How a Zine Swap Works

smiling flower“Swaps” are where a certain number of people agree to swap… Well, something, usually handmade, and they’re usually multiple, identical (or nearly identical) items.

It’s a fun way of sharing art, usually through the mail, but sometimes in person.

Zine swaps

In this case, a “zine swap” is where you send a certain number of copies of just one issue of your zine, to the person hosting the swap.

You’ll also send the host either postage, money for postage, or a self-addressed, stamped envelope for shipping other participants’ zines to you.

The number of zines you’ll send is usually determined by the number of participants, including the host.

So, if six people, including you and the host, are swapping zines, you’ll send five copies of your zine (plus postage).

Each other participant does the same, and the host adds their own set of five zines to the collection.

Then the host sorts all the zines into piles, so each participant receives one from each of the other participants (including the host).

After that, the host mails the sets to each person in the swap, and keeps one set for themselves.

So, each person in that swap will receive five different zines, one from each of the other participants, including the host.

Visual explanation of how a zine swap works

I think very visually. Even writing that previous section, I was counting on my fingers to be sure I got the numbers right.

If you’re like me, this illustration may help explain how swaps work. Jane is both a participant and a host, so – as a participant – she’ll make five copies of her own zine and add them to the swap.How a zine swap works

I hope that makes sense, and I hope you’ll participate in – or even organize – a zine swap.

More zine information

If you have questions or answers, post a comment below.

Artistamps and Mailart

Artistamps are part of a larger art form called mailart. It’s been popular in different eras, most recently in the 1970s, then in the 1990s, and now – in the 21st century – it’s growing in popularity again.

WHAT IS MAILART?

Mailart (also called “mail art”) is art sent through the mail, and it’s visible on the outside of the postcard, envelope, or (less often) the package. That is, the visible part of what goes through the mail IS the art. There may or may not be art – or anything – inside.

The visible art – seen by those who handle the art (from sender to post office staff to recipient)-  may be decorated with many things, including…

  • Artistamps
  • Artwork (hand-drawn or painted)
  • Collage art elements
  • Rubber stamps (hand-carved or commercial, used creatively)

Sometimes, the art is mass-produced, albeit on a small scale. That is, it’s printed in limited numbers and applied (or turned into) the postcard, envelope, or package.

In some cases, each piece of mailart is signed and numbered. (For example, “5/25” would mean the individual piece is #5 of a total of 25 created and mailed.)

Here are six of my mailart postcards, sent in 2023. Each recipient received a handcrafted postcard decorated with a one-of-a-kind torn paper collage on it.

Mailart postcards by Aisling D'Art, 2023 set 2

 

WHAT ARE ARTISTAMPS?

Artistamps are art, in the form of a postage-type stamp. They’re also called faux postage, among other names that mean “fake postal stamps with art on them.”  (Other terms for these faux stamps include postoids and cinderellas.)

Here’s one of my favorite artistamps. I created it using a photo from one of my visits to Avebury, England, where – unlike Stonehenge – you can actually touch the standing stones.

An artistamp - an artist's stamp - faux postage - Avebury standing stones

Some of us create our own fantasy countries, or perhaps mailing authorities, or both. Mine is Ballynafae, an imaginary island country just west of Ireland.

Some artists create a complete history, geography, and set of personalities related to their fantasy countries. They consider it part of the art.

And some mix fact and whimsy, as I did in my Kilmallock series, issued under my Ballynafae mailing authority.

This group of six stamps celebrates a real location – Kilmallock, Co. Limerick – using vintage photos from the mid-1990s… but I pretended that these were official stamps from Ballynafae.

Artistamps - faux postage stamps created by artists - Six by Aisling D'Art
Here are some of my Disney-themed artistamps.  (NOTE: The original stamps’ images were crisper. These are slightly enlarged from my 2001 website post. I’ll replace the images when I find the original artistamp files.)

