color copies

[Korinna]

Hi everyone... I am working on a zine and I am thinking about having some color copies in it, or at least the cover, because I have some really cool photographs ... however, I know this is going to cost a LOT. I am wondering what peoples opinions are, in general, about colored copies in zines. do folks feel like it's worth paying an extra dollar for a zine with some colored photographs in it, or would you opt out on buying that zine?
Also, what if I made two versions of the same zine, one with some colored photographs, and one without, so that people had the option of saving a dollar or two if they don't care about the pictures?
Does anyone have experience with using color copies?
Thanks!
Korinna

[Harley R. Pageot]

If it's only an extra dollar per zine, go for it. Color is nice and it'll hook the casual non-zinester more easily.

I do the covers of my zines in full color with the content black and white just because I find they look nicer on the table.

[Isabel Xochitl]

i struggled with this a lot the last zine i made, but ultimately i chose black and white. it's classier and makes all the pages look better together.
i don't think i'd pay an extra dollar for a color zine.
i think your best bet would be to make some kind of insert, perhaps glued on, with the color photograph(s) on them, printing the rest of the zine in black and white... that way, you don't have to copy pages and pages of mostly black and white content with one color photo and waste money. you could even put the pictures on glossy paper and make them look really good. plus, having things glued in gives it a nice homemade feel because you put work into every copy.

[kit feral]

I really like that idea!

Isabel Xochitl said:

i struggled with this a lot the last zine i made, but ultimately i chose black and white. it's classier and makes all the pages look better together.
i don't think i'd pay an extra dollar for a color zine.
i think your best bet would be to make some kind of insert, perhaps glued on, with the color photograph(s) on them, printing the rest of the zine in black and white... that way, you don't have to copy pages and pages of mostly black and white content with one color photo and waste money. you could even put the pictures on glossy paper and make them look really good. plus, having things glued in gives it a nice homemade feel because you put work into every copy.

[Becky the Evil Flower]

I think it's a lovely idea if both the writer and the readers can afford it. But if they can't, or if only the readers aren't interested in paying an extra dollar it kind of backfired. I like Isabel Xochitl's idea though.

[Adrian Fynch]

I used to make my zines in black and white and partially in colour so people had the option of paying more or less, but I was printing the colour zines on a regular printer and it ended up being too much work for me.

I recently returned to colour and did a full colour zine, which I colour copy, and I charge $5 for it, because that's how much it cost to make each copy. I realize that a lot of people won't want to pay that much for a zine and that's fine [I still do trades too], but I put a lot of work and money into it and I actually believe it's worth at least that much. Most of my zines are and will continue to be in black and white, but the occasional colour copy will cost extra. My friends and I have also noticed that colour on a cover, whether a print or just coloured in, really attracts people's attention at the fairs. :)

[Korinna]

thanks for all the feedback guys! i think i'm going to make my zine's cover in color, which will make it a bit more expensive, like $.50 but i think it will be worth it. probably will also make an addition in black and white too.