A folded A4 photocopy of an ID card falls apart in a wallet within a month. A card printed at its real size, cut out and laminated, lasts for years and fits where a card is supposed to fit. The difference is entirely in the layout — and laying it out by hand in a word processor is how you end up with a card that is 8% too small.
Why the size has to be exact
ID cards are made to an international standard called CR80: 85.6 mm wide by 54 mm tall. That is the size of an Aadhaar PVC card, a PAN card, a driving licence, a debit card and most office cards.
Exactness matters for practical reasons, not pedantic ones. A card printed slightly large will not go into a card slot or a lamination pouch. A card printed slightly small looks obviously fake next to a real one. And when you drop an image into a document and drag its corner, you have no idea what size it ended up — you only find out after printing and measuring.
How to lay out a card on A4
- Open the PVC Card Layout tool.
- Upload the front image of the card. Upload the back as well if you have it — the back is optional.
- Set how many copies you want on the sheet.
- Preview the layout and download the A4 file.
- Print at 100% / actual size, then cut along the guides.
Lay out an ID card front and back at true CR80 size on A4 — free.
Open the PVC Card Layout toolStart from a clean card image
The layout tool places whatever you give it. If the front image is a tilted photo with a table in the background, you get a tilted photo of a table printed at card size.
So crop first, lay out second:
- Photograph the card on a dark surface, flat, with no flash.
- Run it through the Auto Crop Scanner with the page shape set to ID card, or through the one-tap ID Card Auto-Crop.
- Bring the cropped front and back here.
If you are working from an e-Aadhaar PDF rather than a photo, convert the page to an image first with PDF to JPG, and if the PDF is password protected, open it with Remove PDF Password.
Printing and finishing
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Scale | Print at 100%. Never "fit to page" — it silently resizes the card. |
| Paper | Thick matte or glossy photo paper. Ordinary copier paper goes limp inside a pouch. |
| Quality | Use the highest print quality setting; small text on a card shows up every compromise. |
| Cutting | A paper trimmer beats scissors. Cut just inside the guide so no white edge remains. |
| Laminating | Use a card-size pouch and leave a thin sealed border around the card so it does not peel. |
If you want a genuine plastic card rather than a laminated print, that needs a card printer — a print shop can do it from the same file.
What a printed copy is and is not
A printed and laminated copy of your own ID is a convenience: something to carry so the original stays safe. It is not a replacement for the official card, and many offices will still ask to see the original or an officially issued PVC card. Print copies of your own documents only, and follow the issuing authority's rules on how their card may be reproduced.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards fit on one A4 sheet?
At 85.6 × 54 mm with margins and cutting gaps, an A4 sheet holds roughly eight to ten cards. Set the copies field and the preview shows you the actual layout.
Can I put the front and back on the same sheet?
Yes — upload both and they are laid out together, so one print gives you both sides to cut and stick back to back.
My card came out the wrong size. What went wrong?
Almost always the print scaling. Check that the print dialog says 100% or "actual size" and that the paper size selected matches the paper in the tray.
Does this work for a Voter ID or a portrait card?
The layout is built around the standard landscape CR80 card. Old paper Voter ID cards are a different shape — crop them with the Auto Crop Scanner and print at the size you need.
Is it free?
Yes. Free use is subject to a daily limit per tool for visitors who are not signed in; a subscription removes it.
Related tools
- Auto Crop Scanner — get a clean, straight card image to lay out.
- ID Card Auto-Crop — the one-tap version for Aadhaar, PAN and Voter ID.
- PDF to JPG — pull the card out of an e-Aadhaar PDF.
- Passport Photo Maker — the same sheet idea for photos.