The “Tapestry” stamps are from photos I took in 2001 at the final performance of Walt Disney World’s “Tapestry” parade at EPCOT. (See video link at the foot of this post. Also, the lower “Walt Disney World 2001” stamp features family friend Jeremy Pace, when he was part of the parade’s finale.)

Original artistamps with a Disney World theme

Here’s what a single set of artistamps can look like:

Single set of the Artists' Mailing List artistamps, on their 2006 anniversary.

Rainbow colors divider

Rainbow colors divider

A little more info about artistamps…

Starting in the late 1990s, I was a member of the Electronic Collaboration Project (ECP), creating several artistamp series. And, in the Artists’ Mailing List (AML) group my issuing authority was AML-23.

John Held, Jr. has compiled a book, Small Scale Subversion: Mail Art & Artistamps. (I have no idea if my own artstamps, etc., are in it, but that book has earned good reviews.)

Rainbow colors divider

Artists’ Journal RR #2b – Debbie O’s Pages

The following two journal pages are glorious examples of work by Debbie O. of our Yahoo Group, ArtistsJournals.

They’re wonderful mixed media journal pages with fabric elements, and they’re full of personal insights and juicy imagery.

These continue the journey of Round Robin #2b (a larger blank journal) as it traveled across the U.S. and then to foreign lands.

FREE 24-Hour Zine – Download

Looking for a FREE art zine? Here’s one of mine. It’s from 2010’s “24-Hour Zine Thing” project. You can download this zine, page-by-page, and assemble it yourself. (It’s easy. Really.)

What’s a 24-hour zine?

During July 2010, participants had to go from concept to printed/bound zine in 24 hours or less, and the zine had to be 24 pages long.

We couldn’t prepare anything ahead of time.  We weren’t even supposed to think about what we might put into the zine.

It was exhausting, but I learned a lot!

(See my links at the foot of this article, for more information about the challenge, the diary I kept during the process, and what I learned.)

Remember: This is NOT an art zine.  It’s a rambling, personal zine reflecting my thoughts as I worked on this challenge.

To read (or print) your own copy of this zine

Download these PDF files and print them on letter-sized (8 1/2″ x 11″) paper:

Cover
Pages 1/24
Pages 2/23
Pages 3/22
Pages 4/21
Pages 5/20
Pages 6/19
Pages 7/18
Pages 8/17
Pages 9/16
Pages 10/15
Pages 11/14
Pages 12/13

If you’re not sure how to print &/or assemble the zine, check this article: 24-Page Zine Layout

If you can print back-to-back, do.  That’ll save paper and bulk in the finished zine.

See my hour-by-hour diary (not very cheerful, by the end of the 24 hours…) at Zines – The 24-Hour Zine Thing.

Read my happier summary (posted the following day) and see the contents of a 25th page (that didn’t fit in this zine) at 24-Hour Zine Thing – What I Learned.

And, if you’d like to try making zines, here’s a simple, single-sheet zine project anyone can make, easily: Single-Sheet Zine Layout. (It includes a link to yet another free zine you can download. Not as impressive as the 24-hour one, but it IS an art zine.)

24-Page Zine Layout – How to Make a Zine

The first time you try a zine layout, I know it can be confusing.

And frustrating.

But I’m about to show you how to put your zine pages together so they’re in the right order in the finished zine.

I’ve been creating zines for over 30 years, and I still sketch my zine layout on paper, to be sure I paste it up the right way.

So others don’t have to reinvent the wheel, I’ve put several zine layouts online.  Here are a couple of them:

  • If you’re looking for the classic 16-page zine layout, using just one sheet of legal (8 1/2″ x 14″) paper, here’s the link: Zine Layouts. (Yes, that creates a small, 16-page zine from just one sheet of paper, total.)

The 24-Page Zine Layout

If you’d like to try a 24-page zine, or you’re trying to figure out how to assemble a downloaded PDF of one of mine, here’s that design.

