What Size Are Wallet Photos: Get the Perfect Wallet Fit

Imagine you've had a tiring day, and now you're just approaching the bus stop when the bus passes by. You decide to go to the grocery store. While you're picking up some goods, you notice that the next bus is coming in a few minutes.

You quickly go to the checkout, look for a card to pay, and open your wallet. And you see photos of your family, relatives, or animals. These are the people who are waiting for you at home and will be happy to see you. And all the worries are not so valued when there is a reason to be satisfied. 

If you want to capture moments or carry your loved ones with you, however, there are a few questions. What size is a wallet? It is easy to answer with our article.

What does a photo in a wallet mean?

In the age of digitalization, photos began to be stored in files, and now it's commonplace: snapshots are sorted by date, event, and have memory functions. Against the backdrop of technological development, a picture in a wallet is like a ray of sunshine that brings warmth, a smile to your face, and calmness within.

A photo in a wallet is a small image created to be placed in a special hole with a transparent “window” of a standard wallet. People put pictures in their wallets for several reasons:

Depiction of the closest people

When we hear the phrase “photo in a wallet,” we immediately recall the plot of a movie. The moment when the protagonist takes out his wallet and sees a photo of his family or loved one. This picture is of him in his most difficult moments. It provides motivation, warmth, and love. The hero knows why he is going through his thorny path.

Similarly, in life, people often keep snapshots of their loved ones in their wallets, which they use daily. The American credit brand Saving Spot examined the wallets of people from various countries and highlighted their findings. Venezuelan Ashley says the high-priority attribute of his wallet is a photo of his wife and children.

Images to capture the moment

We have a remarkable event in our lives that we would like to remember forever. And it is the wallet that will help to realize this, because when we take out the necessary things, we see all the contents at once, and at the same time, a photo. It can be a snapshot of happy parents visiting their child at graduation, or a New Year's Eve celebration with friends at a distance, or a partner's happy face on their birthday.

Photo for security purposes

In 2009, psychologists from the University of Hertfordshire and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, distributed 240 wallets around the city and observed the behavior of the people. 42% of the wallets were returned, which shows that people are honest. But there was one interesting detail: in addition to the amount of money inside, the essential factor was the pictures that were there.

Some people may put their photo inside to increase the likelihood of recovering their lost wallet. Anyone who finds the wallet and decides to return it can contact the police, making it much easier to identify the owner.

The main pride

Jason from Finland, who took part in a survey by credit brand Saving Spot, carries a depiction of his dog in his wallet. He says that he is very proud to have a pet, so he decided to put a photo of his pet. It reminds him that his four-legged friend is waiting for him at home. 

And often, parents insert a picture of their child performing on stage, scoring their first goal in a match, drawing their best picture, or rejoicing over a cup from a competition. Anyone and everything can be a reason to be proud — the choice is yours.

Wallet-size photo 

The standard wallet size photo in inches is 2×3. Where, for a horizontal image, it is 2 inches high and 3 inches wide. For a vertical image, the size is 3x2, measuring 3 inches high and 2 inches wide.

However, in the United States, different photo printing companies have slightly different suggestions for product sizes:

In the US, inches are used to indicate the unit of length. If you see a wallet size picture in cm, here's what it looks like in the metric system: 1 inch = 2.54 cm. So, a standard 2×3" size in centimeters would be 5.08x7.62.

However, there are different sizes of photos that are also worth considering. And often, the size of the future photo depends on the size of your wallet.

If you have enough space for banknotes, coins, IDs, and bank cards, then you are the owner of a large (classic) wallet. Its dimensions: 12,5х9,6. This allows you to store a lot of things and easily get and return everything to its place.

And if your wallet fits freely in the back pocket of your jeans, then you are the owner of a medium wallet. This wallet is an alternative to the previous one. It can hold banknotes, bank cards, and a coin compartment. Its dimensions are approximately 11.5x9.5 cm-45.27x37.40 inches.

