It always strikes me that those folks that want to enforce some kind of dogmatic set of rules on what’s authentic or punk enough have somehow skipped the part where being rigid and rule-setting is a pretty non-punk thing.
There has always been a range of quality and purpose and audience in artist publishing. That’s kind of what makes the whole thing so cool. I love a single page folded copy zine and I love a luxuriously papered screen printed hand-bound book.
It’s all part of a wonderful community of creation and exploration.
Great post. I used to make photocopy zines as a teenager in the 90’s, but I was never punk, so I always think it’s funny that people try to force a single archetype over the art form. I make magazines and art books now and I love printed expression in all forms. I appreciate your analysis here!
I tried to make some old school folded zines recently and faced 2 problems - modern combo digital printer / scanner / copiers don’t print full bleed, and xerox copy shops don't exist as they used to, and / or use digital printing.
So afaik it isnt possible to run off some zines for peanuts as in days of yore, in a sense riso and its accompanying affect on aesthetics has filled that gap, and as you say perhaps as a consequence or an evolution of that. But commercial riso printing is not cheap, not 10p a sheet of A4 cheap. And with a higher cost comes a bit more planning, layout, separations etc.
Yeah, i really wish cheap copies were still widely available. A lot of what was being used for self-publishing/fanzines before photocopies were widely available was (like riso) stencil printing. It'd be great to see mimeo, hecto, etc come back, and definitely some people are still running that stuff: https://www.printedmatter.org/catalog/64393/
I'd be interested in knowing which models of copiers printed with a full bleed, I've never seen/operated any printing technology designed to do that. Some photo printers are designed for low-volume edge-to-edge printing, but they're sort of an exception. Generally, no matter the printing/copying method, full bleeds are created by trimming after printing.
I feel like this debate is more aesthetics-based than anything. Prices to print in black & white are coming pretty darn close to color printing at print shops and not everyone has access to a printer outside of print shops any more. Add to this the ubiquity of high quality cameras of cell phones and tons of free computer editing software.
Zines are always a product of the available technology. Zines were photocopied in b&w because that was accessible at the time. Now, more technology is accessible so zines can look different. I get that they don’t have as DIY of a feel anymore, but the art is still small creators making what they love!
We see this same trend in many other fields (see Table-top Role Playing) where, because of technology and knowledge spread front the internet, one person can create a professionally polished, multifaceted piece of art that would’ve been impossible for someone to do in say the 80’s.
Great post! Very thought provoking. Not trying to be argumentative, just offering my perspective on it. Happy zining!
I started doing zines in the 90s. I read Factsheet Five on a regular basis (& was in the Factsheet 10 once!), interviewed Miranda July for my zine when I was 17, and stayed at a punk house during one of the PDX Zine Symposiums. But do I think riso looks fucking cool? Hell yeah. Gatekeeping is not cool. Things evolve. I love that it feels like zines are having a come-up again with a younger generation.
It always strikes me that those folks that want to enforce some kind of dogmatic set of rules on what’s authentic or punk enough have somehow skipped the part where being rigid and rule-setting is a pretty non-punk thing.
There has always been a range of quality and purpose and audience in artist publishing. That’s kind of what makes the whole thing so cool. I love a single page folded copy zine and I love a luxuriously papered screen printed hand-bound book.
It’s all part of a wonderful community of creation and exploration.
This is such an eloquent summary, this really sums up the spirit of zines. Thanks for sharing
Great post. I used to make photocopy zines as a teenager in the 90’s, but I was never punk, so I always think it’s funny that people try to force a single archetype over the art form. I make magazines and art books now and I love printed expression in all forms. I appreciate your analysis here!
Yesyesyesyesyes
Yes/and! ❤️
I do photocopy zines but I definitely love the vibe of riso and occasionally want to print in riso. All zines have worth.
I tried to make some old school folded zines recently and faced 2 problems - modern combo digital printer / scanner / copiers don’t print full bleed, and xerox copy shops don't exist as they used to, and / or use digital printing.
So afaik it isnt possible to run off some zines for peanuts as in days of yore, in a sense riso and its accompanying affect on aesthetics has filled that gap, and as you say perhaps as a consequence or an evolution of that. But commercial riso printing is not cheap, not 10p a sheet of A4 cheap. And with a higher cost comes a bit more planning, layout, separations etc.
Yeah, i really wish cheap copies were still widely available. A lot of what was being used for self-publishing/fanzines before photocopies were widely available was (like riso) stencil printing. It'd be great to see mimeo, hecto, etc come back, and definitely some people are still running that stuff: https://www.printedmatter.org/catalog/64393/
I'd be interested in knowing which models of copiers printed with a full bleed, I've never seen/operated any printing technology designed to do that. Some photo printers are designed for low-volume edge-to-edge printing, but they're sort of an exception. Generally, no matter the printing/copying method, full bleeds are created by trimming after printing.
I feel like this debate is more aesthetics-based than anything. Prices to print in black & white are coming pretty darn close to color printing at print shops and not everyone has access to a printer outside of print shops any more. Add to this the ubiquity of high quality cameras of cell phones and tons of free computer editing software.
Zines are always a product of the available technology. Zines were photocopied in b&w because that was accessible at the time. Now, more technology is accessible so zines can look different. I get that they don’t have as DIY of a feel anymore, but the art is still small creators making what they love!
We see this same trend in many other fields (see Table-top Role Playing) where, because of technology and knowledge spread front the internet, one person can create a professionally polished, multifaceted piece of art that would’ve been impossible for someone to do in say the 80’s.
Great post! Very thought provoking. Not trying to be argumentative, just offering my perspective on it. Happy zining!
I started doing zines in the 90s. I read Factsheet Five on a regular basis (& was in the Factsheet 10 once!), interviewed Miranda July for my zine when I was 17, and stayed at a punk house during one of the PDX Zine Symposiums. But do I think riso looks fucking cool? Hell yeah. Gatekeeping is not cool. Things evolve. I love that it feels like zines are having a come-up again with a younger generation.