24-page zine layout

Basically, your first page and last page will be on the same sheet of paper, and on the exact same side of the paper.

If you start with that and sketch it out, you can usually figure out which page goes where. (Want a free zine you can download and print, to see how it works? Here it is: The 24-Hour Zine Thing Zine.)

The good news is, you can create your own zine.

And, with a little double-checking to be sure your zine layout is right, you can print and share it with confidence.


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How-to make zines at Amazon

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24-Hour Zine Thing – What I Learned

Concluding yesterday’s 24-page, 24-hour zine, I learned a lot.

(Here’s the link to the printable zine: 24-hour zine download.)

I’m still not sure if I’m going to try a second one for this challenge.  Probably not.

(If I had more time, I might.  With just two non-weekend days left in the month, it’s probably not wise to leap into a second zine marathon.)

Reviewing the zine I created in the past day or so… it’s actually pretty good, for a first-time challenge.

Here’s what I learned during the 24-hour zine project:

1. I’m at my best, creatively, in the morning.  I’m also a psycho-cranky perfectionist late in the day, or when I’m tired… which are often the same thing.

2. Our society says one thing but does something else.

For example, gov’t healthcare representatives say the same things as many leading health experts:  Eat more veggies, grains, legumes and less fatty meats and dairy.  However, the gov’t then subsidizes in a way that makes the unhealthy diet the more affordable one.

The odd thing is: As I was researching spending differences between the 1951 household budget (see the graph below) and today, people spent nearly twice as much on food (in income percentage terms) in 1951 than they do now.   I’m still wrapping my brain around that.  I mean, are we putting advertising-driven luxuries ahead of how well we eat, or what?

The zine will be available as a download (PDF), next week. (UPDATE: Yes, and here it is: 24-hour zine download.)

Meanwhile, here’s the text from the 25th page.  It didn’t fit into the zine.

What could have been the 25th page of my 24-hour zine

As I was pasting up this zine, I began searching for answers: Did a 1951 household budget look about the same as ours, allowing for inflation?

According to Helium, “In the 1950s, frugality and conservative spending was valued and happiness was desired more than riches. The incomes of celebrities were not often discussed in the 1950s, nor were their excessive purchases.”

Here’s what I’ve found: In the typical 1951 household budget, American families spent 22 percent of their incomes on food, or about $814.

We spend about 12% of our income on food ($6,133), and nearly half of that is spent eating outside the home.

Fast Food Nation bookAccording to Eric Schlosser in Fast Food Nation, Americans spend more on fast food than they do on higher education.  He also says, “They spend more on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music – combined.”

(Interestingly, about 40% of every 1951 dollar spent on food went to the producers… the farmers.  Today, it’s just 20%.)

Here are other figures that I found online:

Item 2007 1950s
Food 15% 32%
Housing 43% 22%
Clothing 4% 12%
Transportation 18% 15%
Medical Care 6% 5%
Recreation 6% 2%
Education & Communication 6% n/a

Ref: http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1009/50-Years-Of-Consumer-Spending.aspx (As of 2017, no longer online.)

I’m not sure where I’m going with this, but in the past 20 hours (or so), I’ve certainly uncovered a lot of questions.

In my spare time:  There’s something to be learned in this.  Since I have a huge stack of 1951 newspapers, I plan to analyze 1950s’ lifestyles — and the 1951 household budget — in more detail. Because yes, I’m not only an artist, I’m also a geek.

Zines – My 24-Hour Zine Thing Diary

Zine thing - 24 hours of excitement and challenges?Today, I’m starting the 24-hour zine thing.  (Yes, that’s what it’s called.)

This may be quite a challenge!

What is a 24-hour zine?

If you’re not familiar with it, here’s the basic idea: Go from concept to completed/printed-and-bound 24-page zine in 24 hours.

My general plan is to start it around 1 p.m.  today.  I’m allowed to gather materials but not actually think about what’ll go in it (or prepare anything for it) until the 24 hours begin.

