Printing an ID photo at home is entirely feasible, and one mistake accounts for nearly every failure: the printer quietly resizes the image. A photo that is 35 x 45 mm in the file comes out 33 x 42 mm on paper, and it is refused for being the wrong size. Everything below is really about preventing that.
1. Start from a sheet, not a single photo
Download the print sheet rather than the single photo. A sheet places several copies at the correct physical size on a standard paper size — 4 x 6 inches, or A4 — with cutting guides between them. This matters because a 4 x 6 sheet is a size your printer and every photo kiosk already understand, so there is a defined "actual size" for the software to honour.
A 4 x 6 inch sheet fits six 35 x 45 mm photos, or four 2 x 2 inch U.S. photos. You need one or two; the spares are useful, since most applications ask for two and renewals come around again.
2. Print at 100% with scaling off
This is the step that matters. In the print dialog find the sizing option and set it so the image is not resized:
- macOS Preview: set Scale to 100%. Do not use "Scale to Fit".
- Adobe Reader / Acrobat: set Page Sizing to "Actual size", not "Fit" or "Shrink oversized pages".
- Windows Photos or Paint: choose the exact paper size and turn off "Fit picture to frame".
- Chrome or any browser: set Scale to 100% (under More settings) and margins to None.
Anything described as "fit", "shrink to fit" or "scale to fit" will change the size. Those options exist to avoid clipping and are exactly wrong here.
3. Choose borderless and the right paper size
Set the paper size to match your sheet — 4 x 6 in (10 x 15 cm) or A4 — and enable borderless printing if your printer supports it. Without borderless, some printers add a margin by shrinking the content, reintroducing the scaling problem.
Load the paper in the correct tray, and set the media type to the paper you are actually using so the printer lays down the right amount of ink.
4. Paper: ordinary photo paper is fine
No special stock is required. Standard 4 x 6 inch photo paper, glossy or matte, is accepted — both finishes are fine unless your authority specifically asks for one, and matte is slightly more forgiving of fingerprints. What does not work is plain office paper: it cannot hold the detail, the colour is flat, and the result looks obviously wrong.
Print at your printer's photo quality setting rather than draft or normal.
5. Measure before you cut
Take a ruler to the print before cutting anything. Measure one photo: it should be within about half a millimetre of the target — 35 x 45 mm, or 51 x 51 mm for a 2 x 2 inch U.S. photo. If it is a few percent small, scaling was still on; fix the setting and reprint rather than trying to compensate.
Then cut along the guide lines with scissors or, better, a craft knife and a steel rule. Cut just inside the guides so no line remains visible on the photo. Edges should be straight and square; a visibly crooked cut can itself draw a complaint.
Resolution, briefly
For a sharp print you want about 300 dots per inch at final size, which for a 35 x 45 mm photo is roughly 413 x 531 pixels of real detail. Exporting at 600 DPI doubles that and costs nothing but file size — worth doing, since it gives the printer more to work with. What you cannot do is manufacture detail: a small crop from a group photo will print soft no matter what DPI you claim.
If home printing is not working
If the sizes keep coming out wrong, take the same 4 x 6 sheet file to a pharmacy or photo shop and order it as an ordinary 4 x 6 print — the kiosks print at actual size by default, and it costs very little. The printing guides cover the specific chains and how to order in each country, including CVS and Walgreens in the U.S.
Make the sheet
Pick your document, and download a print-ready sheet with cutting guides at 300 or 600 DPI.
Frequently asked questions
Can I print passport photos at home?
Yes. Print a 4 x 6 inch or A4 sheet on photo paper at 100% scale with scaling turned off, then cut along the guide lines. The only common failure is the printer resizing the image, which makes the photos slightly too small.
What size paper should I use to print a passport photo?
A 4 x 6 inch (10 x 15 cm) sheet is the most reliable choice, because it is a standard photo size both home printers and photo kiosks print at actual size. It fits six 35 x 45 mm photos or four 2 x 2 inch U.S. photos. A4 also works for home printers.
Why did my printed passport photo come out the wrong size?
Almost always because scaling was left on. Options named "Fit to page", "Scale to fit" or "Shrink oversized pages" resize the image by a few percent. Set the scale to 100% or "Actual size", enable borderless printing, and measure the result with a ruler before cutting.
Do I need special photo paper for passport photos?
No. Ordinary 4 x 6 inch photo paper in either glossy or matte is accepted. Plain office paper is not suitable — it cannot hold the detail and the result looks visibly wrong. Print at the photo quality setting.
What DPI should a passport photo be printed at?
At least 300 DPI at final size, which is about 413 x 531 pixels for a 35 x 45 mm photo. 600 DPI is better and costs only file size. Note that exporting at a higher DPI cannot add detail that was not captured — the original photo has to be sharp.