What is a photocard? A beginner’s guide to K-pop PCs

If you have just opened your first K-pop album, you probably found a small card with a photo of one member tucked between the pages. That is a photocard, and for a lot of fans it is the best part of the album. Here is what photocards are, where they come from, and how to start a collection without getting overwhelmed.

What is a photocard?

A photocard is a small, stiff printed card with a photo of an artist on the front, often with a design or a signature print on the back. In K-pop, photocards are randomly inserted in albums, so you don’t know which member or which photo you will get until you open it.

Fans shorten the word to PC in English and poca (from the Korean pronunciation) in many fandoms. You will see both in trading posts: “WTT my PC for your poca” means exactly what it sounds like. For more terms like these, see the photocard glossary.

What size is a K-pop photocard?

A K-pop album photocard measures about 55 × 85 mm (2.17 × 3.35 in). It is slightly smaller than a standard trading card.

Card	Size	Notes
K-pop photocard	55 × 85 mm (2.17 × 3.35 in)	Inside albums; fits standard card sleeves and 35pt toploaders
Trading card (TCG)	63 × 88 mm	Standard collectible card game size; TCG sleeves are loose on photocards
instax mini print	54 × 86 mm	Very close to a photocard, with a white frame

The difference matters when you buy supplies: sleeves made for trading cards leave a photocard sliding around. The full comparison, with pixel sizes and how many fit on a sheet, is on the photocard size page.

Where do photocards come from?

Most photocards come from a handful of places:

• Albums. The classic source. Each album version usually has its own set of photocards.
• Pre-order benefits (POB). Some stores give an exclusive photocard to people who pre-order an album from them.
• Lucky draws. Special events or stores where buying an album gives you a chance at an extra, rarer photocard.
• Concert and pop-up merch. Photocards also come with official goods and event packages.
• Fan events. At cupsleeve events and birthday cafes, fans hand out free fan-made photocards, called freebies.

Because one album can hold several versions and each version has many cards, nobody gets the card they want every time. That is where trading comes in.

Why do fans collect and trade photocards?

A photocard is a small, physical piece of an era: the hair, the concept, the styling of one comeback. Collectors enjoy completing a set, finding a rare POB, or simply having their favorite member (their bias) in a sleeve they can carry around.

Trading is the social side of the hobby. Fans post what they have and what they want, swap duplicates and meet other fans who share their bias. It also keeps collecting affordable: instead of buying another album for one card, you trade a duplicate for it.

How do you start a photocard collection?

You don’t need much to begin. A simple plan:

1. Pick a focus. One member, one group or one era. A narrow focus keeps it fun and your budget under control.
2. Protect every card from day one. A soft sleeve first, then a toploader or a binder pocket. We cover this step by step in how to protect your photocards.
3. Get a binder. Photocard binders come mostly in A5, A5 wide and A4, with pockets sized for photocards.
4. Keep a list. Note which versions and cards you have and which you are looking for. It makes trading much easier.
5. Trade with care. Check photos of the card, agree on how it will be packed, and keep messages friendly.

Store the collection away from direct sun, heat and humidity, which fade and warp cards over time.

Can you make your own photocards?

Yes, and many fans do. A homemade photocard can hold a photo you took at a concert, a selfie with friends, your pet, or a design for a fan event. The trick is getting the size right so it feels like the real thing and fits the same sleeves.

The basic recipe: frame the photo at 55 × 85 mm, print it at 100 % scale on glossy photo paper or 200–300 gsm cardstock, cut along the crop marks and round the corners with a 3–4 mm punch. Our step-by-step guide on how to make photocards at home walks you through it.

mallow, our upcoming app for iPhone and iPad, is built for exactly this: it starts from a blank card at real size and prints 9 photocards per A4 sheet or 8 per US Letter, with bleed and crop marks.

A quick note on fan-made cards: photos of artists belong to their owners. Cards made with official photos are for your own collection or for free sharing between fans, never for sale.