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Model Comp Cards, Explained
A comp card is the single most misunderstood object in modelling. New models are told they must have one, are frequently sold one, and are rarely told what it is for or who actually makes it. It is a simple thing with a specific job.
What a comp card actually is
A comp card — short for composite card, and sometimes called a Z-card or a sed card — is a printed card carrying a small set of a model's strongest images and their measurements. Traditionally A5, one main image on the front, three or four on the back, with the name and the agency's details.
Its job is to be left behind. A casting director who has seen thirty models in a morning needs something physical on the table that reminds them which face went with which walk, and which of them was the right height.
In practice most casting now happens digitally, and the card's function has largely moved into the agency's own digital package. The object still exists, still gets printed for show season and in-person castings, and the logic behind what goes on it is unchanged.
What goes on one
The front carries one strong, clean image — usually a headshot or a simple beauty frame where the model looks like themselves. Not the most dramatic picture in the book; the most recognisable one.
The back carries three or four images showing range: a full length, something commercial, something with a different mood or styling. The point is to show a client the model can do more than one thing, in four frames, in about two seconds.
Then the measurements: height, bust or chest, waist, hips, dress size, shoe size, hair and eye colour. These must be accurate, because a client books off them and a fitting that fails costs a booking.
And the agency's name and contact. A comp card without an agency on it is a leaflet.
A comp card is not a portfolio
The two get confused constantly and they do different jobs. A portfolio — the book — is the full body of a model's work, twenty or more images, shown to demonstrate range and quality. A comp card is a summary of it, designed to be handed over and kept.
The book persuades. The card reminds. You build the book first and the card is drawn from it, which is why a model with no work yet does not need a card — there is nothing to summarise.
Who makes it, and who pays
The agency makes it. Comp cards are produced from images the agency already has, laid out in the agency's own template, with the agency's contact details, and printed in batches when there is a reason to print them.
This is the part worth being blunt about. A model should not be buying a comp card, and should certainly not be buying one before being signed anywhere. If an organisation is charging a new model for a card, a portfolio or a photo package as a condition of representation, that is a product being sold rather than representation being offered.
A card made before a model is signed is also useless on its face, because it carries no agency, which is the one piece of information a client actually needs.
When a card gets updated
When the model changes. A significant haircut or colour change, a meaningful change in measurements, or simply a much stronger set of images than the ones currently on it.
An out-of-date card is worse than none, because a client books from it and then finds someone different on set. If your look has changed, tell your booker before the next print run rather than after it.
What matters more than the card
Current digitals. A card is a curated, retouched, best-case object; digitals are plain photographs showing what a model looks like today, and they are what bookers and clients actually ask for first.
If you are choosing where to put your effort, put it into keeping digitals current and into being easy to book. The card follows from the work, not the other way around.
Frequently asked questions
What is a model comp card?
A printed card carrying a model's strongest images and their measurements, along with the agency's contact details. Its job is to be left with a client as a physical reminder of who the model was after a casting.
What is the difference between a comp card and a portfolio?
A portfolio is the full body of work, twenty or more images, used to demonstrate range. A comp card is a four or five image summary of it, designed to be handed over and kept. The book persuades; the card reminds.
Should a model pay for a comp card?
No. Comp cards are produced by the agency from images it already holds, in the agency's template and carrying the agency's details. Being charged for a card, a portfolio or a photo package as a condition of representation is the clearest warning sign in the industry.
What information goes on a comp card?
One strong image on the front, three or four showing range on the back, plus height, bust or chest, waist, hips, dress size, shoe size, hair and eye colour, and the agency's name and contact details.
Do models still need comp cards?
Less than they did. Most casting now runs on digital packages sent by the agency, but cards are still printed for show season and in-person castings, and the thinking behind what goes on one still applies to the digital version.
How often should a comp card be updated?
Whenever the model changes meaningfully — a significant haircut or colour change, a change in measurements, or a much stronger set of images. An out-of-date card is worse than no card, because clients book from it.