From its launch in November 1970 through to August 1982, Disco 45 was published strictly as a traditional, staple-bound magazine format. However, the landscape shifted dramatically with Issue number 143 (September 1982), when the publication pivoted into the increasingly popular "Poster Magazine" format.

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To signal this radical change to readers on the newsstands, the publishers overhauled the design in a few distinct ways:

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The header on the cover was changed from its classic styling to The New Disco 45 Songbook—a deliberate move by the publishers to warn kids that they were no longer buying a standard stapled booklet.

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The magazine completely dropped its staples, transforming into a large, unbound single sheet of paper. The lyrics were compressed into tight grid columns on one side, allowing the reverse side to act as a single piece of seamless wall art.

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To cover the cost of the massive sheet of heavier paper required to print a giant 34" x 24" poster, the cover price nearly doubled, jumping from 35p to 65p.

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