240x170mm Zines
4pp Cover onto 250gsm Uncoated FSC
20pp Text onto 120gsm Uncoated FSC
Four colour print throughout
Trimmed, collated and wire stitched
Few publications manage to combine irreverent wit with refined print production quite like Knowtes. Created by the team at Modern Toss, Issue 4 of their seasonal satirical zine is a bold, absurdist take on British Christmas culture, presented through a riotous mashup of sardonic humour, anarchic visuals and punchy design.
At Ex Why Zed, we relished the opportunity to bring this energetic project to print, and the final result is a brilliant showcase of how bold ideas and premium production can collide to hilarious effect.
The front cover is instantly arresting – a grotesque, anthropomorphic roast turkey head complete with pea eyes and a carrot nose, sitting on a white plate. It's unsettling, absurd and impossible to look away from – which is exactly the point. Designed to disrupt the traditional sentimentality of festive publishing, Knowtes challenges the cosy Christmas genre with something much more anarchic and deliciously unsettling.
The colour palette – fluorescent red background contrasted with lime green and white type – delivers maximum vibrancy in four-colour process printing. The large “KNOWTES” title cascades down the page in oversized serif letters, dynamically drawing the eye downwards.
The cover is printed on 250gsm uncoated FSC stock – a smart choice. It gives the zine a tactile, premium finish, while also tonally aligning with the publication’s sustainable and anti-gloss aesthetic.
Inside, Knowtes transitions from aggressive humour to structured chaos. The 20pp text printed on 120gsm uncoated FSC stock offers an excellent reading texture. The flat, matte quality of the paper supports the deliberately crude illustrations and monochrome drawings perfectly – providing an ideal base for Modern Toss’s lo-fi aesthetic.
Page layouts are clean and consistent, giving space for the humour to breathe. The welcome spread uses a mashup of hand-drawn illustrations, a QR code and layered vector graphics. This multi-textural approach keeps the reader guessing from the outset.
A particularly immersive moment is the dinosaur-infused Christmas spread – an ironic winter wonderland backdrop populated by Victorian figures, modern slapstick humour and a childlike 'Merry Christmas' speech bubble. It's deliberately jarring – and that’s the brilliance of Modern Toss's satire.
As with all great satire, the strength lies in its delivery. The black-and-white colouring pages mock traditional zine formats with biting commentary about British Christmas rituals:
The visual pairing of crude line illustrations with dry, observational copy lends the content a grounded absurdity. This tone – unique to Modern Toss – is amplified by the print: the modest scale (240x170mm), stitched binding and restrained materials subtly frame the wild content with professionalism and intentionality.
The type choices throughout are a highlight. Bold sans-serifs are interspersed with serif interjections, playful speech bubbles and comic book-style callouts. This typographic variety fuels the zine’s pace and humour, giving each page a distinct visual tone while maintaining cohesion.
Illustratively, the publication walks the line between DIY charm and design clarity. The artwork deliberately feels “drawn on a napkin” – but through our sharp printing, every squiggle and pixel lands crisply. The fidelity of our four-colour print process ensures even the most chaotic panels retain their detail.
Working with Jon Link and the irreverent crew at Modern Toss is always a joyfully chaotic ride – and Knowtes Issue 4 was no exception. This wasn’t just another zine. It was a festive assault on British tradition, filled with grotesque turkeys, ironic Christmas rituals and all the oddities that make their satire so unique.
But behind the anarchic humour sat a deeply considered production process – one that hinged on precise timing, responsive communication, and print expertise. Here's how the journey unfolded.
The brief remained consistent:
On 16 November, Jon requested pricing. The timing couldn’t have been better. Paper prices had dropped significantly since their last run in April, so we delivered some good news:
“We can now do 1000 copies for not much more than you paid for 650 back in April. Roll out the ticker tape, yeah.”
Once the file was sent via WeTransfer on 17 November, Jon confirmed the final quantity and flagged a single issue with the proof:
No problem. We paused production, corrected the file and ensured the visual quality met the high bar we maintain for all printed output.
With the file locked, invoice sent and approved, and all assets in order, we hit the go button.
We stuck to our proposed schedule. Despite a tight turnaround and the festive season approaching, delivery was executed as promised. This level of reliability is core to our process — making sure even the most unconventional content arrives with traditional punctuality.
The humour might be anarchic, but our service is anything but.
Even after delivery, the project continued to evolve. We shared a draft of the backlink article (originally based on Knowtes Issue 1) and offered to rework it for Issue 4 if needed. Jon’s response:
“That’s great, yes please send a link — I’ll put it on the latest main Knowtes page.”
This kind of collaboration extends the value of print beyond the physical object — it becomes a shared story, a case study in creativity, and a digital bridge to future clients and audiences.
In fact, before the dust had even settled on Issue 4, Jon was already back in touch:
“I’ve got Knowtes 5 ready to send over this afternoon…”
That continuity is the real testament — clients who return because they know they’ll receive expert advice, adaptive service, and print that punches above its weight.
Knowtes Issue 4 was received with enthusiasm by fans of Modern Toss — the absurdity, production quality and format were widely appreciated. The stitched 240x170mm zine struck a balance between collectible quality and grassroots affordability. Modern Toss added the backlink to their website as agreed, helping us boost exwhyzed.com’s online presence and continuing a collaborative ethos that benefits both parties.
More importantly, Jon is already working with us on Knowtes Issue 5 — a direct result of our reliability, humour-infused communication style and commitment to precision, even when the content itself veers toward the ridiculous.
This wasn’t just print. It was a creative alliance.
