All right, a quick update on my finished zine: Survey, Issue One. Let’s go!

I’ve finally got everything figured out, including my printing setup, and I’m really happy with the final format.

These are some of my test prints, but here’s what I’ve settled on: 10 pages, 20 photographs. That’s the format I’m going to stick with to keep things simple. Issue One to infinity. Let’s see how far I can take it.

I’m keeping it simple with a staple down the side. I’m currently testing Cougar 24B paper, which is really nice, but I’m going to switch to Hammermill 24 lb paper because it’s about half the price.

I’ve done the math on the paper and toner, and I can produce around 40 of these for the price of buying a single Blur magazine, which runs about $30 with shipping. That’s a much more economical way to do this, and honestly, the results look really nice.

I can’t believe this is coming out of a monochrome printer. I’m really happy with how it’s turning out, and I’m looking forward to making a lot more of these.

These are some of my older sketches and test prints. I struggled with getting the covers centered, and no matter what I tried, I kept ending up with a huge amount of white space along one side. I just couldn’t get the alignment right.

Once I switched to printing on a single sheet of paper, though, it looked great. It’s a little bigger, but that’s okay.

My goal is to produce at least one issue a week. I’ll probably feature my best photographs from each week. Maybe even two or three issues, since I take so many photos.

For me, print is the final and best form of photography. It looks good, feels good, and gives you a real sense of accomplishment when you hold something you’ve created.

So that’s it. Survey, the new format. Let’s go!