📁 Straightforward PDF uploads
📦 Stapled zines dispatched in 3 days
📚 Perfect-bound zines produced quickly
⚡ Instant online quotes for print runs below 20
💬 Friendly print specialists offering guidance
🖥️ Free professional artwork checks
🎨 Complimentary paper sample packs
🔍 Test prints available beforehand
🚚 Free tracked delivery is included nationwide
🌍 Worldwide shipping options available
🌱 Sustainable printing choices available
In a creative city like Brighton, zines are everywhere. You will spot them on gallery tables, at indie markets, in studios, cafés, exhibitions, and tucked inside tote bags after local fairs.
Ex Why Zed has been helping artists, photographers, designers, writers, and self-publishers bring their ideas into print for years. After producing thousands of independent publications, we know what tends to matter most when it comes to zine printing.
Here are some of the things Brighton creators often ask us about:
Whether you're printing your first zine or your fiftieth, we're always happy to answer questions, offer advice, and help you get the best result for your project.
Printing a zine for the first time can feel like a lot to figure out. You’re balancing layouts, page counts, paper choices, deadlines, and hoping the final print still feels true to your original idea.
We keep the process simple, collaborative, and easy to follow so you can focus more on the creative side of the project.
Step 1: Send Us Whatever Stage Your Project Is Currently At
Finished artwork is great, but rough drafts, unfinished layouts, and half-formed ideas are completely welcome too.
Step 2: We Check Your Files Before Anything Gets Printed
If something looks off with sizing, resolution, bleed, or layout setup, we’ll flag it early and help you sort it properly.
Step 3: We Help You Choose the Right Print Setup
Together, we’ll figure out papers, finishes, bindings, and details that actually suit the feel of your zine.
Step 4: You Can Request Samples or Test Prints First
If you’re nervous about colours, textures, or how everything will look physically, we totally understand. That’s why samples are available.
Step 5: Your Zines Move Into Full Production
Once everything’s approved, your project is professionally printed, trimmed, folded, bound, and carefully finished by our team.
Step 6: We Pack Everything Carefully Before Dispatch
Nobody wants damaged corners or bent covers arriving before an exhibition, fair, or launch, so orders are packed properly.
Step 7: Your Finished Zines Are Ready to Share With People
Sell them at markets, leave them in cafés, take them to exhibitions, or finally hold your finished project in your hands.
Choosing paper can feel like a big decision, but it doesn't need to be complicated. The paper you pick will influence how your images look, how the pages turn, and the overall character of your zine.
Here are the options most people choose:
When it comes to paper weight, 115gsm and 130gsm are the most common choices. They offer a great balance between quality, durability, and ease of reading.
Not sure which paper is right for your creative vision? That's completely normal. Most people have a rough idea of the look they're after long before they know the printing terminology. We'll happily talk you through the options and help you find the best match for your content.
Request Your Free Paper Sample Pack
Our zine printing video guide walks through the full process in a way that feels practical, visual, and genuinely useful for independent artists and self-publishers.
You’ll see how different zine styles come together, how paper and binding choices change the final feel of a project, and why certain formats work better for different kinds of content.
It’s less of a technical tutorial and more of a creative behind-the-scenes look at how ideas become printed zines people actually want to pick up, keep, and share.
Choosing a size isn't just about fitting content onto a page. It changes how people pick up your zine, flick through it, and spend time with it.
For zine printing in Brighton, we produce everything from pocket-sized booklets to large-format publications, so there's plenty of flexibility depending on what you're creating.
Some popular options include:
When choosing a size, think about where people will discover your zine and how they'll use it. Will they read it on the train, keep it on a coffee table, leave it in a studio, or spend time exploring every page at home?
The right format helps your content feel natural. A smaller zine invites readers to carry it around and dip in whenever they like. A larger format encourages people to slow down and take in every detail.
If you're unsure which size will suit your project best, we're always happy to help.
Binding changes the way people experience your zine. The same artwork can feel more raw and personal or more polished and collectable simply through the way it is bound.
Once your pages are designed, choosing the right binding is usually the point where the whole project starts feeling real.
