Zine Printing
Ever since Thomas Paine self-published Common Sense in the 18th century, zines have been platforms for radical thinking and the spread of new ideas.
Today, the word “zine” is commonly used as a shortened form of “fanzine”, which often refers to a publication where fans of artists, musicians, bands, games, genres, or hobbies can share their experiences, passions, and enthusiasm. The first modern fanzines emerged in the 1920s to promote the growing underground jazz scene and expressionist art.
Whatever your reason for printing a zine, QinPrinting is here to help make your vision a reality. And because we’re committed to supporting smaller creators, we’ll offer you a price that’s 40% less than your local print shop—without compromising on quality or service. With over 25 years of experience printing all kinds of zines, an exceptional, dedicated team, cutting-edge technology, and efficient processes, we’re proud to be one of the most successful independent zine printers worldwide.
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QinPrinting Rated Excellent
They produced an excellent product that was printed, shipped and arrived within the expected timescales.
Emails were responded to quickly by Susan.
The whole process was smooth and straightforward.
What a delight!
Whenever I have a creative idea, their team goes above and beyond to help bring it to life. I’ve printed four comic books with them, and each time, they’ve exceeded my expectations. If you’re considering a printer, take a chance on these friendly, reliable folks—they truly value your business. - Chad Townsend, Creator of The Black Phantom.
But working with Nelson was an absolute pleasure. He patiently addressed all my concerns, and my final printed book was just as I would hope it would be.
Common Zine Sizes
Thanks to our offset printing technology, we can print any size zine you want. However, keep in mind that custom sizes tend to cost more due to the additional pre-press work and setup required.
In the United States, the standard zine sizes are 8.5″ x 11″ and 5.5″ x 8.5″.
In European countries (including the UK) and Australia, the most common zine sizes are 210 mm x 297 mm (A4) and 148 mm x 210 mm (A5).
From a practical standpoint, sticking to these sizes might be in your best interest. They’re well-established, cost-effective, ideal for mailing, and simplify the setup process, meaning we can get your zines to you more quickly. But if you’re after something larger—like a 7.3″ x 11″ tabloid size zine—or prefer a landscape orientation rather than portrait, we can do that too! If you want it, we’ll print it.
Zine Paper Options
The paper you choose for your zine has a significant impact on its appearance and the cost of production.
If you’re printing in black-and-white, lightweight, uncoated paper is a great option.
If your zine includes lots of photographs or other graphics, heavier, coated paper will be a better choice. But don’t worry—we’re here to help. Our experienced team will guide you and advise on the best paper options for your zine and your budget.
For the inside pages of your zine, we recommend 80 gsm, 105 gsm, 128 gsm, or 157 gsm coated paper, or 80 gsm, 100 gsm uncoated paper. These options provide vibrant colour reproduction while keeping text legible. The choice of paper also depends on the size and thickness of your publication. For smaller zines, we recommend thinner paper. Thinner paper allows for easy page turning and helps the zine lay flat, which is ideal for smaller formats. If the paper is too thick, zines can become difficult to flip through.
If you’re printing your zine at A4 size (210 mm x 297 mm) or larger, we recommend thicker paper for the inside pages. For instance, 128 gsm, 157 gsm coated paper or 100 gsm uncoated paper would work well.
For a slim zine with 32 pages or fewer, and if you want perfect binding, we recommend using 200 gsm coated paper. This will ensure you meet the minimum 3 mm spine thickness required.
Cover Paper
- 200 gsm gloss cover paper
- 250 gsm gloss cover paper
- 300 gsm gloss cover paper
- 350 gsm gloss cover paper
- 200 gsm matte cover paper
- 250 gsm matte cover paper
- 300 gsm matte cover paper
Interior Paper
- 80 gsm coated text paper
- 105 gsm coated text paper
- 128 gsm coated text paper
- 157 gsm coated text paper
- 200 gsm coated text paper
- 80 gsm uncoated text paper
- 100 gsm uncoated text paper
- 120 gsm uncoated text paper
Special Finish Options
Here are some popular surface finishes that can enhance both the appearance and durability of your zine.
