Providing a variety of clip art images encourages zinesters to create! Photo courtesy Kelly Wooten

What supplies are required to make a zine? Very few! The beauty of zines is their accessibility, since you only need paper, something to write with, and access to a copier to share your ideas with the world.

If you want to encourage zine-making in your space you’ll need supplies. Below is a list of things you might consider adding:

Basics:

• paper
• scissors
• glue sticks
• copier / printer
• long-arm stapler or booklet stapler (zine librarian Kelly Wooten suggests the Eagle Swivel stapler as a cheap/portable option, and the Bostitch No-Jam Booklet Stapler as a more expensive but reliable option that’s physically less demanding than a long-arm stapler)

Glue sticks galore! Photo courtesy Kelly Wooten

Nice to have:

• paper cutter
• bone folders
• typewriter
• scanner
• tape
• washi tape
• collage supplies
  • patterned origami paper
  • scrapbooking paper
  • deaccessioned magazines
  • discarded books
  • dust jackets
• vinyl letters
• stencils
• cardstock
• X-ACTO knives/box cutter
• thread (embroidery floss or waxed thread)
• wide eye needles
• awl
• zine library swag (for example: stickers, bookmarks, postcards, mini-zines)

If you anticipate taking zine-making to different spaces, consider investing in a portable supply organizer (often sold as yarn/tool/scrapbook crafting supply organizers).

The UCIMC Zine Library keeps supplies in an accordion box for easy portability to pop-up library events! Pre-made mini-zines can encourage even the most reserved people to create. Photo courtesy Kathryn La Barre.