The Foldpic collection / Zine
A whole little world. In one sheet.
Foldpic is a free zine maker that runs in your browser. Pick a look, drop your photos and words into the eight panels, and download a single-page PDF that already has every panel in the right place and the right way up.
Your sheet, before the magic
At a glance +
- Pages
- 8 (free)
- Sheets
- 1 for 8 pages
- Printing
- One side only
- Time
- about 5 min · scissors
- A4 sheet
- A7 panels · 74 × 105 mm
- US Letter sheet
- quarter Letter panels · 70 × 108 mm
- A3 sheet
- A6 panels · 105 × 149 mm · needs an A3 printer
- US Tabloid (11×17) sheet
- quarter Tabloid panels · 108 × 140 mm · needs an 11×17 printer
Panels are an eighth of the sheet: A7 from A4 on any home printer, A6 from A3 if your printer takes it, and A5 panels would need A2 paper, which means a copy shop.
Why make a zine at home
Print it on any home printer, fold it three times, make one cut, and you are holding a finished zine.
The hard part of a one-sheet zine is not the folding, it is the layout: half the panels have to print upside down and the page order runs in a ring around the sheet. Foldpic does that imposition for you and shows you the fold steps as diagrams, so you never have to rotate a row by hand or guess which panel is page five.
Your first project is free for up to 16 pages, and an 8-page zine only needs 8. There is no account to create before you download, and nothing is watermarked on the pages themselves.
Imposition done for you
The PDF places pages 8, 1, 2, 3 along the bottom and 7, 6, 5, 4 upside down along the top, exactly as the fold needs. You only see pages in reading order while you design.
A4 and US Letter, plus A3 and Tabloid
Choose your paper before you start and every panel is sized for it. Bigger sheets give you a bigger zine with A6-ish pages instead of pocket-size ones.
Fold instructions built in
Six numbered steps with diagrams, a 'you should now see' check after each one, and a common-mistakes box. The same steps print on the instruction sheet that comes with your PDF.
Print settings that actually work
The download card tells you to print landscape at 100% scale, single-sided, and why 'Fit to page' breaks the folds. There is a test page for your first print on a new printer.
A few folds from finished
6 steps, printed on one side. The full instruction sheet with checks and a common-mistakes box comes with your PDF.
1Print the sheet. Print one side. The top row is upside down on purpose.
2Fold in half the long way. Fold in half the long way, printed side out.
3Fold in half, then in half again. Fold in half, then in half again. Open it out.
4Cut the slit. Cut along the centre crease through the middle two panels only.
5Push the ends together. Fold long-ways again, then push both ends toward the middle.
6Collapse into a booklet. Wrap the panels round so page 1 is on top. Done.
1Print the sheet
2Fold in half the long way
3Fold in half, then in half again
4Cut the slit
5Push the ends together
6Collapse into a booklet
Templates for this format
Sunday Film
A pocket photo zine: polaroid frames, a film strip, typed date stamps.
Zine · Film
Riso Weekend
Two-colour risograph look: blue ink, red accents, a grid page.
Zine · Riso
Pocket Trip
A clean white travel zine: one big view, a journal page, a polaroid.
Zine · Minimal · Travel
Little Milestones
A cheerful baby zine: a polaroid, a four-photo grid, a page for firsts.
Zine · Kids · Baby
Before you print
- How to fold an 8-page zine from one sheet of paper
Fold a single A4 or Letter sheet into an 8-page mini zine: three creases, one cut, no staples. Step-by-step diagrams, print settings and common mistakes.
- Zine folding guide with diagrams: every fold, every line, explained
A visual zine folding guide: how to read fold diagrams (dashed valley, dash-dot mountain, solid cut), why to fold a blank dummy first, and every step.
- Actual size vs fit to page: why scaling ruins zines and booklets
“Fit to page” shrinks your print and shifts the centre so folds miss the panels. Why it happens, the 100 mm ruler check, and the setting to use.
- Mini zine on A4 vs US Letter: sizes, differences and which to pick
A4 and Letter mini zines are not interchangeable. Panel sizes for A4, Letter, A3 and Tabloid, why proportions differ, and which paper to pick.
Zine questions
What paper size do I need?
Any one sheet of A4 or US Letter for a pocket-size zine (A7 panels from A4). Each panel is an eighth of the sheet, so bigger panels need a bigger printer: A6 panels need an A3-capable printer, and A5 panels would need A2 paper, which means a copy shop. Pick the size when you start so the layout matches your printer.
Do I need a duplex printer?
No. The 8-page zine prints on one side only, so any inkjet or laser printer works, and you never have to line up the back of the sheet with the front.
Why do some panels print upside down?
That is correct and intentional. When the sheet is folded and cut, the top row of panels flips over, so they are printed rotated 180 degrees to read the right way up in the finished zine.
Can I make a zine with more than 8 pages?
Choose the stapled booklet instead. It uses the same editor but prints two pages per side on both sides of each sheet, and goes from 8 to 32 pages in steps of four.
Make your zine now
Your first project is free, up to 16 pages. No sign-up. Just you and a little creativity.