Berliner (newspaper) - Definition and Overview

A Berliner or "midi" is a term for a size of newspaper that — especially in Europe — uses a slightly larger format than that of the tabloid, usually about 470×315mm. This format is already used by many European newspapers, including quality dailies such as Le Monde in France, La Vanguardia in Spain and La Repubblica in Italy. The French financial newspaper Les Echos changed to this format in September 2003.

Ironically, in Germany, the format of the majority of the national quality dailies is the larger broadsheet. This format is known as "nordisch" and measures 570×400mm. The United Kingdom newspaper The Guardian is planning to switch to the Berliner format sometime in 2006.

Only one German daily, die tageszeitung (known as the "taz") uses the Berliner format, and another, the junge Welt relaunched in a size very close to Berliner in 2004, abandoning its unique slightly-larger-than-A4 size that marked it out since the early 1990s.

The tabloid, at roughly 23½×14¾ inches per spread, is the smallest of the standard newspaper sizes and, in the UK, is generally associated with the more popular, less intellectual newspapers.