One card carries an entire portfolio.
A comp card — short for composite card, also called a zed card — is the modeling industry's standard calling card: one strong image on the front, a range of looks and stats on the back. Agencies have asked for the same 5.5 × 8.5 format for decades, and they still do.
What is a comp card?
A comp card is a printed marketing card that models — and the parents of child models — leave behind at castings, go-sees, and agency open calls. It condenses a full portfolio into a single piece a casting director can hold, pin to a board, or file: front side, one defining image with the model's name; back side, three to five additional photos showing range, plus measurements and contact details for the representing agency.
The name comes from "composite" — a composite of looks on one card. In Europe and older agency circles you'll also hear zed card or z-card, after Sebastian Sed, the London agent credited with popularizing the format. Whatever the name, the function is identical: it's the model's résumé, business card, and portfolio sampler in one.
Comp cards for child models
Children's comp cards follow the same layout with two differences that matter. Photos must be recent — agencies typically expect updates every six to twelve months because kids change so quickly — and retouching should be minimal to none. Casting directors booking children need to see exactly who will walk into the room. Stats replace adult measurements with height, clothing size, shoe size, and age range.
The standard card, by the numbers
The format is remarkably stable. A card that meets these specs will look correct on any agency's wall in New York, Los Angeles, London, or Milan.
| Trim size | 5.5″ × 8.5″ (half-letter) — the industry standard. Some agencies accept 5″ × 7″, but 5.5 × 8.5 is the safe default. |
|---|---|
| Front | One full-bleed hero image + name. For children, a clean, bright, genuinely smiling headshot outperforms anything stylized. |
| Back | 3–5 images showing range (commercial, editorial, full-length, profile), plus stats and agency contact. Never a home address or a child's personal phone number. |
| Stats | Adults: height, bust/chest, waist, hips, shoe, hair, eyes. Children: height, clothing size, shoe size, hair, eyes, age range. |
| Stock & finish | 12–14 pt cardstock, matte or satin finish. Heavy gloss shows fingerprints under casting-room lights. |
| Quantity | 50–100 per print run. Enough for a season of castings — not so many that the photos go stale before the cards run out. |
| Companion piece | Actors additionally carry an 8″ × 10″ headshot with a résumé stapled to the back — a related but distinct format (see below). |
Comp card vs. 8×10 headshot
Parents entering a child into both modeling and acting usually need both pieces — they are not interchangeable.
The comp card
Shows range: multiple looks, wardrobe changes, and body types of work on one card. Casting is often decided from the card alone, so variety is the point.
Left behind at go-sees, mailed by agencies to clients, pinned to casting boards. Updated every 6–12 months for children.
The 8×10 headshot
Shows one person, honestly: a single litho or photographic print of the actor's face, cropped tight, minimal retouching, with an acting résumé attached to the back.
Handed to casting directors at auditions. The industry standard for theatrical and commercial acting submissions since the studio era.
Do you still need a printed card in the Instagram era?
Digital changed distribution, not the format. Most submissions now begin online — a PDF comp card, an agency profile page, a casting-platform upload, an Instagram grid. But the layout those digital versions imitate is still the comp card: hero image, range of looks, stats. Casting software literally renders talent as digital comp cards.
Print survives at the last step. Many agencies still request physical cards for go-sees, open calls, runway castings, and client mailings, because a card in the hand outlasts a browser tab that gets closed. The practical answer for most working models and child models today is both: a print-ready comp card file used digitally everywhere, and a small print run for the moments that still call for paper.
Comp card FAQ
What size is a comp card?
How many photos go on a comp card?
Is a comp card the same as a zed card?
How often should a child's comp card be updated?
Do agencies make the comp card for you?
Can I just use Instagram instead?
What does printing comp cards cost?
CompCard.com is available for acquisition.
The exact-match .com for the category, registered and operated as a comp card and headshot printing business from 2005 to 2019. The domain, brand, and site are offered to an operator in talent services, casting software, or photographic printing.
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