Passport photo printing

How to Print Your Photos in 4x6 Format

One of the cheapest and fastest ways to get a passport photo is to take one at home and print it on glossy paper, which lets you produce as many copies as you need for passports, visas and many ID documents

Printed 4x6 photos can be used not only for passport renewal but also for foreign visas, identity cards, driving licenses, transport cards (bus/train), social cards, medical cards, tax cards, alien cards, residence cards, licenses and permits, and other essential documents

Before you print, follow guidelines to take and prepare your passport photo at home so it meets official requirements and avoids common mistakes that cause rejections

Use a smartphone or camera with a resolution of 5 Megapixels or higher to ensure the image quality is sufficient for official documents

Lighting is critical: the face must be evenly lit without strong shadows or glares — bright daylight without direct sunlight is the best choice to avoid uneven lighting and reflections

Choose darker clothing to provide good contrast with the background and make sure your facial expression is neutral, with mouth closed and eyes fully visible to meet standard ID photo rules

For framing, have the photo include your face and the upper part of your torso; if someone else can take the picture, they should stand 1.5–2 meters away to capture the correct composition

If you are taking the photo yourself, use a tripod or selfie stick so you can keep your shoulders straight and maintain proper framing and alignment in the image

Look directly into the camera, take several shots, and choose the best one to avoid issues like off-angle eyes, expressions, or hair covering the face

To convert your selfie into a passport photo, upload the image to a specialized online tool like Visafoto, select the country and document type, and get an instantly processed result with background adjustments and quality fixes

Visafoto prepares files ready for online submission and for printing on 4x6 inches (10x15 cm) paper, delivering a print-ready image that contains four individual photos on a single 4x6 sheet

If you print at home, use 10x15 cm (4x6 inches) photo paper — that is a standard postcard format — and follow simple printing steps to get correct-size photos every time

Home printing steps: locate your passport photo file, right-click and select Print, choose your printer, set paper size to 10x15 or A6 and paper type, set the number of copies, confirm settings, and wait for printing to complete

You do not need to resize the picture for the passport if it was processed by Visafoto — photos purchased there are already formatted to print at the required size straight away

If you don't have a printer, use a local printing service and request a print on 10x15 cm (4x6 inches) paper; the price per printout rarely exceeds $0.50 and many services let you order and pay online for in-store pickup

Example process with Walgreens: open the Walgreens online photo service, choose 4x6 prints, upload the Visafoto file (four individual photos on it), pay (about $0.35), select the nearest store, and pick up the prints typically within 1 hour the same day

Popular U.S. printing services and typical 4x6 prices listed are: Walgreens $0.35, CVS $0.35, Costco $0.17 (Coscto membership is required), Snapfish about $0.33 depending on delivery, and Shutterfly $0.15 plus delivery fees ($0.33–$1.79)

Before submitting for passports or visas, validate your photo with the appropriate official tool — for U.S. passport, visa and diversity visa lottery photos Visafoto points to a specific validation check to confirm compliance

Visafoto provides 24/7 support to help validate photos via official tools, and if a purchased photo doesn’t qualify they will fix or replace it for free until it gets accepted or refund the money

Practical compliance tips: avoid strong shadows and glares, ensure even daylight lighting, keep shoulders straight and include upper torso, verify eyes and face are fully visible, and use the online crop and background tools to match country-specific rules

Common mistakes to avoid: low-resolution images below 5 MP, direct harsh sunlight causing shadows, smiling or closed eyes, hair or clothing obscuring the face, and attempting to resize a processed Visafoto image manually before printing

When in doubt, use the online service’s country/document selector and validation tools, or contact support to confirm that the final 4x6 print will meet the official requirements before you submit your application