How to print your driving licence front and back on one A4 page
By the PdfDady team · Updated · 7 min read
For a photocopy-style print of your driving licence, put a clear image of the front and the back on one A4 sheet at the card's real size, about 85.6 × 54 mm, and print at 100% scale. Both sides matter on the current smart-card licence, because the back carries the QR code and the table of vehicle classes you are licensed for.
Our Driving Licence front and back on A4 tool does the layout in your browser from photos or a PDF, including a DigiLocker download. Below are the steps, the sizes, and an honest note on what a printed copy is and isn't good for.
What a printed copy is for
People usually need a DL copy as identity or address proof for something else: a job application, a rental agreement, a bank or SIM KYC, a vehicle loan, or a form that asks for "a self-attested copy of your driving licence". In each case the organisation decides whether it accepts a DL and in what form.
A printout is not a substitute for the licence on the road. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways amended Rule 139 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules in 2018 to allow documents to be produced in electronic form, and its standard operating procedure says licences shown through DigiLocker or mParivahan are treated at par with the originals. That recognition is about the record in those apps, which an officer can check. A sheet of A4 from a printer is just a copy. If you want to leave the card at home, keep the licence in DigiLocker or mParivahan on your phone, not a printout in the glovebox.
What is on each side
The current card format is set by Form 7 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules. Going by its published layout:
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| State code, national emblem, card heading | DL number |
| DL number, issue date and validity | QR code (15 × 15 mm) |
| Name, date of birth, blood group, organ donor | Vehicle class table (class, code, issue date, issued by) |
| Son/daughter/wife of, address | Emergency contact number |
| Date of first issue | Licensing authority |
| Photograph and holder's signature | Hazardous or hill validity, if any |
Older cards and the old booklet licences look different, and some states issued their own designs before the common format. Whatever yours looks like, copy both sides unless you are told only the front is needed.
Steps to put both sides on A4
- Open the tool and add the front: a JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC photo (up to 25 MB), or a PDF.
- If the PDF has several pages, use Previous and Next to find the card. If it asks for a password, type it in. It is used only in your browser.
- Add the back. When both sides are on the same PDF page, add the PDF as the front and press Use the same PDF page on the back side.
- Use Crop & position on each side. For a PDF, the tool suggests a crop on a card-shaped area it finds on the page. It hasn't been tested against every state's file layout, so check each crop and adjust it.
- Rotate in 90° steps if a side is sideways.
- Leave the size at 85.6 × 54 mm, or enter your card's measurements as a custom size.
- Pick A4 portrait or landscape, the gap between cards, and whether you want cut lines (on by default).
- Check the DPI shown under each side. The tool warns below 200 DPI.
- Download
driving-licence-front-back-a4.pdfor press Print.
PDF pages are rendered at 300 DPI, so a good PDF gives a sharp card.
Starting from DigiLocker
If your licence is linked in DigiLocker, you can save the issued document as a PDF and add it to the tool. How that PDF is laid out varies, and it may not look like the plastic card at all. If it is a full-page document rather than a card image, you have two reasonable choices:
- Print the PDF as it is on A4. For many forms this is a perfectly good copy, and you don't need the card layout.
- Crop the card area in the tool if the page does include a card-style front and back.
What you should not do is try to rebuild a card-looking front from a certificate-style page. The tool only arranges the images you give it. It doesn't create or change any details, and a copy should look like what it is.
Photographing the physical card
- Lay the card flat on a dark, plain surface in good daylight.
- Flash off. The card's surface reflects it as a white blotch.
- Shoot straight down so the edges are parallel, with the card filling most of the frame.
- Zoom in and check that the DL number and the small vehicle-class text on the back are readable. Form 7 sets that table in 5 pt type, the smallest text on the card, so it is the first thing to blur.
If the back comes out soft, retake it. No print setting can sharpen a blurred photo.
Size and print settings
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Form 7 card size | 85.6 × 54.02 mm, tolerance ±2 mm |
| Tool default | 85.6 × 54 mm |
| A4 sheet | 210 × 297 mm |
| Print scale | Actual size or 100% |
| Paper | A4 |
The 0.02 mm difference between the rule and the tool default is far below what any printer can show. Older or state-specific cards may differ more, so measure yours if it looks different.
In the print dialog, turn off Fit to page and set Scale to 100 (Chrome and Edge keep this under More settings), or choose Actual size in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Check the first print by laying your card on it. For why this matters, our explainer on ID card size in mm goes into scaling in more detail.
Common problems
The card prints smaller than the real one. Scaling was on. Reprint at 100% on A4.
The vehicle-class table is unreadable. The back image doesn't have enough pixels. Take a closer photo or use the PDF.
The automatic crop caught the wrong area. Drag and resize the frame yourself, then check the preview.
A portal wants the DL as a small PDF. Download the page, then bring it under the limit with Compress PDF. To send it with other documents in one file, use Merge PDF. Photos of other documents can be turned into pages first with Image to PDF.
Questions people ask
What is the size of an Indian driving licence card in mm?
Form 7 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules gives 85.6 × 54.02 mm with a tolerance of ±2 mm, and a minimum thickness of 0.7 mm. That is effectively the same as a bank card.
Can I show a printout to traffic police?
A printout is a copy. The MoRTH SOP recognises the licence as shown in DigiLocker or mParivahan, or the physical card. Carry one of those.
Does the copy need to be in colour?
Only if the organisation asks for it. Many accept black and white. If the notice is silent, ask, or print in colour.
Are my files uploaded?
No. The tool runs in your browser, there's no sign-up, and nothing leaves your device. PdfDady is independent and not affiliated with MoRTH, Parivahan or any state transport department.