Graffiti writers are dedicated to mastering the structure, developing the style, and exploring the limits of legibility in handmade letterforms. To do that, they need the right supplies.

One of the early graffiti zines in publication, Skills magazine ran from 1992 to 1995 for a total of seven issues. Creator Greg Lamarche made the magazine by hand—cutting photos and arranging them into collages, then photocopying or scanning the layouts into both black-and-white and full-color reproductions.

The graffiti zines of the 1990s were first and foremost fanzines. Advances in one-hour photo-processing and access to office equipment helped facilitate graffiti’s transition from the wall to the printed page.

Before the rise of websites like Art Crimes and later Flickr and Instagram, trading through the mail was the only way to see fresh flicks from other regions between zine drops. Flicks were often mailed in illustrated envelopes along with stickers, sketches, and notes. Usually signed with tags or throw-ups, these mostly longhand letters document an array of handstyles.