Photocards are probably the most popular merchandise among KPOP fans and probably the most common item that can be found in collections published by artists. It's almost natural these days to include one (or more) photo card with the album of a particular band or soloist. Fans have made collecting photo cards a new hobby and are eager to complete their collections consisting of either photos of a single favorite member or entire sets of cards from different albums. Arguably, these are the most sought-after products by fans next to albums, with prices for a single sheet reaching $10+.
Fans often keep their photocards in a holder, collection binder etc. It is a perfect solution to keep the precious collection safe.
Looking at the collections that are released at concerts, showcases, fan meetings, and other events, one can always spot one or more KPop photocard packs for fans to purchase. These sets contain a full selection of cards and often come in fancy packaging - envelopes, cardboard boxes and tin boxes. The total number of sheets that we can find in these sets varies from 8 (for example, available at the Monsta X Beautiful In Seoul concert) to even 60 (Seventeen Shining Diamond Concert). They are sometimes available in different variants marked as Ver. A and B and even C and D (the sets of Like Seventeen "Boys Wish" Encore Concert for example are available in 4 different variations).
There are several types of photocards . The most common type is a typical card with a photo on one side and the title of the event the item belongs to or a name of the band (member) or a member's signature on the back. Sometimes with the band or album logo.
Less often, one can come across KPop lenticular photocards that are available separately (added to the album) or in a set (e.g. a Twice World Tour 2019 Twicelights set). Lenticular printing gives the impression of a 3D image on a flat surface and adds an interesting effect of flipping between two photos. Printed images have the ability to change or move depending on the viewing angle. They are sometimes referred to as holographic photo cards (for example in EXO Planet #4 - The ElyXiOn [dot] collection where the holographic card is added as a bonus in a set of decorative stickers).
The third type that can be found is a transparent photocard with some translucent or completely transparent elements. The perfect example is a set available during Loona's "Cinema Theory" special event: Up & Line, consisting of 12 sheets that are not paper but PVC and come in plastic packaging. These sheets are more durable than paper types.
The most popular format that every fan who has purchased at least one KPop album has probably stumbled across is 55 x 85mm. This is often a standard format. As I said, it can often be found as added bonus material on albums, but also in sets released as part of a larger collection of merchandise. It should be noted that some standard size photocards actually differ slightly in size. A good example is a set available during Zico's "King Of The Zungle" tour where sources have listed its size as 54 x 85mm (not 55 x 85mm). Additionally, the Astro Aroha Festival 1st Fan Meetup set differs even more with the size of 54 x 86 mm.
KPop mini photocards are often included in different collections but are not, as the name suggests, smaller than regular cards. Their dimensions vary: 54 x 86 mm (2017 BTS Festa - Home Party collection), 90 x 60 mm (BTS 2nd Muster collection: [ZIP CODE: 22920]), 70 x 100 mm (BTS 5th Muster collection: Magic Shop).
Other formats that we can easily find are 58 x 88 mm, 75 x 100 mm, 70 x 111 mm, 100 x 148 mm and even 150 x 210 mm.
At least one photocard is added to each album we are pleased to receive. These will most likely be the standard 55 x 85mm size and are added randomly. Die-hard fans like to collect KPop Photocards released for a single album and own the set. Sets usually consist of a sheet for each member of a group and a group sheet. Of course, that's not the rule - South Korean artists' companies like to please fans. In the Page Two of Two album, we can find 4 photo cards - two individual member cards (Flower and Selfie version), one unit card (with the photo of three members) and a special lenticular card. There are 9 different photo cards (Flower version, 9 Selfie version), 3 single cards and 9 lenticular photo cards. To collect them all, therefore, you need to collect a total number of 30 sheets, which can be a very difficult and expensive task.
But what is even more difficult is to collect a whole set of exchange KPop photocards which can sometimes be available from certain artists during different events like concerts. For example, during NU'EST's Segno concert, you could buy a pack of 7 randomly selected sheets and try to complete the set of 61 different cards.