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Zines at SLPL

Make a zine!

Making your own zine is easy. At the bare minimum, all you need is paper, a pen, and something to say. Of course, there are an infinite number of ways to express yourself through zines and this page is just scratching the surface.

Check out the resources below for how-to guides, inspiration, and more!

Tools for making zines, including pencils, paper, scissors, glue, a photocopier and more.

Supplies, Tools, & Terms to Know

Supplies

The sky is the limit when it comes to art supplies, but here are a few basics.

  • Paper 
  • Something to write or draw with (pencil, pen, makers, ink and brushes, etc)
  • Glue sticks
  • Tape (plain or decorative)
  • Staplers (any stapler will work, but a long-arm stapler or booklet stapler will make things much easier)
  • Collage materials (old magazines, books, photographs, etc)
  • Scissors
  • Photocopier / scanner and printer (for making copies)

Digital tools 

You can use all sorts of software and tools to make zines digitally. This can range from advanced design software like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign to free tools like Canva. Word processors Microsoft Word or Google Docs can be useful for printing text before cutting and pasting it into a physical zine or for laying out your zine digitally before printing it. 

Here are a few common terms often used for zine-making.

  • Binding - Refers to the many ways the pages of a zine can be held together. This could be done with staples, thread, glue, or larger folded pages.
  • Minizine / single-page zine / 8-page zine - A zine made from a single sheet of paper that is folded into eight sections. This could be any size, but is often a letter sized (8.5 x 11") sheet or paper. Because minizines are so easy to construct and duplicate, they are a great format for beginners.
  • Pagination - Put simply, this is the way pages are numbered and placed in order. This changes based on the type of construction used. 
  • Primary copy / master copy / flats / paste-ups - These terms refer to the original copy of a zine that is used to make all subsequent copies. The primary copy is often kept by the author and subsequent copies are distributed.  
  • Saddle stich - A form of binding in which multiple pages are connected along a fold using thread or staples. This is one of the most common forms of zine binding. 

Paper sizes

It can be helpful to be familiar with the names and dimensions of common paper sizes. Three common US paper sizes are listed below. For an extensive guide to paper sizes from all over the world, papersizes.io is a great resource. 

  • Letter (8.5 x 11") - Often referred to as "printer paper," this is by far the most common paper size in the US.
  • Legal (8.5 x 14") 
  • Tabloid / Ledger (11x17")

How-To Guides

There are numerous zine-making guides online. Watch a few and you'll see everyone does it a little differently. Here are are a few shorter videos from YouTube to get you started! 

How to Make a Zine | episode two by Abby Cole (January 17, 2017.) YouTube.

 

3 Easy Ways to Make a Zine by LACountyLibrary. (May 5, 2022.) YouTube.

 

how to make a zine by nicki sabalu. (2011.) Vimeo.

 

And finally, a bit of zine humor:

How to Make a Zine (Step-By-Step) by brattyxbre. (April 18, 2024.) YouTube.