Background
Advertisement for O. Reynolds beehive, 1846
Printers and bibliographers use a bevy of terms to refer to works printed on one side (or sometimes both sides) of a single sheet. Smaller imprints are typically called fliers or handbills, and in most cases, are intended for distribution by being handed out directly to readers. Broadsides and broadsheets (the terms are sometimes used interchangeably) are somewhat larger and are often intended for posting in a public place, as are the still larger posters and billboards, which more often than their smaller equivalents feature graphics as the center of design. As rife as the terms are, the substrate for printing can be just as variable, ranging from paper to vellum and parchment, silk or other fabrics, to a variety of other media. All of these forms are considered "ephemera" in that they were historically intended to be printed, distributed, and discarded.
Historically, broadsides and posters were most often printed using moveable type on a letterpress, though lithography or other technologies are not uncommon. Intended to catch the attention of passers-by, broadsides often feature a line or more of large text, and may be graced with typographical borders, woodcuts, or other illustrations. Historically, they were used to communicate focused information such as political proclamations, social messages, local events, or screeds of various types, and they became a primary tool for commercial advertisement. Some verge off into more or less purely artistic or literary expression.
