How to create an 8-page A7 microzine from a single sheet of A4 paper using folding and a single cut.
Materials Needed:
- One sheet of A4 paper
- Scissors or a craft knife
- A ruler (optional, for precise folding)
- A pencil ( to mark up the page numbers)
- A printer (optional, if you’re printing the template guide)
Template Creation Steps
- Divide the A4 paper into eight sections. Lay your A4 paper in portrait orientation. Fold it in half crosswise (top to bottom) and unfold. Then, fold the top edge to the center crease, and the bottom edge to the center crease. You should now have four horizontal sections.
- Fold it in half lengthwise. Fold the entire sheet in half from left to right and unfold. The paper now has eight equal rectangles marked by creases. Each rectangle represents one A7 page of your microzine.
- Reinforce the creases. Use a ruler or the edge of a table to make the folds sharp and crisp.
- Make the central cut. Open the paper fully. Locate the long center crease (the one made in step 2). On this center crease, measure one-quarter of the way in from the top edge to the very center of the paper, and cut along the crease line within that middle segment only. You are cutting just the middle section of that main vertical fold. This creates a slit in the middle of the sheet.
- Form the ‘cross’ shape. Fold the paper in half lengthwise again so the cut is on the folded edge. Push the outer edges of the paper towards the center, causing the slit to open up into a diamond or ‘cross’ shape in the middle.
- Fold into a booklet. Compress the ‘cross’ shape so the pages fall naturally into a booklet form. The front cover should be on the outside, and the subsequent pages fall in order. Flatten the folds to create a cohesive 8-page A7 booklet.
Mark up your template
- Using your pencil write “Page 1 Front Cover” on the front of the 8 page boooklet with an arrow pointing to the top.
- Open the booklet and write the page number on each page (with an arrrow pointing to the top)
- On the back page Write “Page 8 Back Cover” again with an arrow pointing to the top of the page .
- Open up and flatten the sheet of A4. One side will be blank and the other side will be marked up with the correct page numbers and orientation of each page. The pages will be arranged unconventionally when flat, so this template is crucial for design to be successfull.
Using the template
- Draw or collage onto it directly to create your zine.
- Use it as a guide to creating a digital template in a software you are familiar with such as Canva, Photoshop , Photopea, Affinity or Adobe In Design