If you prefer minimalism, carry a couple of banknotes and 2-3 bank cards, and you'll likely appreciate this compact wallet. Its dimensions are approximately 8.5x10.2 cm-33.46x40.15 inches. Depending on the position of the bank cards, they can be arranged horizontally or vertically.

If your wallet looks proportionally correct from all sides, then you have a square wallet. All sides are equal. A square photo will do for you.

How to prepare a wallet photo for printing?

To make your wallet picture experience a success, you need to prepare it properly for printing. We've prepared a step-by-step algorithm on how to measure photo size that will fit your wallet and meet the standard size for wallet photos:

1. Choose a section for the depiction. It can be a special compartment with a transparent insert that protects the photo from damage. Or if there is no such compartment, then any other place.

2. Measure the size of the card. Usually, the card is 3.37 x 2.125" (8.6 x 5.4 cm).

3. Check the wallet’s capacity. Insert the bank card into the hole and check that the width of the item fits. Next, measure the height of the bank card that is inserted into the wallet compartment.

4. Picture with or without a frame. Decide whether you want to have a border on the photo that will sort of frame it. If you want a white box around your picture, you need to take into account the features. A photo with more than one person or some other objects next to the main one will most likely disappear from the canvas, or only half of them will be visible. Because when the frame appears, the photo will become even smaller.

5. Select the photo. It needs to be cropped to fit the size you want. You can resize images with Luminar Neo.

6. Crop the depiction. Add the photo to the program. If the photo matrix of the department in the wallet matches the wallet photo dimensions, then select the 2×3 format in the crop section. If the dimensions are slightly different, select the free function and crop the photo as needed. The width and height marks at the top will help you determine the exact dimensions.

7. The resolution. Set the resolution to 300 dpi (dots per inch). Remember: the smaller the photo, the higher the resolution.

8. The format. Save the photo in JPEG or PNG format. And the photo is ready for printing!

And if the picture is smaller than the wallet photo format, with an AI photo expander you can easily fix it. Restore what was lost or extend the original background and print it. You can adjust the picture format and the side on which the expansion will take place. Just set the size and enter your request!

Wallet photo vs. passport photo

A passport photo is 2x2, which is pretty close to a wallet photo. So you might think they are the same size. You choose the wallet photo because it's cheaper than the passport one, change photo background to white, realize how big a wallet size photo is, and decide to crop it. You submit this image in your application. As a result, you are rejected. 

Why? Because there are standards for passport photos. One of the requirements that distinguishes a passport photo from others is that the head must be centered. The distance from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head should be between 25 and 35 mm. 

The person should look straight ahead. You should also avoid creating swirling shadows or undesirable image processing effects. Therefore, you should not choose a wallet format for your passport photo.

Photo for wallet vs. photo for ID 

Then what about using a wallet-sized photo for an ID photo? The rules also make it impossible to use a wallet-sized photo. The position of the head and the quality of the background, the absence of filters, and damage during processing are dominant. And often the photo for an ID card has a square size of 2x2.

However, you can use the dimensions of the wallet photo for some types of badges. For example, a small badge has a size of 2×3, which fully corresponds to the standard size for wallet photos. Keep in mind that the style of the image should be formal, with the body position straight from head to chest. The background should be mostly white. And the person's appearance is neutral.

Using this table, it is easy to answer the question “Can I use a wallet photo for IDs or a passport photo?” However, there are cases when it is allowed to use a wallet-sized picture in business documents. However, this must be specified in the rules of the official structure or the requirements sent by the company, which outline the format of the photo.

The best photo size for your wallet

People become attached to their wallets and are more confident in the one that reflects their personality. And a photo in a wallet is a reflection of something major and pleasant. By determining the size of a wallet photo, we can store the most valuable things there — moments. Once you have decided on your wallet and the size of its compartments, it becomes much easier to choose the right picture format.