There is no single way to make a zine. Just as they vary greatly in topic and subject matter, they vary greatly in design and size. These are some suggestions to get you started in brainstorming, but before you begin, you may want to think about the following:
The rest of this guide is broken up by your answer to the first question, but keep them all in mind before you begin or while you are planning your zine.
How to Make a Physical Zine
First, determine the size you'd like your zine to be. You can start with a full letter size paper, or you may want to fold that paper in half or to accommodate 8 zine pages (instructions on that below).
Gather your supplies. A suggested list of supplies can be found below.
Get creative! Maybe you'd like your zine to have one cohesive style so all you'll need is a single marker or ballpoint pen. Maybe you'd like to create a collage-style zine or one where you draw and/or paint on pages. Maybe you'd like to do a bit of everything! Mix materials, cut out things, glue other things, do whatever you'd like to bring your vision and message to life.
Scan pages (this can be done before or after binding, dependent upon your preference). If you'd like to turn your zine into a digital format for distribution or printing, scan your pages.
Bind pages. A long reach stapler (can find at office supplies stores, craft and art stores and at some libraries) might be the easiest way to bind your pages. You can also glue, sew and thread, hole punch and hold together with string, or simply fold, dependent upon your preference.
Suggested Supplies
This list is a broad overview of any supplies you may need. Dependent upon your specific project and vision, you may only need one of these things or you may need all of them. Think about what you'd like your final product to be and what will inspire you or help you share your story, ideas or message the best.
How to Make a Digital Zine
First, determine if you want to distribute the zine digitally or if you plan to print it out and distribute physical copies.
You have tons of options to make your pages and design! Below are some to consider.
Online Flipbook Options
To turn your digital product (made digitally or scanned physical pages) into a flipbook for online viewing, consider these methods:
Digital Zine Making Tips
If you plan on printing your zine, keep the physical zine you'll end up with in mind when designing digitally.
Account for the digital pages vs physical pages ratio: it's not a great idea to only make 5 digital pages because then you'll end up with blank pages when you print, fold and bind. Keep in mind that papers will be printed front and back!
Arrange digital pages to accommodate for the layout of physical pages.
Standard Zine: If you are making the single paper, 8 page zine, your digital pages should be arranged like the picture below. That way, when you fold and cut, they'll be in the correct order.
Another example: Another method is simply folding your paper in half. In this example, we have a 6 page zine, so you'll need 2 pieces of paper to print it on (front & back).
Arranging the pages
Using Zine Templates on Canva
Canva offers many free templates for a variety of things, including zines! Simply use the search bar at the top of the home page. Enter "zine," click "Canva Templates" and enter. You can click any zines and customize it from there or click "Create a blank Zine" and work from there. Just be sure to create the right number of digital pages, depending on how you plan to print and bind it, to avoid having blank physical pages.
Using My Zine Layout Template on Canva
I have created a free zine layout template for anyone to use on Canva. This template will help you make a standard 8 page zine, printed on a single sheet of paper. Check the "Folding Methods" section in this same page to learn how to fold it!
Step 1: Create a free account in Canva, or log in if you already have one
Step 2: Click "Create a Design" and "Custom size." Enter the following - Width: 2.7, Height: 4.2, Units: in
Step 3: Create your 8 zine pages however you'd like!
Step 4: Save each page as an image file. To do this, click Share, Download, then choose either PNG or JPG.
Step 5: Open the Zine Layout Template page (requires you to be signed in to your Canva account)
Step 6: Upload your zine pages. To do this, click Uploads (left hand side), Upload files, and then choose your 8 zine pages.
Step 7: Drag each of your zine page images to each box in the template in the order shown below. The image will automatically flip upside down once you drag it to the box (called a "Frame" in Canva).
Step 8: Save as a PDF file. To do this, click Share, Download, then choose PDF Print. Now you can print your zine, fold it and distribute!
One popular method of zine making is to fold a single, letter sized paper to accommodate for 8 zine pages. You can use this method to fold your zine whether you begin with a handmade design or a digital design. The fold method also allows for the option for you to not have to reinforce the binding.
However, there are tons of methods and options for you to fold your zine, including simply folding it in half, folding a page for 16 zine pages and many other methods!
