Here’s a little guide to terms you may come across in the zine world, plus answers to some frequently asked questions.
Glossary
Distro – as in distribution. A zine distro is a small distribution organisation (often ran by just one person) who sells or gives away zines made by other people.
Fanzine – A zine about a particular topic the author or contributors are a fan of – this could be, for example, a band or musician, TV show, a genre (such as sci-fi), a video game, a writer, or a sports team. There are also fanzines that cover a variety of topics, such as those centred around music, a local area, or a subculture.
Flats – A copy of a zine designed to be printed / copied from. Can be in physical or digital form.
Perzine – personal-zine, a genre of zines that are primarily about personal experiences, thoughts or ideas. They can often look and feel very diary-like.
Riso – Risograph, a brand of Japanese printers designed for higher-volume low-cost copying and printing. They function similarly to a silkscreen and come in an array of vivid ink colours. See more at What is Risograph printing?
Zinester – a person who makes or is otherwise involved with zines.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s a zine?
A zine is a DIY self-published, small-circulation work which can be on any topic imaginable. While there is debate about what does and does not “count” as a zine, they are often photocopied or otherwise cheaply printed, made for motivations other than profit, and are made either by an individual or a small group of people. They are a part of DIY culture and different to traditional publishing or professional magazines.
How do you pronounce “zine”?
Like ZEEN, as in magazine.
How do you make a zine?
There are many ways to make a zine. You could do it completely by hand, with writing and drawing or cut and pasting different paper elements. Or you can use a huge range of different software. If you are really stuck with how to start, I recommend attending a local zine club or zine workshop if you have any around you.
Where can I find zines?
How do I sell / share my zine?
how does a zine distro work?
