Kopflinie

Kopflinie is a German term that literally translates to "head line." In typographic and publishing discussions it refers to the line at the top of a page, section, or article that identifies what follows. In practice, this position is commonly occupied by a heading or a lead-in line, and in contemporary German usage the preferred terms are usually Überschrift (headline) or Kopfzeile (header). The term is more likely to be found in historical drafting, typographic glossaries, or stylistic descriptions rather than in everyday publishing workflows.

The exact sense of Kopflinie can vary by publisher, era, or design manual. Some sources describe it as the first line of a text block intended to capture attention or to designate the content of the page, while others treat it as an older or more specialized label for the topmost line in a layout. In modern design, Kopflinie is typically replaced with explicit headings and guided by typographic hierarchy rather than a single generic term.

In practice, Kopflinie may appear in discussions of historical typography, in catalogues of printers’ terms, or in translations where the concept of a top-line identifier is described for a page. Its usage today is relatively rare compared with more common terms like Überschrift and Kopfzeile.

See also: Überschrift, Kopfzeile, Titellinie.