One sheet · 8 pages
Folding an 8-page mini zine
Print the mini zine sheet single-sided at actual size. You’ll need the sheet, scissors or a craft knife, and about two minutes.
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Fold lengthwise
Fold the sheet in half the long way, crease it well, then unfold.
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Make eight panels
Fold it in half the other way, then fold both ends in to meet the middle crease. Unfold. You now have eight panels.
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Fold and cut
Fold it in half the short way. Starting at the folded edge, cut along the middle crease and stop at the next crease.
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Push the ends together
Open the sheet, fold it lengthwise again, and push the two ends toward each other. The cut opens into a diamond.
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Fold it closed
Keep pushing until the middle panels meet in a cross shape, then fold the pages around so page 1 is on the front.
Stapled · 8+ pages
Folding and stapling a booklet
Print the booklet PDF double-sided at actual size, flipping on the short edge. Each sheet becomes four pages.
Check one sheet first
Print just the first sheet and fold it. If page 2 is upside down, switch the duplex setting between short and long edge, or turn on “Rotate back sides 180°”.
Nest the sheets
Keep them in printed order and slide each one inside the previous sheet, so sheet 1 with both covers is on the outside.
Fold the stack
Fold everything in half together and crease firmly with a bone folder, a ruler or the back of a spoon.
Staple
Open the zine on the centre spread and staple through the fold twice, a quarter of the way from each end. A long-reach stapler makes this easy; a normal stapler opened flat over corrugated cardboard works too.
Trim (optional)
Thick zines fan out at the open edge. Trim it straight with a craft knife and a metal ruler, and use the creep setting so the inner pages keep their margins.
FAQ
Printing problems
How do I print double-sided correctly?
Print at actual size and choose two-sided printing, flipped on the short edge. If your printer only flips on the long edge, turn on “Rotate back sides 180°” before downloading. Print one sheet first to check.
My printer can’t print double-sided. What now?
The booklet PDF alternates front and back: page 1 is the front of sheet 1, page 2 its back, and so on. Print the odd pages, put the stack back into the paper tray, and print the even pages. Test with one sheet to find out which way round your printer needs the paper.
Why are my margins wrong after printing?
The print dialog is probably set to “Fit to page”, which shrinks the sheet and moves the folds off-centre. Choose “Actual size” or 100%. Most home printers also can’t print right to the paper edge, so keep a margin of at least 5 mm.
My PDF has two-page spreads. Will it work?
Export single pages instead. In InDesign, choose “Pages” rather than “Spreads” in the PDF export dialog. In Affinity Publisher and Canva, export each page as its own PDF page. Zine Machine handles the spread order for you.