Shiny and reflective, perfect for vibrant graphics and photos.
Glossy highlights on specific areas for a striking contrast.
Smooth and non-reflective for a simple yet professional design.
Similar to matte lamination, but the resulting surface has a delightful, almost velvet feel.
A glossy finish applied to specific areas for a bold and distinct look.
Metallic or pigmented foil for a shiny, eye-catching effect.
Raised designs for added texture and elegance.
A recessed design that creates a tactile impression on the cover, adding texture and sophistication.
Cut a shape out of the paper material
Thin metallic foil—usually gold, silver, or bronze—is applied to the trimmed edges of your book's pages.
Custom patterns and images are sprayed on the edges for a truly unique appearance.
Print your design on a special paper that reflects light in a rainbow-like pattern.
Bindings for Zines
While you can cut costs by opting for a “self-covered” zine, the binding choice often reflects not just your budget, but also the genre, page count, and preferences of your readership. The most popular binding options for zines are saddle stitching and perfect binding.
Perfect Binding
This is the binding method we use for paperback books as well. We collate the interior pages into a block, glue them together, and then glue the entire block into a wrap-around cover made of heavier art paper or lightweight card stock. This is definitely the best option for zines with 48 pages or more, or those featuring art and photography on every page.
Saddle Stitch Binding
This binding method involves compiling your zine from folded sheets stacked inside one another, often with a glossy art paper cover, which are then stapled along the curved edge. Saddle stitching is only suitable for zines with a page count divisible by four, and the maximum page count is 64. However, to ensure your zine lies flat and looks neat, we recommend limiting it to 48 pages or fewer for this binding style.
Zine Design and Artwork Tips
Most of our zine collaborators handle the design work themselves, while others opt to engage a professional graphic designer. Either way, it’s essential to understand how to prepare your files so that they’re “print-ready.” You’ll need to consider bleed zones, safety margins, trim lines, and borders, and ensure that the resolution and colour settings are correct. With that in mind, here are some helpful tips to guide you when preparing your files to send to us.
Export your files as vector-based PDFs for the best results. We recommend using Adobe Illustrator or Adobe InDesign for zine design. These programs also allow you to convert your colour settings from RGB to CMYK, which is necessary for offset printing.
If you can't provide vector files—for example, if you're exporting bitmaps from Photoshop—ensure the resolution is at least 300 dpi. Vectors don't require resolution adjustments, but all other images need to be high-definition to ensure they can be resized without becoming blurry or pixelated.
Inside the bleed zone, include "trim lines" to indicate the final size of your zine. These should be set at least 10 mm away from the trim line to ensure nothing critical—such as text or important image elements—gets cut off.
If a photo or artwork spans across two pages (a "spread"), make sure no important content, like faces or key details, crosses the centre crease where it could get lost in the binding.
If you’re working with a designer to prepare your files, they should be familiar with the necessary steps to make everything “print-ready.” However, if you’re handling the design yourself using software like Adobe Illustrator or InDesign, these are the key tips to keep in mind before submitting your files. Rest assured, our team of experts will always manually check your files before going to press. If we identify any issues, we’ll let you know and assist you in resolving them. We pride ourselves on being helpful and collaborative—it’s a core part of our philosophy. We won’t print your zine until we’re certain it’ll be perfect. That’s our absolute guarantee.
Need Help Preparing Your Files? We Offer a Free File Checking Service
Can’t find what you want? Contact us!
Zine Printing Costs
At QinPrinting, we work closely with individual creatives, fans, enthusiasts, hobbyists, misfits, undiscovered geniuses, rebel spirits, clubs, and societies to print stunningly beautiful zines of exceptional quality. We also understand the challenge of working within a tight budget, especially for new projects. That’s why we continually refine our processes, monitor our workflow, and adapt to ensure that we deliver top-quality zines at a price that’s fair and sustainable.
