Why does repeated photocopying look like that?

Each generation loses mid-tone information and adds toner noise, so greys migrate toward pure black or pure white and speckle accumulates. Zine makers embraced the degradation because it was free and unmistakably theirs.

What photo survives repeated copying?

High contrast with strong shapes. A soft, low-contrast image collapses into an illegible mess, whereas a portrait with clear dark and light areas survives the mid-tone loss and keeps its structure.

Xerox Zine applied to the same source image — The same source image before and after applying Xerox Zine.

Original source image before Xerox Zine — The same source image before and after applying Xerox Zine.

Xerox Zine Photo Filter Online

Create a raw photocopied zine image with toner and scanner defects. Control the strength, compare the result, and download a finished image from your browser.

Upload a photo for the Xerox Zine effect

Upload an image

Drop a file here, or click to browse

Supported formats include JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, SVG, HEIC, AVIF, TIFF, RAW, PSD. Maximum file size: 11 MB.

What you can do with the Xerox Zine effect

Review the available effect capabilities before you begin.

Apply the Xerox Zine effect to any photo
Fine-tune the effect strength to taste
Preview your photo live as you edit
Download your edited photo in high quality
Apply Xerox Zine to many photos at once

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About the Xerox Zine effect

Contrast is crushed toward pure black and white with toner speckle, dropout in the mid-tones and slight skew, reproducing a photocopy that has been copied several times over.

How to use Xerox Zine

Upload a photo, adjust the Xerox Zine intensity, compare its processed preview with the source, and download the finished result.

Why use the Xerox Zine effect?

Xerox Zine, tuned to your photo

Use the intensity control to balance the Xerox Zine treatment with the detail and character of your original photo.

A fast Xerox Zine workflow

A reduced Xerox Zine preview keeps adjustments responsive. Free downloads are clean and web-size; Premium or a credit unlocks the original resolution.

Secure Xerox Zine processing

Xerox Zine uploads are processed on secure servers and automatically removed under the normal Pixoate retention policy.

How it works

Contrast is crushed toward pure black and white with toner speckle, dropout in the mid-tones and slight skew, reproducing a photocopy that has been copied several times over.

Processing

Xerox Zine runs as a classic image effect and does not use an AI action.

Best for

punk and DIY zines, gig flyers, protest graphics, and deliberately lo-fi editorial design.

Less suited to: anything needing tonal subtlety, since the process is defined by throwing mid-tones away.

Ways to use Xerox Zine

Xerox Zine questions

Why does repeated photocopying look like that?: Each generation loses mid-tone information and adds toner noise, so greys migrate toward pure black or pure white and speckle accumulates. Zine makers embraced the degradation because it was free and unmistakably theirs.
What photo survives repeated copying?: High contrast with strong shapes. A soft, low-contrast image collapses into an illegible mess, whereas a portrait with clear dark and light areas survives the mid-tone loss and keeps its structure.