Well, with the last batch of zines I sent out I paid attention to some of the advice I got in comments about the zine–namely, get myself a paper cutter, and think about a stapler.
I haven’t gotten myself a paper cutter (good holy god those things are *expensive*!!!). But I did get the last batch of zines cut by the official cutter man at my local office supply store. And that made a huuuuuuuuuuuge difference in the overall appearance of the zine. Oh, and I *also* got this zine (stolen sharpie revolution) from C/S distro. Which spends some time talking about/giving advice on “zine layout” (among other things).
I think part of what my zine was struggling with was the layout–I was working with quarter pages (of a standard sheet of paper), and getting all the different quarter pages printed off so that everything went in order etc. was *incredibly* fucking difficult for me. The most time consuming part of creating the zine.
Following the layout advice from s.s.r., I got the zine layout down such that even if I did have to use scissors to cut it, the cut would’ve been a single cut right down the middle, instead of me having to look at every single sheet of paper to make sure I wasn’t cutting into words or pictures. So if you are ADD like me, or have some other sort of issue with being able to organize things spatially and logically–I *highly* recommend getting stolen sharpie revolution!
Anyway–I took my bundle of zines to the Office Supplies store, and the guy working the printing machines sliced the entire bundle in about two seconds all for two dollars. I would prefer to not have to spend that money at all–but for now, while I don’t have my own paper cutter, it’ll have to do. And I must admit, it was highly worth it.
Like I said, the difference in the zine is astounding.
But… I am not sure I like it.
The zines that the last group of people are getting are like a real booklet. The pages all line up together, you can tap the booklet against a table or something and they all line up again, nice and evenly. The folding of the zine was much easier, as all the page sizes matched. I didn’t staple it (an artistic choice that many may not agree with), but now that all the pages are even and clean cut–I don’t know as if it makes much of a difference that it’s not stapled.
I think that there are a lot of benefits to this new clean cut version. And seeing as the critiques that I did get about the zine were mostly about the uneven disheveled appearance–I think it’s good that I figured out this layout/paper cutter style.
But…I admit to having a soft spot in my heart for the uneven unstapled disheveled looking zine. I love texture. That is one of the main reasons I have fought so hard to get this zine done and keep plugging away at it even though it was biting me in the ass so often. I love the texture of zines. One of my favorite zinesters gave me one of her zines out of her purse one time, and it wasn’t stapled, it was sorta crunched up from being in her purse, the pages didn’t fit together cleanly–and to this day, it is one of my all time favorite zines.
I love the feel of the crinkles in my hands. I love needing to rearrange the pages with every page turn so that I can read what she has to say. I love that when I am finished reading, I have to sort of organize the whole booklet again and tap it all together. It’s sorta like a reading ritual. Like, her thoughts can’t be forced into this neat clean package. Like her thoughts are resisting in a *physical* way. Like I am learning a new way to read.
I won’t be arrogant enough to say that my “unclean zine” invokes that sort of feeling in readers. In fact I got a pretty emphatic “I am very frustrated trying to read this thing!” from a dear friend!!! Lol.
But I will say that while I am deeply impressed with the clean cool lines of a good layout and a massive paper cutter–I do enjoy the intimacy of working with my thoughts with my own hands–even if the result is a bit of a mess. (oh, alright, maybe a huge bit of a mess!!! lolololol).
One thing I *do* really like is that I feel like the physicality of my zine actually (re) thought walking as well. I love that it changed and morphed from one set of buyers to another.
Ahhh, impermanence, says the shiny eyed Buddhist bfp.
Oh, and I am working on my next zine! I think it’s only going to be a small run–as I am going to be using a bunch of yellow fabric that I found at a second hand store. So each zine will be hand made by moi! Hooray! But also *booo* because I can tell already, my hands are only going to be able to handle so much of this gluing and sewing and sticking thing.
I’m excited to see how it all goes. How about you? What are you dealing with now in your creative life?
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December 28th, 2009 at 10:33 am #
bfp, i just have to give you huge ups. because the whole “how to put it together” thing is A LOT of what keeps me from doing a zine. i am totally overwhelmed with how layout works and how to get the right pages printed and cut where they belong. honestly, i was gonna print off the SPEAK! zine and then as i was looking at it online (because i don’t have a printer at home) i became totally stressed out with how to put it together once i printed it (which i haven’t yet done)! now, the suggestion of getting a paper cutter, to me that wasn’t at all a statement about how your edges are or whatever – it was not an aesthetic issue but a concern for the sake of your hands sitting there and handcutting every page. and yeah, those things are expensive, but maybe you could find a used one? or connect with other zinesters in the area and share one? not that i think there is anything wrong with contributing to our craptastic economy by paying $2 to have a guy do it for you at the store – hey, you are helping him pay his rent, LOL. okay, and i really feel guilty to say this, but i hope i am one of the folks who can get in on that short run of your new zine – i would love to see it!
