I love you, flatmates, but you irritate me sometimes
When self-publishing a pamphlet on whatever subject, giving it the photocopied-a-katrillion-times-over look does not make it more radical. Along the same lines, when printing your own t-shirts, using spray paint does not make it more DIY.
If what you're working with is radical, it (the contents printed) must upset the status quo and it (the media it's printed on) must subvert it's own material context. If you're giving people something they expect to get, you're already doing something wrong.*
Additionally: DIY means Do It Yourself. Even if you've done it beautifully and professionally (see: most of etsy), if you've done it yourself it still counts as DIY. "But it's supposed to look handmade!" is not an excuse to make something sloppy, especially when I'm more than happy to show you how to do it better. It is, in fact, kind of insulting to human beings.
*What about instead of a zine, we made a giant flaming puppet!
If what you're working with is radical, it (the contents printed) must upset the status quo and it (the media it's printed on) must subvert it's own material context. If you're giving people something they expect to get, you're already doing something wrong.*
Additionally: DIY means Do It Yourself. Even if you've done it beautifully and professionally (see: most of etsy), if you've done it yourself it still counts as DIY. "But it's supposed to look handmade!" is not an excuse to make something sloppy, especially when I'm more than happy to show you how to do it better. It is, in fact, kind of insulting to human beings.
*What about instead of a zine, we made a giant flaming puppet!