Wiktionary
column inch
n. (context printing English) One inch of a printed column; a measure of space allocated.
WordNet
column inch
n. a unit of measurement for advertising space [syn: inch]
Wikipedia
Column inch
A column inch was the standard measurement of the amount of content in published works that use multiple columns per page. A column inch is a unit of space one column wide by one inch high.
Usage examples of "column inch".
The entire show, including the Marcel, wasn't worth more than one column inch (I folded the catalogue and shoved it into my hip pocket), unless I got desperate for more filler to make the column come out to an even two thousand words.
The Parson watched the column inch its perilous way along the stone-strewn pathway.