 While SST believed "Zen Arcade" would be a sizable underground hit, pressings of over 5,000 copies were unknown territory for the label, so it erred on the side of caution and did not print over that number in its initial pressing.Awarded critical acclaim by several mainstream media outlets, "Zen Arcade" sold out quickly and remained out of print for months.Ginn decided to cut the promotional costs of the Black Flag albums by issuing them in quick succession and having the band tour solidly behind the releases.