Quillfold Studio Handbooks · Book 1
The Complete Zine Making Handbook
How to Make Zines from Idea to Print: Fold, Cut, Bind, Copy, and Share Mini Zines, Comics, and DIY Magazines, with Printable Templates and 25 Projects
One sheet of paper. One cut. Your first zine in ten minutes. Then booklets, sewn bindings, layout, lettering and collage, and a fair-ready edition you can sell, swap or give to a library.
By Margo Quillfold · Paperback, 8 × 10 in, 130 pages, full colour · Kindle print-replica edition. Coming soon to Amazon.
Why this handbook works
Projects, each fully drawn
From a 10-minute one-sheet zine to a 50-copy edition, with difficulty, time and materials at a glance and numbered steps.
Imposition maps
Colour-coded page maps so pages never come out upside down or out of order.
Bindings, stitch by stitch
Long-reach staples, the foam-board trick, side staple and tape, three and five-hole pamphlet stitch, Japanese stab, rubber band.
Printable templates
Each with the exact copier setting to bring it to full size, plus actual-size hole guides, planner, comic and lettering sheets.
Master troubleshooting table
Every common folding, printing, binding and selling problem with its cause and fix, in one place.
Prompts and workshop plans
Ideas in six themes, and 45-minute, 90-minute and four-session plans for teachers and librarians.
What the pages look like
Diagrams first, words second
Every fold, cut and stitch is drawn step by step in the same four line styles, so you learn to read a diagram once and use it everywhere. Every page map is worked out fold by fold, and every template states how to print it at full size.
Free guides on this site use the same diagrams: try the mini zine tutorial or the imposition guide.
What’s inside
Part One · Before You Fold
- 1 · What Is a Zine?History, kinds of zines, culture and ethics
- 2 · Tools & MaterialsStarter kit, cutting, folding, adhesives, binding gear
- 3 · Paper, Grain & SizesWeight, grain, finishes, sheet sizes, the rule of four
Part Two · Make Your First Zines
- 4 · The One-Sheet Mini ZineProjects P1–P2: imposition, 8 steps, template
- 5 · Folded FormatsProjects P3–P8: booklets, accordion, French fold, map fold, 16-pager
- 6 · BindingsProjects P9–P15: staples, pamphlet stitch, Japanese stab, creep
Part Three · Fill the Pages
- 7 · Writing & Storytelling for ZinesProjects P16–P18: subjects, structure, writing small, consent
- 8 · Layout & DesignProject P19: thumbnails, margins, grids, hierarchy, covers
- 9 · Collage & Cut-and-PasteProjects P20–P21: sourcing, layering, photocopy texture
- 10 · Hand Lettering & DrawingProject P22: alphabets, block letters, mastheads, icons
Part Four · Print & Share
- 11 · Digital Zines & ImpositionProject P23: free tools, page setup, imposition, PDFs
- 12 · Printing: Home, Copy Shop, RisographProject P24: duplex, copiers, risograph, cost per copy
- 13 · Distribution, Selling & CommunityProject P25: pricing, fairs, shops, libraries, workshops
Back Matter
- Appendix A · Master Troubleshooting TableEvery common problem, cause and fix in one place
- Appendix B · Printable TemplatesLetter and A4 masters, hole guides, planners, worksheets
- Appendix C · Workshop Plans45-minute, 90-minute and four-session plans
- Appendix D · 60 Zine PromptsSix themes, ten prompts each
- Glossary, Resources and Index95 terms, libraries, free fonts and images, software
The 25 projects
Easy, Medium and Advanced, with a time for each.
| No. | Project | Level | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | Classic one-sheet mini zine | Easy | 10 min |
| P2 | Poster-back mini zine | Easy | 20 min |
| P3 | Half-letter booklet | Easy | 15 min |
| P4 | Quarter-letter 16-pager | Medium | 30 min |
| P5 | Accordion zine | Easy | 20 min |
| P6 | French-fold zine | Medium | 30 min |
| P7 | Map-fold poster zine | Medium | 30 min |
| P8 | 16-page one-sheet zine | Medium | 25 min |
| P9 | Long-reach stapled booklet | Easy | 5 min |
| P10 | Foam-board staple trick | Easy | 10 min |
| P11 | Side staple and tape spine | Easy | 15 min |
| P12 | Three-hole pamphlet stitch | Medium | 15 min |
| P13 | Five-hole stitch with wrap cover | Medium | 35 min |
| P14 | Japanese stab binding | Advanced | 45 min |
| P15 | Rubber-band and twig binding | Easy | 10 min |
| P16 | Perzine: One Ordinary Day | Easy | 60 min |
| P17 | How-to zine | Easy | 60 min |
| P18 | 8-panel mini comic | Medium | 90 min |
| P19 | Grid-based spread | Medium | 45 min |
| P20 | Collage cover | Easy | 45 min |
| P21 | Photocopy-texture title page | Easy | 30 min |
| P22 | Hand-lettered masthead | Medium | 45 min |
| P23 | Digital mini zine with imposition | Medium | 90 min |
| P24 | Two-colour riso-style zine | Advanced | 2 h |
| P25 | Fair-ready edition of 50 | Advanced | 1 day |
Who it’s for
For anyone who wants to make something small and real
- Complete beginnersTeens and adults who have never folded a zine.
- Teachers and librariansWorkshop plans and photocopiable templates.
- Comic artists and journalersMini comics, layouts, lettering and collage.
- Fair-bound makersPrinting, pricing, shops, distros and mailing.
Questions about the book
Who is The Complete Zine Making Handbook for?
Beginners of about 12 and up and adults: anyone who wants to make a zine and does not know where to start, plus art teachers, librarians, comic artists and journalers. Craft-knife and awl steps carry adult-supervision notes.
What do I need to start?
Most of the book needs only paper, scissors, a pen and a printer or photocopier. A glue stick, a long-reach stapler and a needle and thread come in for collage, booklets and sewn bindings.
Does the book include templates?
Yes. Appendix B has printable templates for US Letter and A4, each with the exact copier setting to bring it to full size, plus actual-size hole guides, a thumbnail planner, a comic template, a lettering sheet and a cost worksheet. Actual-size PDF versions are free on the bonuses page.
Can I photocopy the templates for a class?
Yes. The templates may be photocopied for your own zines and for non-commercial classes.
When and where will the book be available?
The paperback (8 × 10 in, 130 pages) and a Kindle print-replica edition are being prepared for Amazon. This page will link to the listing as soon as it is live. The free reader bonuses are available now.