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This is a group project where all participants make a zine, then exchange it with everyone else taking part. No money changes hands. All participants agree to send their zine to all other participants at their own cost. What you produce and how, is up to you.
What is a Zine? The word is a shortened form of the word magazine (or maybe fanzine?) and the product is a short, small format magazine - generally a small circulation, self-published work. For this challenge, it is a collection of your photos edited together into a magazine or booklet format. You can either print the zine yourself or you can send it off to a printing service.
Sign-up, chat, banter and progress reports. Questions and queries can all be posted in this thread.
You don't need to decide right now; there will hopefully be a few of us who are committed to this so watch this thread, hang around, ask questions and start pulling together the content you might want to include in your zine. Then, when you are comfortable with that let us know.
Timeline:
1) Now - June 2025: You come up with an idea, take pictures and design your zine. You can even build it in your chosen software.
2) Sunday 25th May 2025: This week I will be asking people to formally commit to making their zine. You will have 7 days until midnight on 31st May 2025 to PM me your name & address to confirm your commitment.
3) Sunday 1st June 2025: I will send out a PM to all confirmed participants with everyone's name & address as well as the confirmed amount of zines people need to print.
4) June 2025: Everyone gets the appropriate number of zines printed and mails them out to everyone on the list by the end of June 2025.
FAQ:
Q: Can anyone take part?
A: The exchange is open to contributing members here at Talk Photography. If you found out about this from somewhere else, you're welcome to join in.
Q: I don't live in the UK; can I take part?
A: Yes. However, it will be OPTIONAL for people to post zines out to you mainly due to the costs of postage involved.
Q: How much will it all cost?
A: A box of 25-30 zines, for example from Mixam delivered, costs around £50. Then there's the postage for each person taking part. Previous zine exchanges have been in the region of 6-10 participants. Read through the thread to get an idea of roughly how many are taking part. Postage costs as of the Royal Mail increase on 7 October 2024, for an A5 size zine, are between £1.55 to £2.10 using 2nd class mail. (Note: Large letter size for A5 depends on whether it's plus or minus 100g)
Q: How many zines will I have to send?
A: We'll monitor how many people show interest. Sending out 10-20 zines will be expensive. You can leave it until midnight on 31st May 2025 before committing to the point of spending any money, so you can make a decision then.
Q: How should I design it?
A: Images can be in colour, monochrome or a mix, with or without text. Square, landscape or portrait, or a mix. They can be sequenced one image to a page, or one image to a spread or maybe collages. If there's a narrative to the collection of images, think about how their placing or sequence in the zine will affect the story.
Q: How big should I make it?
A: As a minimum, A5 size, containing between 10-15 pages. Participants have also produced square (210 x 210mm) and A4 size zines. Remember, you need to pay for it and post it, so the bigger or heavier the zine, the more expensive it will be.
Q: What should the zine contain?
A: Zines are about creativity, play, experimentation and independence. They can be produced around a theme or a project. It is entirely up to you. You can use film, digital, phone or pinhole - it doesn't matter.
Q: What software do I need to make a zine?
A: Affinity Publisher seems to be a favourite as it has a relatively easy learning curve and is sometimes available at a discount. Other programs are available. Please ask in the thread if you're not sure.
Q: Where can I get my zine printed online?
A: Here are some links to online zine printers. Mixam is probably the cheapest with good quality, though in the past some participants have reported serious issues with them:
https://mixam.co.uk/zines
https://youloveprint.co.uk/zines.html
https://www.print.work/product/zines/
https://www.doxdirect.com/online-pdf-printing/zines/
https://doxzoo.com/documents/zine-printing
https://www.solopress.com/stapled-brochures/a5/
https://exwhyzed.com/products/zine-printing/
https://www.blurb.co.uk/magazine
Links to some zine making sites:
Here are a few links which illustrate and talk about zines/magazines/photo zines:
https://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/photography-culture/making-zine
https://mattlovescameras.com/how-to-make-a-film-photography-zine/
https://edwardthompson.co.uk/How-to-make-a-photo-book-zine
https://exwhyzed.com/products/zine-printing/
