the slot is fixed, give "Issue on sale" a fixed Start and the first task a fixed Start, and read the conflict flag. The plan starts on the earliest fixed Start and is scheduled forward.
Add owners, share and export
Put the person responsible for each task in People, share the chart as a link with the printer and the contributors, and export a PDF or PNG for the team.
Frequently asked questions
How long is an issue in the template?
"Issue on sale" falls 40 working days after the first task, about eight working weeks. The numbers are illustrative: replace them with your own and read the date from the chart.
My print slot and on-sale date are fixed. Can the chart check them?
Yes. Give "Set the issue plan and page count" a fixed Start on the day you begin, then give "Issue on sale" a fixed Start on your on-sale date. The plan starts on the earliest fixed Start and is scheduled forward: if the pages cannot be approved in time, "Issue on sale" is flagged with a conflict naming the earliest date its dependencies allow. Compare the finish of "Prepare and send files to the printer" with the date your printer needs the files.
Why does the layout start before editorial close?
Because pages are built as copy arrives. "Lay out feature pages" starts 3 working days into the edit and finishes 2 working days after "Editorial close". Late changes to the text after that point mean reflowing finished pages.
Does the chart tell me what the printer or distributor needs?
No. It shows when your own tasks end and what depends on them. The printer's file requirements, distributor deadlines and delivery times come from them: put them in the durations of "Print and bind the issue" and "Deliver to wholesalers and mail house".
Can I use it for a newsletter or an annual report?
Yes. Remove the advertising tasks if there are none, and resize the rest. For a continuous publishing rhythm without a printer, start from /templates/content-calendar-gantt-chart.