Most artists and independent publishers in Brighton tend to choose between these two popular styles:
1. Saddle Stitch Binding
Saddle stitching is the classic stapled zine format most people associate with independent publishing. It has that familiar, approachable feel you often see at Brighton art fairs, gallery tables, creative markets, and self-published exhibitions.
A lot of people choose saddle stitching because they want something that feels:
Saddle-stitch binding is most preferred for zines under 40 pages.
2. Perfect Binding
Perfect binding gives your zine a square spine and a cleaner, more structured finish. It instantly changes the feel of the publication and often makes projects look more like independent magazines, portfolios, or art books.
Many artists prefer perfect binding because they want something that feels:
This type of binding is usually best for projects over 40 pages.
Some projects take months to develop. Others come together in a matter of days.
A submission deadline appears unexpectedly. Final artwork arrives later than planned. A university project needs printing sooner than expected. An opportunity emerges that wasn't on the calendar a week ago.
When time is limited, you need a printer that can move quickly without compromising the finished result.
At Ex Why Zed, efficient production is built into the process. Your zines are printed, finished, and delivered on schedule, giving you the confidence to meet important deadlines while still receiving a publication that looks and feels professionally produced.
Every zine tells a different story. At Ex Why Zed, we’ve printed zines for artists, photographers, designers, students, musicians, and independent publishers, creating everything from exhibition pieces and visual journals to fashion lookbooks and small-run passion projects across Brighton and beyond.
Our aim is simple. To make sure your zines arrive beautifully printed, carefully finished, and feeling exactly the way you hoped they would when you first started creating them.
"Another great print job from ExWhyZed! This is the second time I have used them for book/zine publications and have never been disappointed. Help is always at the end of an email or telephone, and service is quick and easy, enabling full print and delivery within two weeks. My last Magazine 'Focus Quarterly', was true to colour (despite CMYK) and I couldn't be more happy."
- Tom
Choosing the right zine printer is about more than price alone. At Ex Why Zed, we combine flexible print options, quality materials, and experienced support to help creators bring their projects to life with confidence.
Most online zine printing platforms support photography, comics, portfolios, and other popular zine types. Many artists prefer custom zines because flexible formats, paper choices, and digital printing allow independent creators to experiment affordably while producing publications that still feel personal.
The right paper depends on how you want the zine to feel physically. A thicker sheet of paper gives the front cover and back cover durability, while lighter stocks create softer pages better suited to smaller independent publishing projects overall.
Creators searching for affordable and professional zine printing services often compare studios offering premium print quality without excessive pricing. Many artists researching the best zine printing UK look for a low budget option, balancing finishing quality, flexibility, and smaller independent print quantities carefully.
Before uploading artwork, review margins, bleed settings, and page order throughout the document carefully. Designers should also check image placement across the inside front cover, inside back cover, and inner pages because trimming shifts can affect alignment during production later.
The online ordering process usually starts with uploading artwork, selecting paper stocks, choosing binding styles, and confirming delivery details. Many printers allow creators to adjust the quantity of zines during checkout, making single order projects easier for first-time publishers.
Costs vary depending on page counts, paper choices, sizing, and finishing requirements. Simple booklet printing projects stay affordable, while custom size zines or publications resembling hardback books usually cost more because of the production, binding, trimming, and finishing processes.
Many sustainable printers now offer recycled papers, biodegradable packaging, and environmentally responsible inks without sacrificing print quality. Ex Why Zed even combines eco-conscious production with courier delivery for urgent orders, including international shipments throughout Europe and the United States.
Many independent printers now specialise in small runs, allowing artists to experiment without committing financially to oversized quantities immediately. Flexible ordering helps creators test audience interest, improve layouts, and refine editions before demand becomes properly established through fairs and exhibitions.
A zine is a small, self-published booklet used to share ideas, stories, artwork, photography, or creative projects. Originally popular in underground and independent communities, zines give creators complete freedom over the content, design, and message without the need for a publisher.
Stapled formats suit shorter independent projects, but perfect bound zines usually work better for thicker publications. Their flat spine creates a sleeker appearance, which is why people researching the best zine printing often prefer them.
