How to Make Custom K-pop Photocards: A Beginner’s Guide

A guide to designing and ordering your first set

To make custom K-pop photocards, start with the photos you want to print, choose a card size and finish, then prepare the front and back of each design. Whether you’re filling a binder, making a gift, or planning concert freebies, it helps to decide how many cards you need before you start uploading.

At Picsqueen, every card can have its own front and back. You can repeat a favorite design or make every card different; just allow more time to prepare and organize the files if you want a fully varied set. This guide walks you through a first order, with a 20-card example, file dimensions, and delivery planning for U.S. fans.

Photocard design inspiration.

1 Choose a manageable first project

Give your first set a purpose. For a friend’s gift, you might choose a few favorite photos and add a personal message. For concert freebies, choose a quantity you can comfortably afford, carry, and hand out. If the cards are going into your binder, check the pocket or sleeve dimensions before choosing a format.

Our standard 54 × 86 mm cards are a familiar size for K-pop collectors, roughly the size of a credit card. Mini and Square cards have different dimensions, so check those formats separately. When sharing your cards, a small fan-made note helps people recognize them as your own custom set.

2 Set up the right photocard dimensions

Choose the product before you build the layout. Your design file needs to be a little larger than the finished card so the background can extend past the edge where the card will be trimmed.

For our Glossy Photocard, use a 60 × 92 mm design canvas for a 54 × 86 mm finished card, about 2.13 × 3.39 inches. The recommended file size is 709 × 1087 pixels at 300 DPI. Use the design guide in your selected product’s gallery, especially if you’re choosing a different card format.

Glossy Photocard dimensions. The finished edge is not the safe-area boundary; use the product guide’s safe-area markings when placing faces and text.

Extend the background into the outer area, and keep faces, names, and small details inside the marked safe area. If a face is already close to the edge of your photo, try another image or add more background around it before cropping.

An AI image editor can help extend a background. Try a specific instruction such as “Extend the background on all sides while keeping the person unchanged.” Check the result closely before using it, especially around hair, hands, and the outline of the face.

3 Prepare clear images and readable text

Use the highest-quality version of each photo you can find. A small screenshot may look fine on your phone but lose detail in print. Changing the DPI setting alone won’t bring that detail back.

Zoom in to check faces and fine details, then view the design at roughly its printed size. A message that looks readable across your laptop screen can become tiny on a photocard. If it feels crowded, shorten the message or make the text larger.

Prepare a PNG or JPG in RGB, aiming for 300 DPI at the dimensions in the product guide. Our Help Center explains the file requirements. Keep the editable design as well as your final image files. We’ve had customers discard their original files after ordering, only to find that a small change later meant rebuilding the design.

4 Choose a finish for your first set

Compare the Glossy and Matte product photos, then browse the photocard collection if you’d like a patterned reflective effect. Think about what you want people to notice first: the photo itself or the way the surface catches the light.

A reflective finish can make slight softness in a photo less noticeable by drawing attention to the surface effect. It won’t restore missing image detail, though, so start with the clearest file you have. A sharp photo can look great with an eye-catching finish, too.

For a first order, we recommend Glossy. You don’t have to settle on your favorite finish right away: every new customer’s first order includes a sample pack showing the sizes and finishes in our current photocard range. Once it arrives, you can compare the samples in person before deciding what to try next.

If you later order the same photo in different finishes, you’ll get a clearer comparison than you would with unrelated images. Tilt the cards in the light as you compare them; a screen preview can’t fully show how the surfaces will look.

5 Plan the front and back of every card

A shared back can tie a set together. Try a pattern you’ve made, a short message, or your creator name. If you’d rather make every back different, you can do that too. Plan the pairings before you upload so each front ends up with the right back.

Here’s a simple starting point: five front designs with four copies of each, all using one shared back. That gives you 20 physical cards.

 

Save the fronts with clear names such as front-A and front-B, and keep a separate file for the shared back. If each design has a different back, name those files back-A, back-B, and so on. Matching file names make the pairings much easier to check.

In the Picsqueen editor, you can set the number of copies and edit each card’s front and back independently. Use Copy Back to apply a shared back. Standard custom photocard orders start at 20 cards and increase in multiples of 20; check your selected product page for its order requirements.

6 Review the order before checkout

Select Customize on the product page to open the editor. Upload your designs, set the quantities, and check the front and back pairings before adding the cards to your cart.

Take a moment with the preview. Check spelling, image orientation, and the space around each face. Count the copies again: if you want four of one design, make sure it’s set to four. Confirm the finish and your shipping address before checkout.

Our design team reviews uploaded images for clarity, cropping, alignment, and print suitability. We may suggest a change or make a small adjustment to help the design print well. You know the intended names and messages best, so give those a final check yourself.

7 Plan delivery around your event date

Making the cards and shipping them are separate steps. A product listed for shipping within 72 hours won’t arrive at your door within 72 hours. For U.S. orders, shipping usually takes 5–6 days after the package leaves us, bringing the total for these products to about 8–9 days. Allow an extra 1–2 days for remote or island destinations.

For products outside the 72-hour range, orders usually ship in 6–7 days; plan on about 15 days overall. These are typical estimates, so leave extra time before a concert or other fixed date. We also serve Canada, destinations in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Check Shipping and Delivery for the destination details.

Choose a date when you want the cards in your hands, with time to inspect and pack them before the event. Add that date to your order notes. Our team checks the dates customers provide, and customer service will email you if the schedule looks too tight. Make sure your email address is correct and watch for a message after ordering.

Check the final checkout total, then add anything you’re buying separately, such as sleeves, bags, or decorations. If the overall cost is higher than you planned, simplify the packaging or choose a smaller quantity that meets the product’s minimum.

8 Inspect and pack your finished cards

When your order arrives, count the cards and check the fronts, backs, and printed text. If something’s wrong, send our support team clear photos and your order details. We’ll work with you to put it right.

Sleeves or individual bags can help keep cards organized for gifting or trading. Pack them in a box or another container that protects them from bending, and keep them dry on the way to the event.

Illustration of photocard sleeves and packaging.

At a concert or fan event, follow the venue’s rules and keep lines and entrances clear when sharing cards. If you’re handing out freebies, let people accept one without needing to offer a trade.

Your first order checklist

·       My images are ready, and I’ve saved the editable files.

·       The canvas matches my chosen product’s design guide.

·       Faces and important text are inside the marked safe area.

·       Each front is paired with the correct back.

·       The total quantity and cost fit my plan.

·       I’ve allowed time for production, shipping, and packing.

·       If I need the cards by a specific date, I’ve added it to the order notes and checked my email address.

Ready to make your first set? Choose a photocard style and open its design guide. Prepare one front and back, check the fit, and use that layout to build the rest of your set.