December 28th, 2009 at 10:50 am #
Just cosigning what Aaminah says about the paper cutter – way more about avoiding repetitive strain from using scissors than about aesthetics. Hell, you know I like stuff a little rough around the edges ;^) You could tear the pages in half with your teeth for all I care, but then I would be worried because who has good dental insurance anymore?
And this “getting all the different quarter pages printed off so that everything went in order etc. was *incredibly* fucking difficult for me” I can totally get – I was amazed at that, actually. Not just because of the ADD thing, either; that’s some major spatial perception + organization going on.
Can’t wait to see what you do with the yellow fabric! And I’ll keep an eye peeled on craigslist etc. for a paper cutter – they’re expensive new and not easy to find used (at least not the heavy duty guillotine style ones). Yay! Materiality.
December 28th, 2009 at 3:03 pm #
i’ve wanted to do a zine forever, but i always get caught up in the “oh i don’t have anything worth saying/this is a waste of time” thing which is stupid, because it’s exactly what i love about zines that they’re basically saying – hey, i DO have something worth saying whether it’s culturally approved or not! my small individual story matters to me and maybe to other people! ah well, maybe in the new year. having a blog has i think helped me get over that to some extent. especially a tumblr, somehow. keeping one has somehow gotten me to a place where i can start up a new blog where i write things with actual attention to the writing, and try to do nice things with it, which isn’t quite like taking my creative side seriously but is closer than i’ve come to that in several years.
also – i am currently pinching pennies pretty hard till i get a job but once i do your zine is like first on my list of things to buy, i am so excited to read it.
and also – i am not a buddhist, but this:
Ahhh, impermanence, says the shiny eyed Buddhist bfp.
made me smile because i feel the same way about impermanence. how weird that it was once a kind of terrifying concept to me and now that i’ve embraced it i feel so much more personally stable/balanced than before!
January 1st, 2010 at 2:54 am #
it always seems like there is a tension in art between creating what works for you as the artist and what will work for the audience you are trying to reach; my gut says follow the art of your heart and it will travel the paths you imagine for it.
(My practical soul, and the historian in me, says cut and staple it if that is the feedback you are getting & let the process of from your’s to their’s become our’s; if that makes sense.)
January 9th, 2010 at 5:48 pm #
I really like ssr for its diy total inclusion. On the talk of paper cutters, I have pain in my wrists and hands & am losing strenght in fingers and so you have to be careful with this too. There is more strength (or power or what have you, I’m at a lose of words today) when you bring down the cutter thingie, and if I do it for a couple of hours, I get back aches. And depending on the quality you can do about 4-10 sheets per cut, mine probably needs to be sharpened because I can only do 4-5 and come out w/ a clean cut and this means you bring down the cutter thingie down with alota force. Sometimes if you stand, you’re able to use your upper body strength, but sometimes you can’t stand. If the kids were older, I’d trust them to do this. I think the best way to go would be to trade/barter this service with someone else in exchange for something. The problems that you get w/ doing a 1/4th size zine is the reason I don’t do that size more often, though I like the look of it more-like your zine for example, the creativity comes across & I like how it not staples because thats how I imagine your inner workings work! ha
)
Now, I never thought of taking it to an office supply store, the $2 would really make up for the pain/frustration I get when I make mini zines. Did you make the copies there or were you able to get that price if you made the copies elsewhere?
Sewing on a sewing machine is much easier on my wrists, but I have to learn how to do it so the needle won’t break with every zine, thats what happened w/ the tiny inserts in the gloria zine and then after like 30 times I had to redo the threading or replace the needle, I said to hell with it and didn’t bind it.
The same goes for a long reach stapler. I have one and I recently got a saddle stapler thinking it would ease the pain I get in my wrists/hands using the long reach one and it didn’t help. But for this, Jriver helps.
I have handouts I’ve collected throughout the years on different explanations on layout, I need to dig them out and make them into a pdf and offer them for folks.
Aaminah -I saw the zine in pdf and it also kinda worried me, I could understand where you’re coming from.
January 10th, 2010 at 7:36 am #
Noemi–I am not sure if it is only 2$ because i got them printed there–I can’t imagine it is!!!! when I got it done, they literally stuck the entire stack of paper in the machine, tightened screws, and then cut it–all in about the period of thirty seconds.
I think it’s worth it too, if you are in such pain! I never really thought about how much the repetitive motion of making these things would hurt your body–this being the first batch i ever made! but you brought it up and aaminah and nora both brought it up–i think that 1. it’s something i would love to explore further–because blogging has the same sort of reprecussions for your body– not so much repetitive injury in *that* manner–but in arm and wrist problems from the clicker–back problems from sitting all day, neck problems, etc. –why is there never any discussion about what DIY type art/creating does to a person’s body? you know? and does it do the same thing to those who have “official” or “sanctioned” corporate sponsership?
and just…i don’t know, there’s a whole bunch i want to think about there…