Using Newsprint to Promote Photography
Digital photography has a way of just sitting there on the hard drive. One thing I miss about shooting film are the prints. Holding photography is completely different from looking. I wanted to print something, but I wanted it to serve a purpose. So, I thought a newsprint zine would be cool.
Cover of Grit St. Issue 01, Street Photography by Eric E. Anderson
About two years ago, I remembered seeing a very talented Brooklyn-based photographer (whose name is also Eric, go figure) had created a newsprint “leave-behind” – and I thought, “oh, man ... what a cool way to promote your work in photography! I'm going to do that someday.”
Recently, I licensed a significant amount of my Street Photography to Farmboy Fine Arts, a fine art consultancy in Vancouver, B.C., for use in high-end hospitality interiors. And by all means, if you are an interior designer, please contact them if you'd like to spec some of my work in your next hotel or restaurant interior job.
I looked at this as an opportunity to print something with purpose. I wanted to use newsprint, so I set out to find a web-based service that'd let me design a zine tabloid-size newspaper and upload it for printing. I found Newspaper Club. I decided to name my promo “Grit St.” and chose the digital tabloid since the minimum purchase was one copy.
“Oh, man ... what a cool way to promote your work in photography! I’m going to do that someday.”
Newspaper Club provide two ways to design your tabloid, you can use ARTHR (NC's proprietary web-based design tool for simple, easy edits) or you can design your own using an Adobe InDesign template, and upload the resulting PDF. I chose the later, as I have plenty of design experience and are familiar enough with the tools to create something unique myself.
About the paper: 289mm x 380mm page size, 15mm margin at the top, bottom and outside edge of each page. 55gsm improved newsprint, 100% virgin fibre (not recycled), ISO76 brightness. Slightly heavier and brighter than standard newsprint. Good for photography and magazine-style publications.
