A5 Booklets
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Uncoated
36pp Text onto 120gsm Uncoated
Printed in full colour throughout
Staple bound
A Portal Into Escaper is a super stylish A5 zine packed with ethereal, behind-the-scenes moments from indie-pop artist Sarah Kinsley. It’s vibrant, bold and beautiful — and it’s designed to feel like a printed companion to the music.
The key goal was simple: avoid unwanted shine. The client had already seen “matte paper” come back looking glossy elsewhere, so we focused on an uncoated spec that keeps the finish flat and the colour still feeling alive.
This booklet is light, ergonomic and easy to read — the sort of A5 format you can throw in a tote, take to a gig, or keep by your record player. The photography-led pacing mixes airy spreads with high-energy moments, so the flip-through has rhythm rather than feeling like a straight image dump.
Uncoated stock was the hero choice here. It gives that flat, matt surface the client was chasing, while keeping the zine feeling warm and tactile in-hand — a great match for dreamy imagery and handwritten details.
If you’re weighing up paper options for a similar project, our paper sample packs make it much easier to judge “matt” in real life (and not just on a screen).
The cover sets the tone instantly: soft, cinematic photography paired with a handwritten-style title that feels intimate and personal. Inside, the layouts swing between full-bleed colour and calmer, gallery-like pages with generous white borders — giving the reader little breathers between bigger visual hits.
We also loved the behind-the-scenes energy: studio snapshots, collage moments, and handwriting layered over images. On uncoated stocks, those textures land with a natural softness that suits the project.
The enquiry came in with a clear worry: “matte paper” that still looked glossy from their usual supplier. Because this was a small run (50 copies), litho wasn’t a sensible route — so we focused on getting the finish right through stock choice and sensible proofing.
We sent a sample pack, then produced a single printed copy first. Along the way we helped tidy the file setup: pages supplied as single pages (not spreads) and 3mm bleed added for trimming. Once the sample landed and got the green light, we moved straight into the full run.
If you’re new to bleed, this guide explains it clearly: setting 3mm bleed on artwork for print.
This was a classic Ex Why Zed job: friendly, account-managed support, fast file checks, and practical advice that keeps a project moving. We also kept things transparent on costs (no add-ons), and used a proof-first approach so the client could judge the matt feel before committing to 50 copies.
If you want the same guided approach, start here: Printed Project Builder — or jump straight to Ready to Order if your files are print-ready.
