Zine Libguide: Zine-Making Resources

This LibGuide introduces the UW Libraries Zine Collection and offers resources for researching, teaching, and making zines, with the goal of supporting creative expression, academic engagement, and community connection.

Make Your Own Zine!

Ready to make your own zines? Whether you're collaging by hand or using risograph software, this page offers step-by-step tutorials, drawing guides, tips for working with photocopiers and risographs, and links to videos and websites that walk you through the zine-making process—both physical and digital.

E-Zine Tools

Canva for Design
University of Washington students get free access to Canva Pro, a powerful online design tool with thousands of templates, graphics, and fonts.
Electric Zine Maker
The Electric Zine Maker is a program for making e-zines. It supports both importing images and drawing your own, collaborating with multiple people on the same project, and multiple text and font options. The program is free, but donations are optional.
Spectrolite
Spectrolite is a free Mac desktop app that helps users get their digital zines risograph-ready.
Issuu
Issuu converts regular PDFs into flipbooks, turning your e-zine into a more interactive digital experience to share online.
Flipsnack
Flipsnack is a free ezine software that lets you create and share flipbooks.

Video Tutorials

Written Instructional Guides

Cut and Fold Techniques for Promotional Materials by Paul Jackson
ISBN: 9781780671512

Publication Date: 2013-01-01

Cut and Fold Techniques for Promotional Materials is a unique collection attention-grabbing cut-and-fold designs that can help turn your zine from a booklet into an interactive print experience.

How To Make A Zine - The Creative Independent
The Creative Independent has published a wonderful general guide to making a zine, from ideation to printing.

Victorian Puzzle Purse Guide
Puzzle Purses became popular in the Victorian era; they were used for love notes or keepsakes, designed so each layer unfolds to reveal a new message or design. They are a creative, interactive way to turn a zine into a tactile experience, where the story or artwork reveals itself piece by piece as the reader opens it. This guide was created by Galia Shakked at Burn All Books, a zine collective based out of San Diego.

Make Your Own Zine
This 24-page booklet, made by ShoutingCrow, walks you through both the physical process of making zines, as well as considerations around cost, project management, and distribution. It is free, but donations are optional.