Headshots

What Are Professional Headshot Prints

Professional headshots are photographic portraits printed full color on real card stock, made for casting, hiring, and branding. At 4OVER4 they print in 2 sizes, the 8" x 10" headshot and the 5.5" x 8.5" comp card, on any of 4 materials, with your ink coverage and finish set in the live configurator. You do not start from a template here, because the photo is the design. You upload your shot, pick the size and stock, and go. If you want your photo on a card you hand out at events instead, the Photography Business Cards put the same image in a wallet-sized format.

What Size Should a Headshot Be

Two sizes cover the two jobs. The 8" x 10" print is the classic headshot, the format agencies, casting calls, and speaker bureaus expect, big enough to read a face across a table. The 5.5" x 8.5" comp card is the model and actor standard: a composite with a hero shot on the front and several looks plus your measurements on the back. Both sizes, both finishes, and the full material list are grouped below exactly the way the live configurator presents them, so you know what you can change before you change it.

Here are a few easy ways to make a printed headshot pull its weight.

Pick a material that flatters the photo

A brighter gloss makes skin tones and eyes pop, which is why the default 14pt Gloss Cover and the heavier 16pt Gloss Cover are the go-to for portraits. Prefer a modern matte you can write a note on? The 18pt Uncoated Cover reads clean and understated. And the 15pt Metallic Pearl Ice adds a subtle shimmer that lifts a headshot without turning it into a gimmick. Add a High-Gloss UV Coating on top when you want the print to really snap under gallery lights.

Use the back of the card

Full color on the front with a blank back keeps a headshot simple, but printing the back earns its keep. A comp card wants several looks and your stats on the reverse, and an actor headshot can carry a resume, credits, or contact details on the back. Set your ink to 4/0, 4/1, or 4/4 depending on whether you print one side or both.

Proof it before the full run

Skin tone and contrast are easy to get wrong on a screen. Add a free online proof to check the layout, or a next-day hardcopy proof to hold the real print in your hand before the whole order runs. If you already trust your file, choose Straight To Production and skip ahead.

How Much Do Professional Headshots Cost

Professional headshots start at $53.83 per set of 25, and the per-print price keeps dropping as the quantity climbs toward 2,000, so a cheap headshot really comes down to how big a run you order. A set of 300 lands at $161.47, and a full 2,000-print run is $477.81, which works out to roughly 24 cents each. So how many do you actually need? Drag the slider below to set your count and watch both the set total and the true per-print cost update live, and find the point where one more step up barely moves the budget.

How Do Headshots Compare to the Rest of the Range

Printed headshots are the pick when your face has to do the selling, but they are not your only move in the Photography Printing Collection. If you are weighing a card you hand out, a flyer you leave behind, or a bound book of your work, it helps to see the trade-off in plain numbers. The chart below lines up headshots against their closest siblings, including Photography Flyers and Photography Booklets, so you can compare the starting price on each before you choose.

See How a Finished Headshot Lands

Words only go so far. Want to see how material, color, and finish come together on a real 8" x 10"? The gallery below collects work our own customers printed in-house, across different sizes, stocks, and finishes, so you can borrow ideas and see how a choice actually reads on paper. Tap any print to see it larger.

How Fast Can You Get Headshots

Headshots print on a 4 business day standard turnaround, and when a date sneaks up you can move that to 3-day, 2-day, Next-Day, or even Same-Day production. Each step buys back time for a set amount on top of the base price, so you only pay for speed when you actually need it. Same-Day orders need to be approved by the daily cutoff to ship that day. Compare every turnaround tier below and see exactly what the rush adds before you pick.

See the Rest of Our Photography Prints

Headshots are one stop in a much larger lineup, and you can scan the full print product range any time. If a card you hand out, a flyer, or a bound portfolio would serve you better, the rest of the Photography Printing Collection is one tap away. Each option shows its own starting price and links straight to its product page, so finding the right fit takes seconds.

Print Your Headshots Today

At 4OVER4.COM, quality comes first, and it's backed by a satisfaction guarantee and 25+ years of printing since 1999. Whatever size, material, or finish you pick, these headshots are built to make one photo do the work of a handshake. Need them before an audition or a shoot? Our Same-Day production keeps you covered. Print your headshots today.

Borders and Your Name on the Print

The photo is the design on this product, so the border and the name strip travel inside your file. Leave a white margin around the image and set your name in the strip below it, or run the photo full bleed and place the name in a corner where it does not cross the face. Either way, keep the type inside the safe area of the 8" x 10" and let the free online proof show you where the trim lands before the run prints.

Print the front in 4/0 for a clean headshot with a blank back, or 4/1 to put the resume, the credits and the contact line on the reverse in black. A casting office reads the name before it turns the print over, so keep it large enough to read across a table and set it once, in the same place, across every reprint. When the same portrait goes on a card you hand out at events, the Photography Business Cards carry it at wallet size.