We're the Perfect Print team. Applying to schools, colleges, or exams often means attaching a photo — and the maddening part is that the required size is rarely the same twice. One application asks for a 2 x 2 inch square, another for a small rectangle like 4.5 x 3.5cm or 4 x 3cm, and a third lists something else entirely. Apply to several places and you suddenly need multiple sizes and a stack of prints. This article is about producing each required size accurately, with as little waste as possible.
Why several applications mean several sizes
There's no universal application-photo standard, so each school or exam board sets its own. The differences are small but they matter: a photo built for a square format won't satisfy a form that wants a tall rectangle, and a booth that prints one fixed size can't cover all of them. If you're applying to several places at once, you end up needing multiple formats, plus enough copies of each. Buying separate booth strips for every size gets expensive fast.
Always read each application's photo instructions carefully and note the exact dimensions and any rules about head size or background. Once you have that list, the task becomes producing each size precisely — and ideally batching them so you print only what you'll actually attach.
Why redoing crops drifts off size
The usual approach is to re-crop the photo for each format in a photo editor. But a crop only changes the pixels; it doesn't pin down how many centimeters or inches the print becomes. Print with fit-to-page and every one of those crops scales to the sheet, so none of them land at the size the form requires. Redo it per school and you're stacking that same error several times over.
The fix is to set each photo to a real physical size before printing. Perfect Print lets you enter each application's exact dimensions and places the image at that size, so a 4.5 x 3.5cm photo really is 4.5 x 3.5cm on paper.
Enter each required size and print only what you need
The flow handles multiple formats easily. Pick a paper size — a letter or A4 sheet works well — choose your photo, then enter the dimensions one application asks for (say 4.5 x 3.5cm), and the image is placed at that actual size. Add the number of copies that school needs. You can also drop a few different sizes onto the same sheet — a couple at one size, a couple at another — so one print run covers several applications.
Save the image and print at home or at a print shop with the setting on actual size (100%), never fit-to-page. Because you place exactly the copies and sizes you need, there's almost no waste, and the cost per photo stays low. Check each print against a ruler before you trim and attach it.
Perfect Print
A free app that sets photos to each exact required size in inches or centimeters and prints at 100%. Millimeter-precise, place several sizes on one sheet. No sign-up, iPhone / Android.
Learn more about Perfect PrintFrequently asked questions
Why do applications ask for different photo sizes?
There is no single application-photo standard, so each school or exam board sets its own dimensions. Read each application's instructions and note the exact size it requires.
Can I put more than one size on a single sheet?
Yes. In Perfect Print you can place copies at different sizes on the same sheet — a few at one size, a few at another — so one print run covers several applications.
Why doesn't re-cropping per school work?
Cropping changes pixels, not physical size, so fit-to-page scales each crop when you print. Enter each required size in Perfect Print and print at actual size (100%) instead.
How do I avoid wasting prints?
Place exactly the copies and sizes you need across one or two sheets and print at 100%. You only pay for the paper, not a separate booth strip for every format.