_Years ago, comp cards were expensive to print, and design methods were limited. Most models lacked the cash to create sed card, so they started out with a simple 8x10, B&W glossy print with a thick white border. Vital stats were added to the back in plain text.
I remember those days, printing 50 to 100 copies of the same boring picture. Again and again. These 8x10 photos were also relatively costly, and this impeded the model handing out them out. Models usually sent them to agencies who were likely to offer them some work, or to casting agents who were likely to hire them. Models probably missed out on a lot of assignments because they couldn't afford to give out headshots to just anyone.
Over time, a model would become more successful and pocket more money. This would allow the model to print a one-color card created by an offset printer. Only the top models in New York City could afford full color. Offset printing requires a lot of investment up front, but the cost became reasonable if a print run of hundreds or thousands of cards was created. At this point, a model had thousands of cards on hand - and the model could easily afford to give a card out to anyone who might be remotely interested in hiring the model. The composite cards were even cheap enough to put in the mail to send to casting agents around the country, extending a model's reach.
The composite cards of old were a certain way because of the technology and costs involved with printing. This meant a single photo on the front and a set of pictures, each a quarter of a page, on the back of the card. Space was also held on the back of the composite compard to include stats for the model and contact information.
Printing technology prevented the images on the back of the zed card from overlapping in any way, and you couldn't use any fancy backgrounds or designs. All composite cards were thus done on a white background, with thick white borders. These borders also allowed the printing press to grip the sed card as it went through the printing process. They couldn't bleed to the edge, the way modern cards and designs do. Even though printing technology has come a long way, the composite cards we use today are still based pretty firmly on this traditional design, which was born of necessity.
I remember those days, printing 50 to 100 copies of the same boring picture. Again and again. These 8x10 photos were also relatively costly, and this impeded the model handing out them out. Models usually sent them to agencies who were likely to offer them some work, or to casting agents who were likely to hire them. Models probably missed out on a lot of assignments because they couldn't afford to give out headshots to just anyone.
Over time, a model would become more successful and pocket more money. This would allow the model to print a one-color card created by an offset printer. Only the top models in New York City could afford full color. Offset printing requires a lot of investment up front, but the cost became reasonable if a print run of hundreds or thousands of cards was created. At this point, a model had thousands of cards on hand - and the model could easily afford to give a card out to anyone who might be remotely interested in hiring the model. The composite cards were even cheap enough to put in the mail to send to casting agents around the country, extending a model's reach.
The composite cards of old were a certain way because of the technology and costs involved with printing. This meant a single photo on the front and a set of pictures, each a quarter of a page, on the back of the card. Space was also held on the back of the composite compard to include stats for the model and contact information.
Printing technology prevented the images on the back of the zed card from overlapping in any way, and you couldn't use any fancy backgrounds or designs. All composite cards were thus done on a white background, with thick white borders. These borders also allowed the printing press to grip the sed card as it went through the printing process. They couldn't bleed to the edge, the way modern cards and designs do. Even though printing technology has come a long way, the composite cards we use today are still based pretty firmly on this traditional design, which was born of necessity.