PAN Card Photo and Scan Specs: NSDL and UTI DPI Presets (Free)
PAN applications route through two processors with different imaging rules, and applicants routinely prepare for the wrong one. NSDL expects 200 DPI; UTIITSL works at 300 and 600 DPI depending on channel.
The difference shows up as pixels per centimetre and as a DPI value written into the file itself. This guide explains both and the presets that satisfy each.
What each processor expects
NSDL: photo 3.5 x 2.5 cm at 200 DPI, signature 197 x 57 px equivalent, modest KB caps, JPG. UTIITSL: 300 DPI standard channel and 600 DPI for high-res capture, same physical framing.
Because DPI is metadata as well as pixels, a file can have correct dimensions and still fail a DPI check if the value was never written.
Presets that write the DPI value
- Open PAN Card Photo Resize and choose the NSDL or UTI preset.
- The preset sets pixels from the physical size and writes the DPI tag into the exported file.
- Check the KB cap readout; both processors enforce weight.
- Download photo and signature; nothing is uploaded during the process.
Scanning versus photographing
A flatbed scan at the target DPI is the cleanest source: even light, no perspective, true scale. Phone photos work when the document lies flat under even light and the crop stays square to the edges.
- Avoid flash glare over laminated cards; indirect daylight beside a window beats overhead light.
Keep the full card in frame, then crop to the preset rather than cropping first.
Where people lose applications
Wrong processor preset, missing DPI tag, or a signature scanned from a grey photograph instead of white paper. Each is invisible on screen and obvious to the verifier.
If your signature source is grey, lift the background to white before resizing; contrast is what survives compression.
Try it free: PAN Card Photo Resize | runs entirely in your browser, no uploads and no signup.