[IPP] Passport photo media size

[IPP] Passport photo media size

Michael Sweet msweet at msweet.org
Thu Mar 13 12:47:24 UTC 2025


Michael,

2x2"/51x51mm isn't a worldwide standard and is only used in the US and a few other countries, mainly for issuing identity documents to US residents (probably because they find it easier for people to get photos in the US...)  The most common ID photo size by far is 35x45mm:

    https://makepassportphoto.com/blog/passport-photo-size-measurements/

If you want to have standardized naming, use the "oe" (other english) and "om" (other metric) prefixes with a common media name, e.g.:

    oe_id-photo_2x2in
    om_id-photo_20x30mm
    om_id-photo_26x32mm
    om_id-photo_30x40mm
    om_id-photo_33x48mm
    om_id-photo_35x35mm
    om_id-photo_35x42mm
    om_id-photo_35x45mm
    om_id-photo_36x47mm
    om_id-photo_37x37mm
    om_id-photo_40x40mm
    om_id-photo_40x45mm
    om_id-photo_40x52mm
    om_id-photo_40x60mm
    om_id-photo_50x70mm
    om_id-photo_58x58mm

That said, most clients use "media-col" in order to specify other media properties, so the actual size name isn't super important.

Also, in my experience professional ID photographers typically print these photos 2-up on common small photo sheets and cut to the required size since many countries have different size requirements for different identity documents (e.g. passports use one size, visas a different size).  That usage would map to "imposition-template" keywords vs. media sizes.

Finally, ID photos have a bunch of other requirements not related to the size - required background, color vs. B&W, positioning/scaling, etc.


> On Mar 12, 2025, at 4:22 PM, Michael Ziller via ipp <ipp at pwg.org> wrote:
> 
> Why isn’t there a standard media size for 2x2” photo (or 51mmx51mm) for passport photos?
> Shouldn’t we have something here in IANA for this common requirement?
>  Thanks,
> Michael
> _______________________________________________
> ipp mailing list
> ipp at pwg.org
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________________________
Michael Sweet



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