Last night, cutting advertisements out of some 1951 newspapers, I decided that some of them will go into this zine… I’m just not sure how, or what the theme will be, or… well, anything.

I know that it’ll be a half-page zine design.  (That is, the zine is printed on 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper, and folded in half.  Pages are 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″.)

Other than that, I have no idea what I’m doing.  Generally, I’d like my zine to relate to creativity, but how that fits with the 1951 newspaper ads (or if they’ll even end up in the finished zine), I don’t know.

I’m going to try to update my progress here, hourly.  I’m not sure if that’s a good idea or not, and it may fall apart altogether after the first couple of entries.  (The hourly posting that is… not the zine, I hope.)

Either way, that’s what’s ahead for this sunny July day in NH!

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Hour-by-Hour Zine Notes

Tuesday

3 p.m. update: I’ve been working on the zine for about an hour.  It’s turning into a personal zine, filled with random thoughts.  Contrary to my general plans, it’s not an art zine.  Oh well.

I started around 2 p.m. and I’m in the middle of a mini-collage for one page.  I’ve written and printed pages 1 and 24.

The TV series, Torchwood, is on in the background, and one episode inspired the name of this zine, The Electro.  Now… back to work!

4 p.m. update: I thought I’d be back in the living room, working on collages and artwork.  Instead, I wrote three pages of text and created captions for two more pages.  So, that’s 7 pages of 24.  I’m reluctant to say, “Oh, this isn’t going to be so difficult,” because that’s the fastest route to hitting writer’s block or something…!

Now, I’m doing some pasteup before working on collages and other art for the zine.  So far, so good.

5 p.m. update: I was doing well until about 15 minutes ago, when it turned out to be the sad Torchwood episode that concludes the Grey story line.

See, there have been things this year that I haven’t had time to process or mourn… other things had to keep moving forward.   My mom (and my cat) would want it that way, and I knew that.  Last weekend, I think we concluded the major must-do projects. Whew!

I’ve known that I’d need to grieve at some point.  I’m not sure if today is that day.  If it is, this zine project goes “on hold” and I start all over again, later this week.  (Cheerful stuff, this… eh?)

6 p.m. update: Serendipity! The next show on BBC-America was the Charles Dickens episode of Dr. Who. The opening always makes me laugh, even in this context.  (Yes, I do have a weird sense of humor…) So, I lost a little time but I’m back on track with this zine.  Well, more or less.

I spent most of the last hour more thoroughly combing the 1951 newspapers for ads to include.  I found several that will work, including some that will bridge between the 1951-related content and the zine pages that are from and about 2009 and beyond.

7 p.m. update: I’ve completed text & layouts for another six pages, I think.  I’m trying not to wander into the too-easy trap of rosy nostalgia and idealizing an era that had plenty of problems.  But… where am I going with this, anyway?  I’m not sure, and that’s beginning to show.

I’m nearly ready to segue into modern collages and commentary.  However, I can also see the merit of an early bedtime, so I can be up at 4 or 5 in the morning, to get a fresh start on the remaining pages.

8 p.m. update: I’m about halfway through the zine now.  The basic layout is complete, and I’m finishing the cover right now. Well… I think I am.

Most of the remaining pages will be collages.  Due to rapidly increasing humidity (my fingers are starting to stick to the keys on my keyboard), I should probably complete as many of them as I can, tonight.  Otherwise the adhesive (gel medium) may not dry in time… the zine pages might stick to the glass on the photocopier.

The good news is, Warehouse 13 is on.  There’s something ironic about how much I’m questioning the value of TV (contrasting 2010 lifestyles with those of 1951) as I’m avidly watching favorite TV shows.

9 p.m. update: My cat wants me to go to bed. (He’s the hall monitor, in a way:  Schedules must be kept.  Order must be maintained.)  I’m seriously considering quitting for the night.  However, I have just nine pages left to complete.  That’s better than I expected, at this point in the day.  Is it quality work?  I’m not so sure.  I’m too tired to tell.

