Why You Should Make a Zine!

Zine Festival Image Via BrooklynZineFest

Have you ever desired to create something from start to finish, completely independent from the influence of others? To experience a sense of self accomplishment and expression upon completion of such a task can be a much needed treat for the human soul. For many of us, this excitement is lost to our childhood and our individual voices are drowned out by a modern society that values uniformity. Luckily, there is an outlet for such work to be shown off and appreciated solely for its existence, that outlet is Zine creation.

What is a Zine?

There are no strict rules for what a zine is or has the potential to be. Zines are usually booklets of images and words that are self-publicized and printed. They can be either sold at independent book stores, online, or displayed at local zine festivals for sale. Nobody expects to make much profit off of their zines. It is more about expression and exposure. So what can a zine be about? Anything and everything that exists can make for great zine material. Make a zine about childhood fantasies, radio waves or fashion. Zines are excellent for small collections of poems or a silly comic. You could even make a zine about nothing. It’s a pure and raw manifestation of expression and personal thought. After making one and putting it out there, you will be surprised with how connected you feel with your authentic self.

How do you make a zine?

There are many ways to make a zine and no reason why you shouldn’t. All mediums are acceptable. Zines can be digitally created and published on a website. They are sometimes made of photo copied doodles and snapshots. You can draw a picture, scan it into the computer, digitally color it and compile it with other images then print it. Once the pages are printed, there are many ways to put them together. But, if you aren’t familiar with book binding techniques, you might want to start with this template: http://blog.umamidesign.com/ud-content/2013/09/ud_130918_zine-instructions.jpg

With this template, you can create a zine using only one sheet of paper. Go ahead and follow the instructions to create the booklet. Once you have done that you can plan out your zine content on each page. When you have all the pages filled out, unfold it. You will then use a scanner to create an image of your creation. After the image has been taken, you may print off as many as your print head can handle.

How can I market myself?

Great job! You have made a zine and are ready to sign up for your local Zine Fest, you Zinester. To find a zine festival closest to you, try Googling it. If that doesn’t work, you may try this site which has some major zine events posted here.

Some “Zinesters” will even create supplemental print items to accompany their zines as an added bonus. I have seen stickers, t-shirts, pins, magnets, post cards and posters! These are fun items to have at your booth for trading with other creators or giving out to fans. Creating your own T-shirts is easy with our Premium T-shirt Iron-on Transfers for Inkjet Printer papers. You just print an image out using any inkjet printer and iron it right onto the shirt. Magnets are great for throwing in with purchases or using to trade other artists for their extras. Our Glossy Printable Magnet Sheets are a great product to use for creating these fun and timeless trinkets.

We have created an exclusive Zine Starter Pack that is available on CompAndSave.com. It will include a 15% off discount if you purchase any of these items: white/light premium t-shirt iron-transfers (8.5x11) - 20 sheets, dark/black premium t-shirt iron-on transfers (8.5x11) - 20 sheets, or white premium glossy printable magnet sheets (8.5"x11") - 10 sheets.

• Coupon code: ZINEPACK
• Expiration date: 11/30/2015

What a deal! Zine fest better watch out.