By Passport Photo at Home · Updated · Rules checked against travel.state.gov (last updated March 24, 2026) · How we check (updated )
Two ways to print
Make and check your photo first with the US passport photo maker, or check the photo you already have. When it's ready, you can save two print-ready files:
- A 4×6 print sheet (JPG). A 4×6 inch image at 300 dpi, which works out to 1200×1800 pixels, with copies of your photo placed at their true size. You order it as a regular 4×6 print from a store. For printed documents, such as a US passport, it's what the main save button gives you.
- A Letter PDF. An 8.5×11 inch page with several copies of your photo and cut lines, for printing at home on photo paper.
Both only work if the photo is printed at 100% of its size. Any setting that stretches or shrinks the image to fill the paper changes the size of every photo on it.
What the rules say about the print
The State Department's passport photo page says: "Print your photo on matte or glossy photo-quality paper." It also says not to submit photocopies or digitally scanned photos, or a damaged photo with holes, creases or smudges, and that the photo should not have visible printer dots. A regular 4×6 photo print from a store meets the paper rule, and so does a home print on photo paper at your printer's highest quality setting. Size, head height and background are in the US passport photo requirements.
Order the 4×6 sheet at Walgreens, CVS or Walmart
Online, for same-day pickup
- Save the 4×6 print sheet to your phone or computer. On an iPhone, Save to Photos puts it in your Photos app, where the store's app can find it.
- Open the store's photo website or app and start a regular prints order. Don't choose the passport photo service, which is a separate and much more expensive product.
- Upload the JPG and choose the 4×6 print size. One print is enough.
- Look at the preview. If the app shows a crop box or trims the edges, change the crop so the whole image fits, or turn off options such as "fill" or "crop to fit." The cut lines and the white margin should be fully visible.
- Pick a finish. Matte and glossy are both fine for a US passport. If the photos are for a USCIS form that asks for them, choose glossy, which is what the form instructions ask for.
- Choose same-day pickup at a nearby store.
At the in-store photo kiosk
- Save the 4×6 print sheet JPG on your phone.
- At the kiosk, load the photo from your phone and choose 4×6 prints.
- Check the on-screen preview for trimmed edges and fix the crop if needed.
- If the kiosk offers auto-enhance, color correction or red-eye fixes, turn them off. Passport photos can't be edited, and those tools change the image.
- Print one copy and check it before you leave.
Measure one photo on the print with a ruler before you leave the store. It should be exactly 2 inches on each side. If it's off, the print was scaled, so ask for a reprint at 100% with no cropping.
How to print passport photos at home
You need a color printer, photo paper for it and a ruler. The files are free, and a test print tells you in a minute whether the size is right.
Save the sheet
Make your photo with the passport photo maker. For Letter paper, save the Letter PDF. For 4×6 photo paper, save the 4×6 sheet.
The 4×6 sheet the tool saves, with a drawn sample photo. Choose photo paper
Matte or glossy, sold for your type of printer, such as inkjet photo paper for an inkjet printer. Plain office paper isn't photo-quality paper, so it isn't accepted.
Print at 100%
In the print dialog, choose Actual size or 100%. Turn off Fit to page, Shrink oversized pages and borderless printing. Pick your photo paper type and the best quality.
Check with a ruler
The bar on the sheet must measure exactly 1 inch (25.4 mm). Not sure about your printer? Print the test square on plain paper first: it must measure exactly 2 × 2 inches.
Let it dry, then cut
Leave the print alone until the ink is dry, then cut on the lines, long lines first. A paper trimmer gives the straightest edges.
If the bar or the square measures wrong
- Exactly 1 inch (or 2 inches for the square): the print is true size. Measure one photo too: it should be 2 × 2 inches.
- Shorter: the printer shrank the page, usually because of Fit to page or Shrink oversized pages. Print again at Actual size.
- Longer: a borderless or fill setting enlarged the page. Turn it off and print again.
Don't trim or stretch the photos to fix the size. A photo printed at the wrong scale also has the head and eyes at the wrong size, so print it again instead.
More printing and cutting tips
- Load one sheet of photo paper with the printing side facing the way your printer's manual shows.
- Touching a fresh inkjet print leaves smudges, which aren't allowed, so let it dry completely.
- Without a trimmer, use a metal ruler and a sharp craft knife on a cutting mat or a piece of cardboard. Scissors work, but it's harder to keep the edges straight over two inches.
- Cut exactly on the lines so each photo keeps its full 2×2 size, and hold the photos by the edges. Creases aren't allowed.
- Keep the spare copies in an envelope. You may need them for another application.
