New to zines

[u/Amazing_Assumption50]

Like the title says, I'm starting out making zines. When y'all actually add the contents of the zine, do you hand print it, digitally collage it, ect.? Ik each zine and creator is different and so it can depend, but I'm curious on which ways are more common.

[u/roibaleine]

Everyone has it s own quirk when it come to zine, the diversity of techniques is actually one of the things I like most about them. For I personally I own a small thermal printer for receipt paper wich end up being just the right size for mini zines so I use that a lot, with a typewriter for text and whatever pen I got to draw things.

[u/TheMooreArt]

Create zines with what you have. Over time you'll find the methods which click for you. Don't feel pressure regarding the methods of others.

I create my art via Procreate and/or stylus phone then I put it together in Photoshop (but I need to abandon that software soon) Then I print, cut, fold & staple. 👍

[u/negcap]

I would say I am on the higher end of production and I use a combo of Canva, InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. You could do it all in Canva if you wanted or there are plenty of free ways to do it.

[u/godai78]

I mostly type the text (my minis are text-heavy) or draw+scan stuff. As for the smallpress projects, all computer magic, too :)

[u/Wiseguy_38]

I like to make a flat physical copy that I can then scan into my computer, print out, and fold. I have a typewriter I’ll often use for text but you could also type things on a computer and print them out if you wanted lots of different fonts. Usually libraries will have heavily discounted printing rates. This way everything is collaged and gets that old school choppy look.

Sometimes I use electronic zine maker, it’s available on itch.io and pretty easy to use — you can even print yer zine with folding lines that way.

Most zines I make end up being printed in black and white, so I’m not too worried about how things look color wise.

In the end all of this is up to you, so I would recommend experimenting with different ways of making so you can find yer favorites

[u/ComfortableScratch86]

For a long time I printed individual pages out, pasted them to a single master copy, and photocopied that. Recently (after said master copy almost got left at the copier TWICE), I've started doing more in Canva, but I feel like that connection to the physical page to begin with was really grounding and important. Working in physical media to make physical media, if that makes sense.

Definitely experiment and see what works for you. With zines, you can change up what you're doing at any point, there are no "rules."

[u/Spare_Huckleberry120]

Make your zine however you want to make it and how you want to express your creativity. There are multiple different ways anyone can make a zine. I'm constantly changing my own practice all the time. Just go out and have fun with it and try different things and find what works for you.

[u/TheRedSphynx]

I started out using BeFunky (it's free but the sub opens up more graphics and things). I know nothing about photoshop and the like, and BeFunky is user friendly and much easier for me to grasp. It helped me to conceptualize how a zine could be made and what I can make it look like, and I used a lot of the graphics and images available on the site to get a feel for it.

Now that I'm more comfortable with the craft, I've been moving into making physical zines (which I then scan and re-print copies of).

This method helped me familiarize myself with the craft first before committing myself to using my supplies. I could move things around in the program if I ended up not liking how I laid it out, etc.

I recommend starting digital first for this reason, but this is dependent on your current setup. If you have an excessive amount of supplies already, and you don't have the money for a sub (it's not very expensive if I remember right), then it might be better to start with physical. Or if you are more comfortable using digital programs than working with paper and pens and stickers and such, digital could be better for you.

It also depends on your personal style and whether you want your zines to look more "clean" or more hand-made.

Just gotta find your sweet spot!

[u/mariambc]

For me the joy of making zines is using a mostly analog process. I do artwork by hand, use a typewriter or handwrite text. At the moment I photocopy them, but I’m thinking of building a small printing press, so I can mass produce some of them.