How to Print 2x2 Passport Photos

Online renewal uses a digital file, but a mail renewal on Form DS-82 and an in-person application on Form DS-11 still need a printed photo. Printing it yourself is easy once you know the target size and the paper rules. This guide covers how to prepare the file, lay it out on a standard 4x6 print, choose paper, and check the result before it goes in the envelope.

The print rules

From the State Department's photo requirements:

• The printed photo is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm).
• Your head measures 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. Hair may extend past the edges as long as your whole head is shown and sized correctly.
• Head and shoulders centered.
• Printed on matte or glossy photo-quality paper.
• Sharp, with no visible pixels or printer dots.
• No photocopies or digitally scanned photos.
• Not damaged: no holes, creases or smudges.
• Color, taken in the last 6 months, original and unedited apart from cropping.

The head size rule is the one people get wrong most. Our passport photo head size guide explains how to measure it.

How many photos you need

The State Department asks for 1 photo with a DS-82 mail renewal and 1 photo with a DS-11 in-person application. For mail renewal, it says to staple the photo to the application using four staples vertically in the corners, as close to the outer edges as possible, and not to bend the photo. For in-person applications, do not attach or staple it; the acceptance agent or passport employee reviews and staples it.

Printing a full 4x6 sheet still makes sense: you get spares if one gets damaged when you cut it, and you can choose the best-cut copy.

Step 1: Crop the original to 2x2

1. Start from the original, unedited photo straight off the camera. Not a screenshot, not a copy sent by text message.
2. Crop to a perfect square. Do not stretch or squeeze the image to make it fit; the State Department lists stretching or compressing to resize as unacceptable.
3. Size the crop so your head (chin to top of hair) fills 50 to 69 percent of the square's height. On a 2 inch photo, that is 1 to 1 3/8 inches.
4. Center your head left to right and keep your shoulders in view.

For sharp prints, aim for at least 600 x 600 pixels in the cropped square, which is 300 pixels per inch at 2 inches. A modern phone photo easily exceeds that after cropping.

Step 2: Lay it out on a 4x6 sheet

A standard 4x6 inch print fits six 2x2 photos: two across the 4 inch side and three down the 6 inch side, with no margin left over. Many people place them on a 4x6 canvas in an image editor or use a layout tool, then print the sheet as a regular 4x6 photo.

Whatever layout you use, the key is that each square prints at exactly 2 x 2 inches. Turn off any "fit to page", "fill" or borderless scaling option, which can enlarge or crop the image.

Step 3: Choose where to print

If you print at a store, order a standard 4x6 print of your prepared sheet, and turn off any automatic enhancement, red-eye correction or crop option the kiosk offers. Those count as changes and can shift the size. If you want someone else to take and print the photo entirely, see where to get a passport photo.

Paper and printer settings

• Paper: matte or glossy photo-quality paper, as the State Department specifies. Never plain copy paper.
• Quality: choose the highest quality or photo setting. The State Department's tip for grainy prints is to use better ink, paper or print settings, or increase the printer resolution (DPI).
• Color: print in color. Black-and-white is not accepted.
• Drying: let inkjet prints dry fully before cutting or stacking, to avoid smudges.

Step 4: Check the size and cut

1. Measure each photo with a ruler: exactly 2 inches on both sides.
2. Measure your head from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head: between 1 and 1 3/8 inches.
3. Look closely for dots, banding, grain or a color tint on the white background.
4. Cut with a paper trimmer or a ruler and a sharp craft knife. Scissors often leave wavy edges.
5. Do not bend, fold or write on the front of the photo.

If the size is off, the scaling setting is the usual culprit: reprint with scaling turned off. Before printing, you can also run the digital file through the free passport photo checker.

Before you print: check the photo itself

Printing cannot fix a photo that breaks the rules. Before you spend paper and ink, look at the digital file at full size and confirm:

• The background is plain white or off-white with no shadow behind your head.
• Light is even on both sides of your face, and skin tones look natural.
• Your eyes are open and clearly visible, with no glare or red eye.
• You are not wearing glasses, a hat (unless for religious or medical reasons, with the required statement), headphones or a uniform.
• The photo was taken in the last 6 months and looks like you do now.

If any of these fail, retake the photo rather than editing it. The full passport photo requirements list every rule in one place.

Common printing mistakes

• Printing on plain paper or with a draft setting.
• Letting the printer or kiosk scale the image, so the photo is 1.9 or 2.1 inches.
• Cropping too tight, so the head is larger than 1 3/8 inches.
• Printing a scan of an older photo, which is not allowed.
• Bending the photo when stapling or mailing.

Still deciding between mail and online? Compare them in online vs mail renewal, or start with the full guide to taking a passport photo at home.