One sheet of paper. Eight pages. Your name on it.
Your mission
Eight Pages, One Sheet
Fold, fill and photocopy your own eight-page zine, give it a title on the cover, then fold the printed copies and hand at least three of them to people you know.
Bonus challenge: Leave one copy somewhere it will surprise a stranger, with the shop or board owner's okay first.
Grab one sheet of printer paper, a few folds and a cut, and you've got an eight-page booklet waiting to be filled. Draw it, write it, glue in cutouts, then run 20 copies at the library for about two dollars and hand them to your people.
A zine is the friendliest kind of publishing there is. One sheet of paper, three folds, one small cut, and suddenly you're holding a little book with your name on the cover and nobody's permission needed. You'll practice the fold, map out which panel becomes which page, then fill it with drawings, lists, jokes, tiny reviews, whatever you want. Wobbly lines photocopy beautifully, so there's no such thing as too messy here. If you're hunting for material, raid your running list of creative side quests when you're bored and let one page go to each idea. Your mission: make a zine, print a stack, and put one in someone's hands today.
There's a particular joy in handing someone a thing you made and watching them flip through it. No app, no algorithm, no waiting for approval. You folded a sheet of paper and made something that exists in the world. Whoever reads it will remember it longer than anything they scrolled past this week.
Top gear to make this quest great.
Pull it off
Every zine and every practice fold starts as one plain sheet.
Thin lines and bold titles that photocopy sharply and won't bleed through thin paper.
Sticks photos and cutouts flat with no ripples and no fumes at the table.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Prices may change.
Almost everything you need is already in a drawer. Essentials: a few sheets of printer paper, a black pen or fine-tip marker, scissors, and an acid-free non-toxic glue stick if you want to paste in photos or cutouts. Handy extras: fineliner pens in a couple of tip sizes for thin lines and fat titles, and a self-healing cutting mat if you'd rather cut with a craft knife. Check the library or copy shop's hours and copier price before you walk over.
A good quest stays a good story. These are general notes; your gear's manual, the venue's rules and local law come first.
Start with the trick that makes all of this work. Fold a sheet of printer paper in half the long way, then in half twice more the short way. Open it flat and you'll see eight panels. Fold it back in half the long way and snip the center crease between the two middle panels, then push the ends toward each other. It pops into a booklet.
Here's the part that saves you from heartbreak. Fold a fresh practice sheet into a booklet and number the pages 1 through 8 as you flip through: 1 is the front cover, 8 is the back, 2 through 7 are the insides. Now unfold it. The numbers look scrambled and some are upside down. That scrambled sheet is your map.
Working on a flat sheet, follow your map and fill every panel. Black ink is your friend because it photocopies sharp and crisp, while gray pencil comes out faint and sad. Draw, write lists, paste in cutouts with the glue stick. Give the cover a title worth reading. If you're making these with friends or family, everyone does their own and you trade at the end.
Take your flat, unfolded original to the library or copy shop. Run one test copy first and check that every line showed up and nothing got cropped. If it looks good, print 20 to 50 copies in black and white. Do not fold the original before copying, because creases cast shadows that show up as gray lines on every single copy.
Now the fun part. Fold each printed copy the same way you practiced, snip the center, push it into a booklet. Then put at least three of them into actual hands today: a friend, a sibling, the person who asked what you were working on. Watch them open it. That flip-through is the whole payoff.
You just published something, with your own hands, for about the price of a coffee. Snap a photo of your cover and dare a friend to make issue two.
You bring the curiosity. We've found the tools.
Pull it off
Every zine and every practice fold starts as one plain sheet.
Thin lines and bold titles that photocopy sharply and won't bleed through thin paper.
Archival ink pens in various tip sizes (0.05mm to 0.8mm) designed for illustration and comics
Get on Amazon · $12.64 — Pigma Micron Pen Setwhat to look for & our pick →
Sticks photos and cutouts flat with no ripples and no fumes at the table.
Archival quality glue stick for collage work
Get on Amazon · $4.48 — Glue Stick (Acid-Free)what to look for & our pick →
Protects the table and keeps the blade under control if you cut with a craft knife.
Get on Amazon · $8.99 — Self-healing cutting matdetails & deals →RELATED GEAR GUIDE
Home Recording Studio Kit: 10 Picks for 2026
Practical picks, real prices · Creative Arts
As an Amazon Associate, IRL Sidequests earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Prices and availability are subject to change. The price shown at checkout on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Where this one naturally leads next.
Turn scrap paper and thread into bound books that would make Edo-period artisans nod in approval.
Learn traditional Japanese stab binding techniques to create handmade journals and sketchbooks using simple tools and authentic methods.
Turn your sketches into wearable art with the same technique used by punk bands and street artists since the 1960s.
Learn beginner-friendly screen printing techniques to create custom patches, posters, and wearable art using photo emulsion methods.
That crumpled cardboard in your recycling bin? It's about to become art.
Transform everyday objects into printing blocks and create unique repeating patterns on fabric and paper.
Not this one?
Tell the generator how much time you have, who you're with, and your mood — it picks from 500+ quests like this one.
Try the real life side quest generatorOr browse the full list of real-life side quest ideas.