- Side - when a fake is made, it is based on a scan of photocard. Due to rounded corners, or cuts, sides of fake photocards often do not match original - some content is cut out of them. It is however important to note, that even original cards can face this issue - some cards might be miscut, while others might just experience slight differences due to original cutting device. When considering if card is original, if you notice that one side is missing details, as if cut, while other side has more details then your comparison - it might be a sign of a miscut/factory differences, and card might still be original.
- Corners - when you compare cards from different companies, for example Appmu vs Everline, they will have a little bit different angle of rounding their corners. Some will be closer to square shape, while other will be more rounded. Fake cards will often have different angle of corner then original cards.
- Thickness - based on my experience, fake cards will often be quite thick, especially album ones. However, this is not a a pattern, they might be thinner as well. There are also companies that make thicker cards, for example QQ (Tencent) and KMS. This works best if you have original to compare with.
- Supports - while cutting, machine sometimes leaves little white bits of carton, looking like a little white dots. Nowdays even fakes can have them, however it is still viable option for checking if card was handmade, as home printers won’t leave those bits. You can also check if those bits are in similar places - some cards will have 1 bit in the middle, some will have even 4. Cards from the same album will have them in the same places. Not all original cards will have them.
- Color - fake cards can have different colors. Some of them will be more vibrant, darker, while others can be more muted, greyish in color. Generally speaking, fake cards will have less natural, neutral colors. Of course, colors will look different under different lighting, and when photographed with different cameras. However, there are many cards that are visibly “off” colored.
