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Zine-Making in Meriam Makerspace: Home

zine /zēn

noun INFORMAL

a magazine, especially a fanzine

The term "zine" is derived from the word "magazine."

Zines are small, self-published magazines that often take the form of booklets.

The first known zine, The Comet, was created in the 1930s by the Science Correspondents Club in Chicago. The concept gained momentum in the 1940s when Russ Chauvenet introduced the term "fanzine," a combination of "fan" and "magazine."

Step-by-step instructions on how to do a no-staple fold, from page 47 from the book above.

No staples

Step 1: Take 1 11x17 sheet of paper. With a pencil, divide into 8 equal parts. Number pages in this order.
Step 2: Cut here to here.
Step 3.a: Fold paper lengthways, then the ends like this... 
3.b. "Pop" center out and away from each other. 
3.c. The result.
Step 4: Do the art and writing.
Step 5: Unfold and use as your master copy.
The no-staple formula is a great one. It looks cool, and the way its constructed makes it super easy- it only needs to be copied on 1 side.

What you need

What you need to make a zine:

  • Paper (any type will do! Yes, even printer paper)
  • Writing implements like pencils, markers, and pens.
  • A way to combine your pages and hold them together, such as a long-arm stapler, folds, or a rubber band

    • How will you combine the pages of your zine? Are you just folding the paper in half? Thirds? 

    • How will you hold it together? Are you stapling the pages, using a simple rubber band, or binding them together?

  • Repurposed materials - use whatever you like and feel drawn to. Some examples include newspapers, fabric, images, drawn art, stickers, washi tape, paint chips, etc.

  • Photocopier, printer, or scanner to share your zine

    • Zines are for sharing so remember that this will be replicated. Think about what will show best as a copied text. If you are making a digital copy of your zine, you can use a scanner to upload your pages.

Zine History

A (very short) timeline of zine history:

  • 1517: Luther’s 95 Theses as the first major zine (specific, self-made and published)
  • 1770s: American Revolution broadsides
  • 1920s: Surrealist and dada (artists and the avant garde critique of the bourgeois)
  • 1930s: Sci-fi (fans met at conventions and readings; the publication of zines such as Amazing Stories and Weird Tales)
  • 1940s: Beat poetry chapbooks, such as Allen Ginsburg and San Fran friends
  • 1950s: Samizdat (Soviet Union DIY; this was literature secretly written, copied, and circulated in the former Soviet Union and usually critical of practices of the Soviet government)
  • 1960s: Comics (industry news and information magazines, such as The Comic Reader, as well as interview, history and review-based fanzines)
  • 1970s: Punk fanzines and zines (zines about established punk culture, bands, direct action and non-conformity)
  • 1990s: Riot grrl zines 
  • Today: Zinefests, zine distros/small presses, and zine libraries galore!

Taken from Cornell University Research guide, from Conner-Gaten, A. (2019). Zines 101 [PowerPoint slides].

Layout and printing

Copy of hallowzine - mwc by Stefani Baldivia

Printing

If your zine is a standard booklet made from an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper folded in half with the text in a landscape orientation you will want to print it double sided and select flip on the short edge. This will keep your pages from printing upside down. 

Citing

Here are some tips for formatting your citations using MLA Style:

  • In MLA style, a pamphlet, zine, or brochure is cited like a book.
  • If your zine has no author, or if the author is "anonymous," begin your citation with the title of the zine. 
  • If your zine is part of a numbered series, indicate the issue number.

General form:

Last, First M. or Organization. Zine Title. Publisher, Year. 

 

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