How to photograph your signature properly

Signature photo for online forms: paper, ink, light, angle — and why scanning is not required.

What you'll need

• Phone with rear camera
• Plain wall or white sheet
• Even front light

Step 1: Prepare the background

Use a plain light wall. Stand one arm's length away to reduce shadows.

Step 2: Frame the shot

Rear camera at eye level. Leave headroom — see Signature rejected on an exam form — the real causes for face-height rules.

Step 3: Light from the front

Face the window or lamp. Avoid overhead-only light.

Step 4: Export to spec

Crop, resize, then compress — see Indian passport photo size — 35×45 mm (2026 rules). Wrong order causes blur.

Common mistakes at each step

• HEIC from iPhone — convert to JPG
• Compress before crop — loses quality
• Ignoring minimum KB — over-compression fails too

Do it automatically

FAQ

Can I use the front camera? Rear camera is sharper; front works if the lens is clean.

Where is the full spec? See Signature rejected: the seven reasons and how to fix each and the official notification.

Document photo rules look similar across portals but differ in pixels, KB, and background. Always read the current notification instead of copying last year's file. When a form rejects an upload, note the exact error text — "invalid dimensions" and "file too large" need different fixes. PhotoFix presets encode the published spec so you do not have to memorize each exam.

Before final submit, compare your export against the checklist: correct JPG, dimensions within range, KB inside the window, plain background, and face proportion where applicable. Keeping the original photo lets you re-export if a portal updates limits mid-cycle.