I’m going to try some collages.  If they don’t work out — and they might not, since the light is awful — I’m calling it a day.  (Note to self: Get an Ott light.)

9:30 p.m. update: One and a half collages later… I’m tired. The light is too dim.  I’m not fresh enough to create anything except minimalist, stark collages, and that’s not what I want for this zine.

So, assuming I’m asleep by 10, I can be up at 6 and working on this zine again.

————

Wednesday

6:30 a.m. update: After a semi-sleepless night, I’ve been at the keyboard for half an hour, catching up on necessary, business-related emails.  I’m hoping to ignore email for the rest of the morning, and complete this zine.

I’ve also decided to include this diary (well, most of it) in the actual zine.  For some reason, that makes sense to me.

I’m looking at the stack of 1951 ads I’d cut out before starting this zine — ads I decided not to use, in favor of others I selected after beginning it — and that seems right as well.

The air is still cool.  The light is good.  Back to work!

9:00 a.m. update: Several more collages completed, and now I’m re-checking my emails (bad habit… bad!) and pasting everything up, to see what remains empty.  I know I’ve nearly completed this.

Biggest shock while making these collages: The number of “buy this” messages throughout magazines.  Almost all the overt and covert messages — especially all the “look like a celebrity” ones — came from just one issue of one magazine.  That’s disturbing.  I mean, with that many cues and subliminal messages, most people will succumb to at least some status cravings.

10:00 a.m. update: The more I delve into this zine and lifestyle issues, the more questions I’m discovering.  They’re questions I won’t have time to research or ponder within this 24-hour timeframe.

However, the zine is nearly completed now.  I expect to be at the copy shop within an hour, so this will be my last hour-by-hour update about building this zine.

Thoughts at the Conclusion

I’m thoroughly dissatisfied with this zine.  Yes, it represents a process.  Yes, it was my first time attempting this.  It still seems like a half-baked zine with no clear statement about… anything.

It also doesn’t really represent the glimmer of inspiration that occurred when I chose the zine title.  I’m not sure what to do about that.

My biggest mistake was the scheduling.  Mornings are my most productive time, but I started this on a hot summer afternoon, when I was tired.  Nothing cohesive seemed to emerge, yet the integrity of this project/challenge requires me to publish it, as-is.

That said… I feel as if I want to redeem myself by doing a second zine this week.  I’d work on it the right way, based on what I learned from this experience.  I mean, do I really want to live with this as my only 24-hour zine for the 2010 challenge?

I’ll see how I feel when I see this printed. I may look at it and decide that it’s not so bad, after all.

Post-printing thoughts about the 24-hour zine

The first thing that I did was to print and bind a copy at Staples.  (It’s the nearest business supply shop with a self-service copy center.)  It’s not the best printing  or stapling job in the universe, but it met the requirements.

I completed the zine in 24 hours.  That’s what matters. (Actually, I did it in a little under 22 hours, and had a page left over — a 25th page — when I assembled the whole thing.)

After that, I went back to the copy machine and tried some different settings.  The photocopied collages look much better at lighter settings.  When I’m creating the zine copies that will actually go in the mail, I’m using those settings.

(I don’t have to mail a copy today… just have a finished copy; those are the rules. A copy must be mailed to the 24-Hour Zine Thing organizers in the next two weeks or so.)

Then, I sat down to lunch, followed by two big bowls of ice cream, a shower, a short nap… and I looked at the zine again.  I can see some “oops” mistakes, but nothing awful.

In fact, confirming my good friend Stephen’s comments, this zine does look better after some rest.

Oh, I’m still not entirely pleased with the zine; it’s not something I’d send out to my readers, as-is, and pretend that it’s a great zine.

However, it is an authentic zine, and it’s representative of a 24-hour marathon, including my first-time mistakes.

