A photo shop charges per sheet, so the cheapest way to get passport photos is to fit as many as possible on one print. A standard 4x6 inch photo print holds eight 3.5 x 4.5 cm passport size photos with cutting gaps between them. An A4 sheet holds 30.
Here is how to make that sheet yourself with the free Passport Size Photo Maker, and how to print it so the photos come out at the right size.
Passport photo sizes at a glance
| Size | Used for | Per 4x6 sheet |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5 x 4.5 cm (35 x 45 mm) | Most Indian forms and documents | 8 |
| 2 x 2 inch (5.1 x 5.1 cm) | US passports and visas | fewer, because the photos are larger |
| Stamp size and square | Some forms and ID cards | depends on size |
All of these are available in the tool.
Step 1: Take the photo
- Stand in front of a plain white or light wall, facing the camera, with even light on your face.
- Keep a neutral expression, eyes open and nothing covering the face.
- Shoot from about 1 to 1.5 metres away at eye level, so the face isn't distorted.
The tool crops and lays out your photo, but it does not change the background. Start with a plain wall, or remove a busy background first with the background remover.
Step 2: Crop to passport size
Open the Passport Size Photo Maker, add the photo and choose 3.5 x 4.5 cm. Use zoom and position so the head fills most of the photo height, with a little space above the hair. The live preview shows exactly what will print.
You can add a thin cutting border to make trimming easier.
Step 3: Download the 4x6 sheet
Choose the 4x6 inch sheet (8 photos) or A4 (30 photos). The sheet is exported at 300 DPI with the exact paper size, which is what makes the printed photos measure 3.5 x 4.5 cm.
Step 4: Print at actual size
This is where most home prints go wrong.
- Print at 100% / "Actual size", never "Fit to page". Fit-to-page scales the sheet, and every photo comes out the wrong size.
- Use 4x6 inch photo paper for the 4x6 sheet, or plain A4 photo paper for the A4 sheet.
- At a photo shop, ask for a 4x6 print without cropping or resizing.
Then cut along the borders.
Will it be accepted?
The tool produces the correct physical size. Passport offices, embassies and exam boards also have rules on background colour, head size and how recent the photo must be, and those rules differ. Check the requirements of the authority you are applying to before you print.
Uploading instead of printing?
Online forms want a digital file under a KB limit, not a print:
- Photo resizer in KB, pixel and DPI: set the exact pixels, DPI and min-max KB the form asks for.
- Compress image to 20KB: for strict photo limits.
- Signature resizer: a signature under 10-20 KB on white.
- Thumb impression maker: if the form also wants a left thumb impression.
The full checklist is in how to resize your photo and signature for online application forms.
FAQ
How many passport size photos fit on a 4x6 sheet? Eight 3.5 x 4.5 cm photos, with cutting gaps. An A4 sheet fits 30.
What is passport size in pixels? It depends on the DPI: 3.5 x 4.5 cm is 413 x 531 pixels at 300 DPI, and 276 x 354 pixels at 200 DPI.
Is my photo uploaded anywhere? No. Everything runs in your browser, and the photo never leaves your device.