"Above the fold" is a graphic design concept that refers to the location of an important news story or a visually appealing photograph on the upper half of the front page of a newspaper. Most papers are delivered and displayed to customers folded up, meaning that only the top half of the front page is visible. Thus, an item that is "above the fold" may be one that the editors feel will entice people to buy the paper. Alternatively, it reflects a decision, on the part of the editors, that the article is one of the day's most important. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see News (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Front Page can refer to: The first page of a publication such as a newspaper or magazine. ... Editing may also refer to audio or film editing. ...
The term can be used more generally to refer to anything that is prominently displayed.
Variants
above the scroll, a concept in web design referring to location of an item near the top of a webpage, which can thus be viewed in a browser without scrolling. Some web marketers have called this "above the crease" referring to way in which newspapers of yesteryear were folded and creased.
Above the fold is the term used for the top part of a webpage that is visible when the page first loads.
Where the fold falls on your page is dependent on the screen resolution of the monitor that your viewer is using.
A resolution of 800X600 will make the fold higher up on the page than a resolution of 1024X768 since more information will fit on the monitor with the higher resolution.