A comp card is the single most standardised object in modeling, and one of the most consistently misunderstood by people entering the industry. It is not a portfolio, not a business card, and not a place to show your range.
It is a memory aid for a client who has just seen forty people.
What It Is For
Picture the end of a casting day. A client has met dozens of models. They are back at the office with a stack of cards on the desk, choosing three to put forward. Your card exists to make that moment go your way.
Everything about the format follows from that. One unmistakable image of your face on the front, so they recognise you. Your measurements on the back, so they can confirm you fit. A handful of supporting shots showing you are versatile enough to book. Your agency's contact details, so they know who to call.
That is the entire job. Cards that fail usually fail because they tried to do more.
The Front
One image. Not two, not a collage.
- A clean, well-lit headshot or three-quarter shot where your face is unmistakable.
- Minimal styling. Heavy makeup or strong art direction dates the card and obscures you.
- Direct eye contact in almost all cases. It reads as confident and makes the card memorable.
- Your name, set clearly. Usually your professional first name, or first name and initial.
- Your agency's logo, if you are represented.
If a client can only remember one thing about you, it will be this image. Choose it accordingly — and choose the one that looks most like you on an ordinary day, not the most flattering one ever taken of you.
The Back
Three to five images plus your stats. The images should demonstrate range without repeating each other:
- A clean beauty or close-up shot
- A full-length showing your proportions honestly
- A commercial or lifestyle shot — approachable, natural
- Something with movement or editorial edge, if your board calls for it
- Swim or activewear, if that is part of what you book
Five strong images beat eight mediocre ones every time. If you are unsure whether an image earns its place, it does not.
Your stats block
Standard and non-negotiable:
- Height
- Bust or chest
- Waist
- Hips
- Dress size or suit size
- Shoe size
- Hair colour
- Eye colour
Use the units of the market you are working in — centimetres in Australia and Europe, inches in the US. Some models print both.
Two rules. First, be accurate; clients measure, and a discrepancy costs you the booking and your agent's confidence. Second, never put your own contact details on a comp card. No phone number, no home address, no personal email. Enquiries go to your agency. If you are freelance, use a dedicated work email and nothing more — the reasons are covered in our freelance modeling guide.
The Specs
- Size: 5.5 x 8.5 inches in the US. A5 (148 x 210mm) in Australia, the UK and Europe.
- Stock: heavy card, 300gsm or above.
- Finish: matte or satin. Gloss reflects badly under casting-room lighting and shows fingerprints.
- Colour: CMYK for print, not RGB, or your skin tones will shift.
- Resolution: 300dpi at final size, with bleed as your printer specifies.
Confirm the spec with your agency before printing. Many agencies have a house template, and a card that does not match theirs looks off next to the rest of their board.
Mistakes That Get Cards Binned
- Too many images. A crowded card reads as an inability to edit.
- Heavy retouching. If you do not look like your card, you have wasted everyone's afternoon.
- Inaccurate measurements. The fastest way to lose an agent's trust.
- Personal contact details. A safety issue as much as a professional one.
- Out-of-date images. A card showing a haircut you no longer have is actively misleading.
- Cheap printing. Thin stock in a stack of proper cards signals amateur before anyone reads it.
When to Make One
After you are signed, not before. Your agency chooses the images, applies its branding and puts its own contact details on it. A card made in advance almost always gets replaced immediately.
Before representation, what you need is digitals — phone photos, daylight, plain wall, no retouching. That is what agencies actually ask for, and our guide to getting signed covers exactly how to shoot them.
Keeping It Current
Reprint whenever your look changes meaningfully — a significant haircut, a colour change, a change in body composition — and otherwise review it annually with your agent. A current card costs very little. An out-of-date one costs bookings.
Your card, your book and your digitals are three different tools for three different moments. Our guide to portfolio examples shows how they fit together.
