The format
What is a one-sheet zine?
The 8-page mini zine is the quickest zine there is: one sheet of paper, printed on one side, folded into eight panels and cut once down the middle. It needs no stapler and no double-sided printing, which makes it the classic format for workshops, classrooms, flyers and quick experiments.
Sizes
Page sizes
Each page is one eighth of the sheet. Designing at this size gives the sharpest result, but any portrait PDF will be scaled to fit.
| Print on | Each zine page |
|---|---|
| A4 | 74 × 105 mm |
| A3 | 105 × 148 mm (A6) |
| US Letter | 2.75 × 4.25 in |
| Tabloid | 4.25 × 5.5 in |
Design tips
Designing for a tiny page
- Page 1 is the front cover and page 8 the back cover. Pages 2–3, 4–5 and 6–7 face each other as spreads.
- Keep text at least 5 mm (¼ in) from the page edges. Most home printers can’t print to the edge of the sheet, and the folds are never perfectly exact.
- Use a minimum of about 8 pt for text. Small pages are read up close, but photocopies lose detail.
- The back of the sheet stays blank. Some makers print a poster there that is revealed when the zine is unfolded.
- Longer PDFs work too: every 8 pages become another sheet, so a 24-page PDF gives you three mini zines.
FAQ
Mini zine questions
Why does a zine need a multiple of 4 pages?
Every sheet folded in half makes four pages, so a booklet always has 4, 8, 12, 16… pages. The one-sheet mini zine always has 8. If your PDF is shorter, Zine Machine adds blank pages. By default they go before the back cover so it stays on the back; you can move them to the end instead.
What page size should my PDF be?
For a booklet, design each page at half the sheet: A5 (148 × 210 mm) to print on A4, or 5.5 × 8.5 in to print on US Letter. For a mini zine each page is one eighth of the sheet: 74 × 105 mm on A4, 2.75 × 4.25 in on Letter.
Other sizes work too. They are scaled to fit, or cropped to fill if you choose Fill.
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.
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.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything happens in your browser: reading the PDF, drawing the previews and building the new file. Nothing is sent to a server, so it works with unpublished or private material.