I’m on the fence about a second 24-hour zine.  As Scarlett O’Hara said, I’ll think about it tomorrow.

UPDATE: You can download this zine at the 24-Hour Zine Thing Zine – Download page.

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To learn more about zines, click on the Zines tag at this site.

More info about this challenge (which seems to have ceased in 2015 or so): 24 Hour Zine Thing

Swaps and Documentation

mailbox and flowersSome swaps say, “Documentation will be provided,” or something like that.

Here’s what that means:  The person organizing the swap will provide a list of everyone who participated in the swap, mailart call, or whatever.

In some cases, that list may be just people’s names.  In others, it’s each person’s name and address.  (If you don’t want your address in the documentation, tell the swap/call organizer.)

Sometimes, the list will be included in whatever you’re receiving by return mail.  More often, the list will appear online for everyone to see. (Again, if this is a privacy issue, let the host or organizer know.)

Some swaps may not include a list of participants.  (Mailart calls usually do.)

However, here’s another tip: If you’re in a swap that’s 5-for-5 or something like that, the list of participants is not a list of whose art should be in the envelope you receive.

Unless the participant list is established before the swap – and that’s rare, although some hosts (like Red Dog Scott) may do this – you will never receive one item from every swap participant.

What you’ll receive is the number of items specified when the swap was announced.

And, you may receive a list of who else participated in the swap.

Swaps and Postage

old-fashioned postage stampWhen organizing an art swap of any kind, postage can be a Very Big Headache.  Here are some tips to keep the postage problems to a minimum.

Different people send items that are varying sizes and — more importantly — different weights.

Even in a cloth doll swap, you never know who’ll embellish their dolls with feathers, and who’ll use metal hardware, lots of beads and/or thick clay additions.  Weights can vary considerably!

Never assume that the package being sent to you will require the same amount of postage as the one you sent to the swap host.

PRIORITY MAIL SOLUTIONS

Many people — including me — insist that the swaps have to fit in a Flat Rate Priority container, either the Flat Rate envelope, or a particular Flat Rate box.  That resolves most postage issues, since all the packages will cost the same to ship.

Then, we ask for postage to cover shipping the swap to you.

mailboxes in a rowDELIVERY CONFIRMATION

IF you want Delivery Confirmation, include the postage to cover that, as well as the completed form, already addressed to you.

Remember: If you don’t ask for Delivery Confirmation and your swap is lost in the mail, you cannot accuse the swap host of failing to mail it… unless the entire group never received their swaps, either.

(Though I sometimes decide to send a swap with Delivery Confirmation to all participants, I pay for that myself unless I made it part of the swap rules.)

DO THIS

It’s important to send exactly what the swap host requests.

  • Send the right number of items.
  • Send the exact amount of postage requested.
  • Include a mailing label or an addressed return envelope/package… whichever the swap host asked for.

AVOID THIS

Do NOT…

  • Send a different amount of postage because you think the swap host made a mistake.  If you think he or she made a mistake, ask the person! (I often “round up” five or ten cents, to compensate for the people who send not quite enough postage.)
  • Put your postage on the return envelope, unless the swap host told you to.
  • Omit the return envelope, IF the swap host told you to include it.
  • Omit a mailing label that already displays your address.  Swap hosts should not have to hand-address the packages.
  • Ask the swap host to use a different form of shipping than was announced in the swap.

In other words, read the swap instructions and follow them exactly.

While you may scratch your head and wonder why I’m taking the time to spell this out, I recently hosted a swap* and 100% of the participants sent me less postage than I asked for. (It wasn’t worth the trouble to get the missing cents, so I paid out-of-pocket at the post office.)

Hosting a swap can be more work than people realize.  Make the host’s work as easy as possible.

Swaps are wonderful fun!  Encourage people to host swaps by making their work as easy as possible… follow their rules!

*Don’t ask which swap it was.  It’s over.  I’ll make the rules far clearer — and I’ll be far stricter — in future swaps with that group.