ZINE LIBRARYSmall press, photocopied and folded.

What a Zine Is Making & Printing Formats & Binding Distros & Fairs Collecting & Archiving

Section 02

Making & Printing

Toner, ink, drums — how a run actually gets made.

The Photocopier Is the InstrumentToner, contrast, and working with what the machine does badly.Read →
Why Risograph Looks Like ThatDrums, spot inks, misregistration, and why it is a feature.Read →
Mimeograph, BrieflyThe older technology, and what it left behind.Read →
Getting a Photo to Survive a PhotocopierHalftones, contrast and the limits of toner.Read →
Paper, Weight and CostWhat to print on when the run is thirty copies.Read →

ZINE LIBRARY

Small press, photocopied and folded.

Everything here is free to read. The cover plates are set in type — never a scan of anyone's artwork.

What a Zine Is

What Actually Counts as a Zine
The Perzine, the Split and the Anthology
Where Zines Came From
Why It Isn't a Magazine

Making & Printing

The Photocopier Is the Instrument
Why Risograph Looks Like That
Mimeograph, Briefly
Getting a Photo to Survive a Photocopier
Paper, Weight and Cost

Formats & Binding

The Half-Letter Fold Explained
Folds You Can Follow With One Sheet
Saddle Stitch and the Long-Arm Stapler
The Anatomy of a Zine
Make One in an Hour

Distros & Fairs

How a Distro Works
Consignment or Wholesale
Trades, Tables and Fair Etiquette
Tabling for the First Time
The Mail-Order Lineage

Collecting & Archiving

Cataloguing the Uncatalogued
Storing Paper That Was Never Meant to Last
What a Collection Is For

An independent guide to zines and small-press publishing. Not a library, archive or collective, and not affiliated with any.

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Spot ink

Paper