How to Print Passport Photos at Home or at a Store

The cheapest way to print passport photos is to place several 2 x 2 inch photos on one 4 x 6 inch image and order it as a normal photo print. The store prints it like any snapshot, and you cut the photos out.

A 4 x 6 sheet at 300 DPI is 1200 x 1800 pixels. US 2 x 2 photos tile it exactly: 6 photos borderless (3 rows of 2) with no gaps, or 2 photos with margins and cut guides. The photos must stay exactly 2 x 2 inches when printed, which is why the print setting matters more than anything else.

The PhotoForPass Photo + print sheet ($18.95) includes a ready 4 x 6 sheet as a JPG and a PDF, plus your digital photo. We fix the lighting, replace the background with plain white, crop each photo to the official size and check it against the requirements before you print.

You can print passport photos at home if you have a photo-capable inkjet or a small photo printer and real photo paper. Plain paper will not pass.

What you need

• An inkjet photo printer or a dedicated 4 x 6 photo printer
• 4 x 6 photo paper, matte or glossy
• A paper trimmer, or a ruler with a craft knife or sharp scissors

Printer settings that matter

• Paper size: 4 x 6 in.
• Scale: actual size or 100%. Turn off fit to page and shrink to fit.
• Borderless: on for a 6-photo sheet, off for a sheet with cut guides.
• Quality: best or photo, with the paper type set to the paper you loaded.
• Color: turn off auto-enhance, automatic red-eye fixes and color correction so the printer does not change your photo.

Check before you cut

Many home printers enlarge the image slightly in borderless mode so no white edge shows. Measure one photo with a ruler. If it is a little over 2 inches, print the 2-photo sheet with cut guides instead, or lower the borderless expansion setting in the printer menu.

CVS prints 4 x 6 photos uploaded from your phone or computer, with same-day pickup at many stores. Its own in-store passport photo service is listed at $17.99 for two prints, so printing your own sheet costs far less.

1. Go to CVS Photo on the website or in the CVS app and choose 4 x 6 prints.
2. Upload your 4 x 6 passport photo sheet as a JPG.
3. Check the preview. The whole sheet should show, with nothing cropped.
4. Choose glossy or matte. Both are fine for US passports.
5. Choose same-day pickup at a nearby store and pay.

CVS listed 4 x 6 prints from $0.42 each (checked November 8, 2026), with lower prices on large orders. Prices and same-day availability vary by store. This is how to print a 2x2 photo at CVS: you print a 4 x 6 sheet and cut out the 2 x 2 photos.

Walgreens works the same way: order a 4 x 6 print online or in the app and pick it up the same day at a participating store, with free pickup.

1. Open Walgreens Photo online or in the Walgreens app and choose 4 x 6 prints.
2. Upload the sheet and make sure the preview is not cropped.
3. Choose glossy or matte. Both are offered for in-store pickup.
4. Pick a store and a pickup time.

Walgreens pages listed a 4 x 6 print at about $0.33 to $0.39 (checked November 8, 2026), and Walgreens keeps a photo deals page with promo codes. Its in-store passport photo service is $16.99 for two prints, with a digital copy by email included.

Walmart had the lowest 4 x 6 print price we found: $0.18 per print for 1-hour pickup or ship to home, in glossy or matte (checked November 8, 2026).

1. Go to Walmart Photo and choose 4 x 6 prints.
2. Upload your sheet and check that nothing is cropped.
3. Choose 1-hour pickup at a store with a Photo Center.
4. Pick up the print, measure one photo, and cut.

Only stores with a Photo Center offer pickup, so check your store first. Walmart's own in-store passport photo service was listed at $7.64.

Not every store with a printer is a good fit for a passport photo sheet. Here is what we found when we checked in November 2026.

• Costco closed its in-store photo centers on February 14, 2021, so there is no same-day passport photo print pickup at Costco.
• Staples, FedEx Office and The UPS Store take passport photos in store and offer print services, but we could not verify a current 4 x 6 photo print price for them. Ask your local store before you go.
• Online print labs that mail prints also work if you have a few days to wait. Choose a standard 4 x 6 photo print and turn off any automatic crop or enhancement.

Printing your own sheet saves the most when you already have a compliant digital photo, or when several family members need prints. Compare full prices, including store passport photo services, in our passport photo cost guide, or find a counter in passport photos near me.

For US passports, both work. The DS-11 instructions ask for matte or glossy photo-quality paper.

• Glossy shows fine detail and color well, but picks up fingerprints and glare.
• Matte resists fingerprints and glare and is easy to handle.
• USCIS forms such as Form I-485 ask for thin paper with a glossy finish, so choose glossy for green card and other USCIS photos.
• We suggest skipping textured finishes like silk or linen, which add a pattern to your face.
• Never print on plain printer paper.

Cut carefully so each photo is exactly 2 x 2 inches with straight edges.

• Use a paper trimmer, or a ruler and craft knife, for clean lines. Scissors work if you go slowly along the cut guides.
• Hold photos by the edges. Do not bend, fold or write on the front.
• Attach the photo to the DS-11 or DS-82 where the form shows, following the form instructions.
• For USCIS forms, lightly write your name and A-Number (if you have one) on the back in pencil or felt pen.
• Keep spare photos flat in an envelope. They can be used for other forms that take 2 x 2 photos while they are less than 6 months old.

Print problems usually come from scaling, color or paper. Check for these in daylight before you mail anything.

• Wrong size: the photo was scaled by fit to page or borderless expansion. Measure it.
• Color shift: skin looks orange, green or gray because of auto-enhance or a low ink cartridge.
• Banding or streaks: clogged printer nozzles. Run a head cleaning or use a store.
• Grainy or pixelated: the source file was too small. Print the full-resolution sheet, not a screenshot.
• Plain paper: not accepted. Use photo paper.
• Damage: creases, smudges, fingerprints or scratches.

For the rules the print must meet, see passport photo requirements. If you still need a sized file, the 2x2 photo tool and 35 x 45 mm photo tool both include a print sheet option.