In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin started a literary magazine for psychiatric patients at a Pennsylvania hospital, which was distributed amongst the patients and hospital staff. This could be considered the first zine, since it captures the essence of the philosophy and meaning of zines.
(Source: Wikipedia)


OpenZine is a social publishing platform with browser based tools that provides regular people with the essential tools to create really amazing things, display it with equal quality and enables them to socially share, control and manage their ideas.

The best way to describe what OpenZine provides is by understanding how magazines work. Magazines have a staff of writers, photographers, designers, illustrators and editors that create & contribute. Here at OpenZine you create & contribute on those same principles but your resources are other OpenZine users!


To preserving the design experience of print we've created amazingly powerful one click layouts, for your Zine pages; You can even change them as you go!

Create your Zine covers and images online with the OhhZee Image Editor.
In just a few clicks, you can add shapes, text and effects the OhhZee way!

We've add the power of networking to your information. Create your Zine, mixing and match content from multiple sources. With approval, you can clip others content and they can clip yours. The coolest part is that when other people use your content, you keep full control and credit.

Two brothers born five years apart. Humby Valdes is the visionary and inventor of OpenZine. Kiki Valdes is a contemporary painter.

This mix of contrasting perspectives and family ties is the source that created a new thinking for publishing. OpenZine makes it easier for regular people to create really amazing things, display it with equal quality & enables them to socially share, control and manage their ideas.


OpenZine began as an idea in 1993 to create a publication that was open to ideas from different perspectives and multiple sources. As it grew, readers would send in letters, articles & pictures that were often included in issues. OpenZine would later become one of the most acclaimed Zine’s of it’s time.


Back then, the heart of OpenZine was heavily based on layout and graphics.

Aside from its initial success, OpenZine hit hard times. Then later Kiki went off to college. Humby fell into deep depression thinking his life’s passion was dead. All was lost! OpenZine would never publish another issue, so he thought…

Seven years later, on a drive up to Tallahassee to visit Humby’s daughter, lighting hit! Print is dead but OpenZine can live again! In 2008 that original idea from 1993 advanced to allow everyone to create their very own version of OpenZine. Giving users all the possible tools they'll need to discover, create and socially share information.


OpenZine Lives On!