Human Fingerprints
A downloadable instructional booklet
If you've already read issue one, and issue two you've got a good grasp of the basics and you might be ready for a challenge. Brace yourself, this one's a doozy.
This issue of PIY is a love-letter to anyone who has ever doodled in the margins, trimmed a page with an x-acto knife, or smeared fresh ink on accident. It is also for those among you who have truly and absolutely mastered a craft. Y’all are artists. Don’t let anyone say otherwise. In fact, I’m going to go ahead and define who gets to give themselves that title:
By the end of this issue, you’ll know how to make a new kind of zine. I’m calling it “securely unsecured” because it doesn’t use staples, glue, tape, or thread, but it has too many pages to be a foldie. It also stays firmly together, masquerading as a booklet until you want to pull it apart non-destructively. This thing is a literal game-changer. It holds itself together with its own handouts!
I also show you how to make your own custom stamps out of erasers. Why? Brandon Yu made a hex map with his and they're awesome. You gotta try this.
THESE 24 PAGES ARE CHOCK FULL OF...
• Diagrams! You can fit so many diagrams in this bad boy.
• A tutorial on how to assemble a staple, thread and glue-free zine format
• An interview with Emily Entner, who introduced me to the format
• Scale models of various paper sizes for drafting miniature drafts
• A fully illustrated stamp-carving tutorial
PLUS!
• Tips, tricks, and design considerations for pros and beginners alike, whether you work completely analog or digital!
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GET IT FOR FREE
Digital copies of Print it Yourself will always be free. You don't have to pay for this, even if you're financially stable. If you do decide to make a donation, thank you for funding my research!
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I use the securely unsecured technique for a little custom Gm reference booklet. I used poster board for the cover, and added a piece of cardstock glued inside the cover, with the tab coming through it(same size as the pages). This creates a bit more of a spine, but doesn't impede removing the pages or anything. Thank you!
Roxi, I would absolutely love to see some pictures if you have the energy to spare. My deets are on the back cover of the book if you're not comfortable sharing them here!
I initially tried this with cardboard, because I had no materials and thought it looked neat, also didn't have a good knife to make the cuts, so that's why the pages got messed up in the middle, this was a second attempt, just used the same pages. But ya the black is poster board, and the white inner part is cardstock. Just used a glue stick. Also Maze Rats is going to be my base to build my little reference book. The idea for the reference book only came about from doing this, knowing I have a way to add to it. Originally I was just looking for a way to bind it because I don't have pretty much any stationary supplies. So you kicked off not only that but a fun new hobby for me so thank you!
Good stuff, creativity matters today
Another interesting way, if you don't mind some texture (read: holes) in your cover stock, is to cut two flaps (one top, one bottom, each on one cover) running back to the spine ridge, and thread them through the slits in your booklet -- this one holds together pretty nicely for me!
It can save a bit of the cover sheet question, but does open up the "open tab space in cover" question. On the other hand, windows peeking into the insides have possibilities ~
Ooh, this is interesting! It doesn't "lock" the same way the securely unsecured format does because there's no insert to keep the tab from slipping out of the zine, but if your cardstock is robust enough it'll pretty much stay where you want it. I'm gonna have to give this a shot!
Yay! The cover on the example is watercolour paper, but I forget what the gsm is, alas.
The securely unsecured format is a lot like one I learned that uses multiple tabs (through signatures) that lock in the same way (insert/bookmark) from a concertina inserted through a slit in the cover spine; the outside spine tab/flaps of the concertina strip could be left free, or folded and glued down. (and I was sure I had an example somewhere ... >.>;;))
PIANO HINGE TABS! I’ve seen them. They’re absolutely brilliant.