How to print Aadhaar front and back on one A4 sheet
By the PdfDady team · Updated · 8 min read
To get both sides of your Aadhaar on one A4 page, you need a clear image of each side, a layout that places them at card size (85.6 × 54 mm), and one printer setting: print at Actual size or 100%, never "Fit to page". Miss that last one and the card comes out a few millimetres too small, which is the most common reason these printouts look wrong.
Our Aadhaar front and back on A4 tool does the layout part in your browser. You add the two images, crop them, and download a one-page PDF. Nothing is uploaded. The rest of this guide covers the whole job, including the parts no tool can do for you, such as taking a usable photo and setting up the printer.
First, decide what you are starting from
There are two common starting points, and the steps differ a little.
You have the physical card or letter. Take a photo or scan of each side. This is the simple route.
You only have the e-Aadhaar PDF. This is the password-protected file you download from UIDAI's myAadhaar portal. UIDAI says e-Aadhaar, the Aadhaar letter and the PVC card are all equally valid, so if someone just needs "a copy of your Aadhaar", printing the PDF as it is on A4 is usually enough. You only need the steps below if you want the card-sized front and back on their own, the way a photocopy of a card looks.
Taking photos that print well
A blurry photo cannot be fixed later, so spend a minute here.
- Put the card on a plain, dark, flat surface. A table works better than your palm.
- Stand near a window or under a ceiling light. Switch the flash off, because a laminated or PVC card throws back a white glare patch right over the text.
- Hold the phone directly above the card, parallel to it, so the card looks like a rectangle and not a trapezium.
- Fill most of the frame with the card, tap to focus, and check that the smallest text is readable when you zoom in.
A card printed at 85.6 mm wide needs roughly 1,000 pixels across to reach 300 DPI, and about 675 pixels for 200 DPI. Any recent phone manages this easily if the card fills the frame. A cropped screenshot of a WhatsApp forward often does not.
Steps with photos of the card
- Open the tool and add the front image, then the back image. JPG, PNG, WebP and iPhone HEIC photos all work, up to 25 MB each.
- Rotate each image in 90° steps if it is sideways, then crop away the table so only the card remains.
- Choose A4 portrait or landscape. Leave the card size at the default 85.60 × 53.98 mm unless your card measures differently.
- Adjust the gap between the two cards and check the live preview. Each side shows its print resolution in DPI, so you can spot a weak photo before wasting paper.
- Turn on cut lines if you plan to trim the cards out.
- Download the PDF, or open it for printing.
Your images keep their proportions throughout. The tool never stretches a photo to fill the card area, so if your crop is a slightly different shape, you will see a thin margin instead of a distorted card.
Steps with the e-Aadhaar PDF
The Aadhaar tool takes images, not PDFs, so there is one extra step.
- Open the e-Aadhaar in our PDF to JPG tool. It will ask for the password, which is used only in your browser. If you are not sure of it, see our guide to the e-Aadhaar PDF password.
- Choose 300 DPI and convert the page. You get one JPG of the whole letter.
- In the Aadhaar tool, add that same JPG as the front and again as the back.
- Crop the first copy down to the front panel of the card section, and the second copy down to the back panel.
- Check the preview and DPI, then download or print.
If you would rather keep a copy of the PDF that opens without a password, our Unlock PDF tool saves one once you enter the correct password.
Printer settings that keep the card at real size
The PDF you download is an exact A4 page (210 × 297 mm) with the cards drawn at the size you chose. Whether the paper matches depends entirely on the print dialog.
| Setting | Choose | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | Actual size, 100%, or "No scaling" | Fit to page, Shrink to fit, Fit to printable area |
| Paper size | A4 | Letter (some printers default to it) |
| Quality | Normal or High | Draft, which blurs small text |
| Colour | Colour or black and white, as the recipient wants |
"Fit to page" shrinks the whole sheet so that it clears the printer's unprintable margins. The reduction looks tiny on screen, but at 95% a card prints at about 81 × 51 mm instead of 85.6 × 54 mm, and that is visible when you hold the real card against it.
The wording changes from one app to another. In Chrome and Edge, open More settings and set Scale to 100. In Adobe Acrobat Reader, choose Actual size. At a print shop, say "print at 100%, no scaling" and ask them to print one copy first.
To check the result, lay your real card (or any debit card, which is the same size) on the printed one. The edges should line up.
Common problems and fixes
The printed card is smaller than the real one. The printer scaled the page. Reprint at Actual size or 100% with A4 selected.
The text looks soft or pixelated. The image did not have enough pixels. Check the DPI figure in the tool. Retake the photo closer to the card, or convert the e-Aadhaar at 300 DPI.
There is a white glare patch on the photo. Turn off the flash and move so that no light reflects off the card straight into the lens.
The card looks tilted or tapered. The phone was at an angle. Retake it from directly above. Cropping cannot straighten a skewed photo.
The back is upside down. Rotate it in 90° steps before cropping.
You need this page inside a larger application file. Download the A4 PDF and combine it with your other documents. If the other documents are photos, Image to PDF turns them into pages first.
Before you hand over the copy
A printed copy made this way is a photocopy, nothing more. The tool only arranges the images you give it. It does not create, verify or alter any Aadhaar details, and whether a copy is accepted is up to the organisation asking for it. Some ask you to sign the copy (self-attest), so ask before you go.
Also consider whether the recipient needs your full Aadhaar number. UIDAI offers a masked version that shows only the last four digits. Our guide on masking your Aadhaar number before sharing explains when that works and how to do it on a copy you already have.
Questions people ask
What is the size of an Aadhaar card in mm?
A PVC Aadhaar card is normally 85.60 × 53.98 mm, the international ID-1 size also used for bank cards. UIDAI describes its PVC card as "credit card sized" but does not publish the measurement in millimetres, so measure your own card and enter a custom size if it differs. More on this in our explainer on ID card size in mm.
Can I print Aadhaar front and back on both sides of the paper instead?
You can, but lining up the two sides on a home printer is fiddly, and most offices expect both sides on the same face of one sheet so they can see everything at once. One A4 page with front and back side by side or one above the other is the usual format.
Is a colour print required?
That depends on who is asking. Many accept a black and white copy. If the notice or form does not say, ask, or print in colour to be safe.
Is a plastic card printed at a shop the same as UIDAI's PVC card?
No. The PVC card that UIDAI issues is ordered through the myAadhaar portal for a fee (Rs. 75 including GST and speed post at the time of writing) and carries security features such as a tamper-proof QR code, micro text and a ghost image. A home or shop print is only a copy.
Are my Aadhaar images uploaded when I use the tool?
No. All processing happens in your browser, and there is no sign-up. PdfDady is independent and not affiliated with UIDAI or the Government of India.