Creating your own zine is the most cost-efficient, self-sufficient, and creative way to make, print, and distribute your own ideas or thoughts for consumption by others. But, unless you have a dedicated staff or a reluctantly willing group of friends, you’re going to have to do it yourself.

Before you become a prolific and admired artist, you are going to need a few things:

1. Paper.Any kind will suffice. This is left up to your own preference. Get creative!

2. A pen, marker, pencil (color or otherwise), crayon, paint, photographs, or really anything that will be visible when photocopied on to paper.

3. Photocopier or scanner/printer. Many of us may have one of these, but if you’re like me, you may have to visit a public library, school, or take advantage of a trusting job site.

4. Stapler. Pretty self-explanatory.

Step 1. Determine what you are into. Are you an illustrator? Do you write? Are you a photographer? Are you heavily opinionated toward music, media, or culture? Anything you are passionate about can become a zine.

Step 2. Gather a collection of material that you deem suitable or appropriate to fill your zine. Keep in mind that a self-made zine has no limitations. So whether you want your zine to be as thick as a novel or as thin as a pamphlet, it’s entirely up to you.

Step 3. Take as many pieces of paper as you need to complete your zine, and fold them all in half. The easiest way to make a zine is in a landscape format, so make sure that all of your work fits within a half page.

Step 4. Compile content. Gather all of your thoughts, writings, art, photographs, and place them in an order that you see fit.

Step 5. Now that you have your completed zine on a series of pages, photocopy each page. Front and back, depending on how you’ve decided to lay it out.

Step 6. Here comes the fun part. This is where family and/or loved ones will come in handy. After you’ve made as many copies as you feel necessary, fold them all in half, place them in order, and staple them together along the folded edge.

Step 7. Now it’s time to distribute. Most first-time zines are handed out for free anywhere that’s willing to host your content like record store counters, comic book shops, municipal locations, schools, and others. The free part, however, is entirely up to you. If you feel that your work is much too well written or well produced, then, by all means, charge a fair price for it.

Congrats! You have now created your own self-made publication. This can be a great avenue for future work or self-expression. Many writers, photographers, and others have been discovered, noticed, and/or praised through this medium. Stay confident, have faith in your work, and hope for the best.