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UC Berkeley Library Makerspace: Zines

Zines

What are zines?

"A zine, short for fanzine or magazine, is a DIY subculture self-publication, usually made on paper and reproduced with a photocopier or printer. Zine creators are often motivated by a desire to share knowledge or experience with people in marginalized or otherwise less-empowered communities."

Source: Barnard Zine Library

How to make zines

Zines can come in many forms, but the two most commonly used are the 8-fold, and the Signature.

8-fold

Also known as a mini-zine, the 8-fold uses a single sheet of paper to assemble into an 8 page zine. You can optionally add artwork to the 2nd side of the paper which can be visible in the center opening if the zine is displayed, or be used as a poster. When you are designing, consider how the size of the paper will affect your outcome. You can use paper that's 8.5x11, 8.5x14 or 11x17 inches to make copies.

Signature

Also known as a half-sheet zine or saddle stitch, a signature style zine uses multiple sheets of paper folded in half that are stapled or sewn together on the fold. The term signature comes from the process of book binding. A signature zine can be made to any shape or size, requiring additional steps after copying or printing to complete. When designing your zine, a mock-up (practice zine) will help you determine how many pages you will want and which order they should be copied in. Websites that host digital zines may offer a reader-version or a print-version which displays the pages in the correct order to be read or printed.

Digital Zine Making

Issuu

Issuu is a web platform for viewing digital magazines and other publications. With their digital flipbook feature, your readers can view your zine like reading a book, zoom in, and skip to a specific page seamlessly.

Electric Zine Maker

The Electric Zine Maker is an art tool software for making zines. You can draw directly into the program, edit images with unique effects, add text, and explore different zine forms. Guides for how to fold and assemble your zines are included in the free download.

Adobe InDesign

InDesign is a program to create layouts for multi-page documents like a magazine, booklet, brochure, or zine! You have control over text design, image placement and size, margins, and will be able to reorder pages or designate cover pages.  You can also create interactive PDFs if you'd like to create a zine online with clickable links or other options.

Zine collection in the Makerspace

Zines are available to read and browse in the Makerspace! These zines are donated by Berkeley staff and students for makers to use as inspiration, and are not available for check-out. If you'd like to donate a copy of your zine to this collection, contact Makerspace staff.

If you'd like to gift your zines for distribution, you can drop off copies in the Generosity box.