Resources & Inspiration
for
Zine Makers
“You make the work, you have your ideas about it, and it can live like that, but it’s really only finished if it’s circulating outside of yourself and there’s a viewer involved. Because the viewer finishes the work."
Ari Marcopoulos on the Essential Art of Zine”, Aperture 2023
Why YOU should make a ZINE
Commit your vision to print - express yourself beyond the single image.
Delves deeper into a theme or subject in a tangible & affordable form.
Expose viewers to a more nuanced look at a subject from YOUR point of view.
An analogue zine encourages looking again rather than just scrolling on to the next image.
Zines can become an informal library for you to track your evolution as a photographer.
Many photographers include zines as add-on or supplemental material to their larger photobooks. (Todd Hido, Richard Misrach, Alec Soth)
“... I'm always hopeful that the photo community can come up with new ways to exhibit and show photographs that don't require expensive framing and matting and maybe even brick and mortar. And I think to the extent that people can think about zines or projections or pop-ups or just low-fi, low-cost ways to get people to look at pictures all the better. And I'm hoping there's more creativity in 2026 along those lines.”
From A Photographic Life Podcast: Episode 399: New Year's Eve Special with Bill Shapiro and Fiona Hayes, Dec 30, 2025
Thoughts to Consider
How does the presentation of your work relate to the content?
How does the presentation impact the viewers perception of the work?
Resources
Jeff Phillips - A wide array of tips and free zine resources.
The Art of Photography - Zines reviewed on Ted Forbes’ YouTube channel
Dan Milnor is the Blurb ambassador and writes some good stuff on the Blurb blog & YouTube Channel
Lenscratch - Series on Zines & Publisher spotlights
Online Printers Used by Our Members
Local Printers (Honolulu)
Professional Image (Waialae & other locations)