What printing costs
Published prices we read on each store's own website on October 7, 2026. Prices can vary by location and change over time, so check before you order.
| Option | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 4×6 print at Walmart | $0.18 | One print of your sheet with 2 passport photos (photos3.walmart.com, read Oct 7, 2026) |
| 4×6 print at Walgreens | $0.39 ($0.29 each for 100 or more) | One print of your sheet with 2 passport photos (photo.walgreens.com, read Oct 7, 2026) |
| 4×6 print at CVS | $0.42 ($0.32 each for 98 or more) | One print of your sheet with 2 passport photos (cvs.com, read Oct 7, 2026) |
| Home printing | One sheet of photo paper and ink | A Letter page of photos with cut lines |
| Walmart passport photo service | $7.64 | Photos taken and printed in the store (photos3.walmart.com, read Oct 7, 2026) |
| Walgreens passport photo service | $16.99 | 2 photos, with a free digital copy by email (photo.walgreens.com, read Oct 7, 2026) |
| CVS passport photo service | $17.99 | 2 prints; an emailed copy is $3.99 more at select stores (cvs.com, read Oct 7, 2026) |
A single 4×6 print at Walmart, Walgreens or CVS costs less than $1 and gives you a spare copy. For USPS, FedEx Office, Staples, The UPS Store and AAA, see passport photo prices at Walgreens, CVS, USPS and other stores.
Which option to choose
If a store is on your way, the 4×6 print is the cheapest and simplest option, and you don't need to buy photo paper or ink. Print at home if you already have photo paper and a color printer, or if you need photos tonight and the store is closed. Either way, the photo itself comes from the same file, so the result depends on printing it at 100% and cutting it cleanly.
Questions
Can I take my own passport photo and print it at Walgreens or CVS?
Yes. The State Department lists a friend or family member among the places to get a passport photo. Make the photo at home, save the 4×6 print sheet and order it as a regular 4×6 print. What matters is that the photo meets the rules and is printed at true size on photo paper.
How do I print a passport photo from my phone?
Save the 4×6 sheet to your phone, open the Walgreens, CVS or Walmart photo app or website, and order a regular 4×6 print with crop and fit turned off. Pick it up in the store and measure one photo: it should be exactly 2 inches.
How do I put a 2x2 photo on a 4x6?
Make or choose your photo with the US passport photo maker and save the 4×6 print sheet. It places copies of your photo at exactly 2 × 2 inches on a 4×6 inch, 300 dpi JPG with cut lines, ready to order as a normal print.
Do I need to ask for passport photos at the store?
No. You're ordering a regular 4×6 print of an image that already contains your passport photos at the right size. The store's passport photo service is a different, more expensive product.
Which print size do I choose at the store?
4×6, the standard photo print size. For a US passport, one 4×6 print holds 2 photos of 2 × 2 inches. Other sizes would scale the sheet and change the size of every photo on it.
The store's app crops my sheet. What do I do?
Adjust the crop in the preview so the whole image fits, or turn off options such as "fill" or "crop to fit." The white margin and the cut lines should be fully visible before you order.
Does the store cut the photos for me?
You get the whole 4×6 print. Cut the photos on the lines at home with a paper trimmer, or a metal ruler and a craft knife, and measure one: it should be exactly 2 × 2 inches.
Should I choose matte or glossy?
For a US passport, either one is fine: the rule is matte or glossy photo-quality paper. When a USCIS form asks for photos, its instructions ask for a glossy finish.
My printed photo measures less than 2 inches. What went wrong?
The image was scaled during printing. At a store, the print was probably cropped or fit to the paper. At home, the print dialog was probably set to "Fit to page." Reprint at 100%, or Actual size, with no cropping.
Can I print passport photos on regular paper?
No. US passport photos must be on matte or glossy photo-quality paper. Photocopies and scans aren't accepted either.
Can I print passport photos on an inkjet printer?
Yes, on inkjet photo paper at the printer's highest quality setting, printed at Actual size. The photo must be sharp, with no visible printer dots, so check it closely and let it dry before you cut it.
How much does it cost to print my passport photo at Walgreens?
$0.39 for one 4×6 print, or $0.29 each for 100 or more (read on October 7, 2026). For a US passport, one print holds 2 photos.
Can I pick up the print the same day at Walgreens?
Yes. Walgreens offers same-day pickup for 4×6 prints, in glossy or matte (read on October 7, 2026). Choose same-day pickup and a nearby store when you order, and measure one photo before you leave.
Can I print photos for other documents the same way?
Yes. When you pick another document in the list, such as a Schengen visa, the print sheet and the PDF use that document's photo size. You print them the same way: at 100%, with no cropping.