Ringling Zine Guide: Home

Zines, defined

Zines provide a platform for expression through writing and design, which is conducive for narratives that are personal, political, irreverent, and more. The following characteristics are often attributed to zines:

• self-published
• DIY
• community-oriented
• small-run 
• made in multiples
• low-budget 
• portable
• creative
• no barrier to entry

Image: collage & art journal ideas zine by katie licht

Standing on my Soapbox Lovingly Lecturing About Zines - Syllabus Project by Melissa Mursch-Rodriguez

Above [image]: Zine workshop, Tūranga (2020). Image source: Flickr. Image creator: Christchurch City Libraries License: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The basic supplies needed to make a physical zine are...

• Sharp objects: scissors, x-acto knife, paper cutter, and a cutting mat or cardboard to cut on
• Paper of any size as the base of your zine - depending on the size of the zine, as little as a single sheet of 8.5x11 printer paper can be used
• Magazines, printed images, newspapers, and /or old books to use for your collages
• Adhesives: Glue and/ or tape for securing the collaged pieces or for adding texture
• Paint, markers, white-out, stamps, pens, rulers, or any other illustration mediums
• Photocopy machine (if you want to make duplicates) 
• Long stapler or thread for assembling the pages 
• Your imagination

For a digital zine...

• Digital template (optional)
• Editing software such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign
• Images and fonts 
• Printer (if you want a physical copy)

Lastly, you can make a hybrid...which is a mix of physical and digital. You can make physical collages, scan the work, and assemble on the computer

• Supplies for making a physical zine
• Supplies for making a digital zine
• Scanner to digitize the physical work

Formatting your Zine

Zines also come in many different shapes and sizes, but a few formats are more common than others.

The three most common zine sizes are based on standard printer-sized paper: 8.5” x 11”, 5.5” x 8.5”, and 2.75” x 4.25” (see examples below). Plan for pages in multiples of four and bind your zine by “saddle stitching.”

Zines are typically reproduced via photocopying/scanning (scanners and printers are available throughout the Goldstein Library).                                 

16 page “saddle stitched” zine 

8 page “folded” mini zine  

Adapted from NAU Library.

• How to Make a Zine

  A little history and cool visuals from Rona Akbari for The Creative Independent on How to Make a Zine.

• How to Make a Zine: A Kid-Friendly DIY Guide

  by Celia C. Pérez, author of middle grade novel The First Rule of Punk. Includes great visuals on how to make a zine out of a single sheet of paper.

• Make a Saddle-Stitched Zine

  Making a Saddle-Stiched Zine, is easy but it does require a long arm stapler. 

• FLIP ON SHORT EDGE: A Punk's Guide to Printing Zines 

by Taylor Joy. So you want to print some zines to distribute at a punk show or other event, or to just give out to your friends. Sick! If you are new to printing or copying zines or just need a refresher, and want to avoid frustration and wasted paper, this guide is for you.

You Can Make a Zine by Dave Nice, from the Sherwood Forest Virtual Zine Library