kolofon

Kolofon, or colophon, is a note at the end of a book or other publication that provides information about its production. It may list the printer, publisher, designer, typeface used, edition, publication date and place, and sometimes details about paper, binding, printing method, and copyright status. The term derives from Greek kolophon, meaning finishing touch or summit, and entered Latin as colophon; in publishing it denotes a final statement about how a work was produced.

Historically, colophons appeared in medieval manuscripts as notes by the scribe with name, place, and date. With the advent of printing, colophons credited printers, typefounders, and studios and recorded technical details of an edition. In modern publishing, many books omit a formal colophon or place it on the copyright or imprint page, while some publishers—especially design-focused presses or luxury editions—include a dedicated colophon page with fuller production credits.

Typical content may include: the printer’s name and location, the publisher, the designer or studio, the typeface and its designer, the edition number and year, the printing method, paper and binding, and sometimes acknowledgments or photography credits. Placement varies: at the end, in the back matter, or on a separate colophon page; in some magazines or digital publications it appears as part of the imprint or metadata.

Kolofon is used in many languages; in English, “colophon” is common, whereas in Scandinavian languages “kolofon” serves the same purpose.