So, how much does it cost to print a zine with us? You can get a general idea by checking our at-a-glance price charts. The exact cost to print your zine depends on the paper you choose, any coatings or finishes for the cover and interior pages, the quantity you need, and a few other factors. To get a precise quote, use our handy Online Printing Cost Calculator. Unlike many offset printers, who often have a minimum order quantity (MOQ) of 1,000 or more, we’re happy to print as few as 100 zines in a single run. However, the more you print at once, the cheaper it becomes per zine.
How much does it cost to print a a5 zine?
Zine Printing Price Chart (148mm x 210mm)
| Quantity | 100 copies | 500 copies | 1000 copies | 2000 copies | 5000 copies | 10000 copies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16pp + 4pp | Unit: A$2.79 Total: A$279 |
Unit: A$0.74 Total: A$368 |
Unit: A$0.46 Total: A$455 |
Unit: A$0.31 Total: A$613 |
Unit: A$0.24 Total: A$1223 |
Unit: A$0.2 Total: A$2024 |
| 32pp + 4pp | Unit: A$3.27 Total: A$327 |
Unit: A$0.89 Total: A$447 |
Unit: A$0.56 Total: A$561 |
Unit: A$0.4 Total: A$808 |
Unit: A$0.33 Total: A$1646 |
Unit: A$0.3 Total: A$2953 |
| 48pp + 4pp | Unit: A$4.2 Total: A$420 |
Unit: A$1.17 Total: A$587 |
Unit: A$0.76 Total: A$759 |
Unit: A$0.55 Total: A$1092 |
Unit: A$0.45 Total: A$2248 |
Unit: A$0.4 Total: A$4028 |
- Please note that all prices are EXW (Ex Works) from our facility and do not include shipping costs.
- Cover: 200 gsm coated cover paper with matte lamination
- Interior: 105 gsm coated text paper, full-colour printing
- Binding: Saddle stitch
How much does it cost to print a a4 zine?
Paperback Booklet Printing Price Chart (210mm x 297mm)
| Quantity | 100 copies | 500 copies | 1000 copies | 2000 copies | 5000 copies | 10000 copies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16pp + 4pp | Unit: A$3.74 Total: A$374 |
Unit: A$1.04 Total: A$519 |
Unit: A$0.65 Total: A$646 |
Unit: A$0.48 Total: A$966 |
Unit: A$0.4 Total: A$2007 |
Unit: A$0.37 Total: A$3675 |
| 48pp + 4pp | Unit: A$6.78 Total: A$678 |
Unit: A$1.96 Total: A$980 |
Unit: A$1.26 Total: A$1264 |
Unit: A$0.96 Total: A$1920 |
Unit: A$0.81 Total: A$4053 |
Unit: A$0.75 Total: A$7516 |
| 64pp + 4pp | Unit: A$8.64 Total: A$864 |
Unit: A$2.48 Total: A$1241 |
Unit: A$1.61 Total: A$1607 |
Unit: A$1.23 Total: A$2454 |
Unit: A$1.04 Total: A$5190 |
Unit: A$0.97 Total: A$9721 |
| 96pp + 4pp | Unit: A$11.97 Total: A$1197 |
Unit: A$3.49 Total: A$1746 |
Unit: A$2.27 Total: A$2272 |
Unit: A$1.74 Total: A$3476 |
Unit: A$1.47 Total: A$7371 |
Unit: A$1.38 Total: A$13819 |
- Please note that all prices are EXW (Ex Works) from our facility and do not include shipping costs.
- Cover: 250 gsm coated cover paper with matte lamination
- Interior: 128 gsm coated text paper, full-colour printing
- Binding: Saddle stitch or perfect binding
And don’t forget, we’re real people at QinPrinting—not robots or tired call centre staff—and we’re always happy to answer any questions you might have. Just contact us by phone, email, or via our convenient online contact form. One of our printing experts will drop everything and assist you as soon as possible!
Let's Talk!
If you’re a fan club, a radical thinker, a non-profit, or an independent creative artist, writer, poet, musician, or dreamer looking to print a zine with a company that’s genuinely supportive and eager to help you create something beautiful without breaking the bank, we should talk. Get in touch today to discuss your needs or request a no-obligation quote. We can’t wait to help bring your zine printing project to life!
