Petty prints bumper 1.2m Now edition

Polestar Petty in Leeds has printed a record 1.2m copies of the new-look Now magazine, the UKs second biggest selling celebrity publication.

The weekly magazine has an ABC circulation of 570,000, but publisher IPC hopes the extra 630,000 print run for the 9 October issue, which has a special cover price of 50p, will encourage sampling by new readers.

The 98pp magazine includes 16 extra pages of celebrity news, as well as an upgrade of its paper stock.

Publishing director Sarah Fisher said: "Paper is a key element for any magazine. We wanted a whiter, brighter stock for a more quality feel, and a higher grammage to give it the thud factor of a substantial magazine."

The "glossier new look" paper is 65gsm UPM Ultra for the text pages and 135gsm UPM Lumiart for the cover.

Story by Rachel Barnes