How to Print Passport Photos at Home

Updated 2026-09-25 · 5 min read

The file from the editor is already at 300 DPI: a 35 × 45 mm photo is exactly 413 × 531 pixels, and a 2 × 2 inch photo is 600 × 600. Printing goes wrong only when something between the file and the paper decides to resize it. Here is how to stop that.

Choose the sheet

In the editor's Print sheet panel, pick the paper you will print on. The photos stay at their true size; the sheet just fits as many as it can.

A 4 × 6 sheet is the cheapest to print at a pharmacy or supermarket kiosk - usually less than the cost of one passport photo at a booth. The 4×6 template opens the editor on that sheet directly.

JPEG or PDF?

Download the sheet as a PDF if you can. A PDF carries its physical page size inside the file - a 4 × 6 PDF is 4 × 6 inches to every printer and print shop - so there is much less chance of it being scaled. A JPEG only has a pixel size and a DPI tag, which some kiosk software ignores.

Print at actual size

In the print dialog:

1. Set the paper size to match the sheet (4 × 6, 5 × 7, Letter or A4).
2. Set scaling to 100%, Actual size or None. Never Fit to page or Shrink to fit.
3. Choose photo paper and the highest quality setting.
4. For 4 × 6 photo paper, turn on borderless printing if the printer offers it.

On a phone, the system print dialog often defaults to "fit". Look for a scaling or size option before you tap Print.

Check before you cut

Measure one photo with a ruler. A 35 × 45 mm photo should be 35 mm across, not 33. If it is smaller, the printer scaled the page - go back to the dialog and look for the scaling setting again. When it measures right, cut along the thin grey lines between the photos.

Glossy or matte

Most authorities accept either. Matte is slightly safer: it does not glare under the scanner and takes a signature on the back if your country asks for one.