How to Print ID Photos at a Japanese Convenience Store: DIY From 30 Yen per L-Size Sheet
A station ID photo booth in Japan costs around 800 to 1,000 yen a go, and retakes rarely go the way you want. If you lay out a photo taken on your phone at ID size and print it through a convenience store's photo print service (L size), one L-size sheet holds 4 to 6 résumé-size photos for 30 to 40 yen. This article covers how to print at 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart, how to take a good photo, why the print size can drift and how to check it, and common mistakes.
What ID photos cost at a convenience store, compared with booths and studios
There are three main ways to get ID photos: a photo booth, a photo studio, or shooting on your phone and printing at a convenience store. Convenience store printing wins on price and easy retakes. You choose the photo size and face position yourself, which also means the result is your responsibility.
| Method | Rough cost | Photos | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo booth | About 800 to 1,000 yen | Several per sheet | When you're in a hurry or have no plain wall at home |
| Photo studio | Several thousand yen and up (more with retouching and data) | Several plus data | Your top-choice job hunt or a passport, where you can't afford a mistake |
| Phone + convenience store L size | 30 to 40 yen per print | 4 to 6 résumé-size | Applying to dozens of companies, or wanting many retakes |
| Phone + convenience store 2L size | 80 to 100 yen per print | 12 to 15 résumé-size | Making a batch in one go |
As of 2026, convenience store photo prints (photo paper, L size) cost about 30 yen at Lawson and FamilyMart and 40 yen at 7-Eleven. Fitting 4 résumé photos (4 cm tall × 3 cm wide) on an L-size sheet works out to 7.5 to 10 yen each, and tightening the margins to fit 6 brings it to about 5 to 7 yen. Prices can change, so check the price list in store or in the app before printing.
How to take a good ID photo on your phone
The shoot affects the result more than the printing steps. Get these 5 points right and you can come close to a booth photo at home.
- Background: stand in front of a plain white, pale blue or pale gray wall. If posters, furniture or door frames show, the photo may be rejected for a passport or My Number Card.
- Distance from the wall: stand about 50 cm away to keep shadows from falling behind you. With your back against the wall, your shoulders cast a shadow that looks like an outline.
- Distance from the camera: hold the phone at eye level, 1 to 1.5 m away, and zoom in a little. At 30 to 50 cm, wide-angle distortion makes your nose and the center of your face look bigger.
- Light: face a window or light yourself from the front. Ceiling lights alone cast shadows under your eyes and nose. Holding a white sheet of paper or board at your chest softens shadows by reflecting light from below.
- Self-timer: a selfie with the front camera is limited by arm's length and tends to distort, so ask a family member, or put your phone on a shelf and use a 3 to 10 second timer.
An upper-body shot from about the chest up, with space above your head, is fine. You'll crop to ID size later, so stepping back a little makes the position easier to adjust than a close-up of just your face.
Lay it out on L size and save as JPEG
A convenience store photo print fills an L-size sheet (89 × 127 mm) with whatever image you send. If you send a single ID photo, it gets stretched to fill the sheet, so you need to arrange actual-size ID photos within an L-size image.
- 1
Check the size required
Common sizes are 4 cm tall × 3 cm wide for a résumé, 3 × 2.4 cm for a driver's license, and 4.5 × 3.5 cm for a passport or My Number Card. If in doubt, read the application guidelines or the note by the photo box on the form.
- 2
Crop the photo and set the face size
Scale it so there's a little space above the top of your head and some of your neck and shoulders show below your chin. For photos with a specified face size, such as a passport, stay within that range.
- 3
Arrange on L size
Leave 2 to 3 mm between photos for cutting and a few mm of margin around the sheet's edge. Lining up same-size photos in the same row lets you cut in one straight line.
- 4
Save as a JPEG at 300 dpi or more
An L-size sheet at 300 dpi is 1051 × 1500 px. A smaller image prints with blurry edges.
How image resolution (dpi) works explains the relationship between dpi and print size. If you can't open a HEIC photo from an iPhone, see how to convert HEIC to JPEG.
How to print at 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart
Convenience store multifunction copiers let you send images from a phone app or load them from a USB drive or SD card. The flow is nearly the same at every store, and the key is to choose "photo print." If you choose a plain-paper print or copy, it comes out on ordinary paper rather than photo paper.
| Store | Main apps and methods | L-size price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7-Eleven | 7-Eleven Multicopy (Wi-Fi in store), Netprint (register in advance and print by number) | 40 yen | With Netprint you can register at home and just enter the number in store |
| Lawson | PrintSmash (Wi-Fi in store), Network Print (register in advance) | 30 yen | Same steps as the Sharp machines at FamilyMart, Ministop and others |
| FamilyMart | PrintSmash, Network Print | 30 yen | Many use the same Sharp machines as Lawson |
- 1
On the copier, choose Print, then Photo Print
The wording varies a little by store and model, but you always choose photo print and L size.
- 2
Send the image
With an app, follow the on-screen instructions to connect your phone to the machine's Wi-Fi, then choose your saved JPEG and send it. With net print services, register in the app at home and enter the print reservation number shown.
- 3
Set paper to L size and choose bordered
Choose the same paper you made the image for. Printing an L-size image on 2L makes all the photos about 1.4 times larger.
- 4
Turn off auto-correction and trimming
If there are options such as image correction, automatic brightness or trimming, turn them all off before printing.
App names and steps can change, so if something doesn't work, check the on-screen instructions and each company's official site.
Why the printed size drifts and how to check it
The most common failure with DIY ID photos is that the print comes out slightly too big (or too small). There are almost always just three causes.
- Borderless printing: to print to the edge, the image is enlarged slightly and its edges cut off. That makes photos 1 to 3% larger, and a 4 cm height can become about 4.1 cm. Printing ID photos with a border is the safe choice.
- A different aspect ratio from the paper: an image not in L-size proportions (89 × 127 mm) gets cropped or gains margins when printed, changing the photo size. Make your image in the same proportions as the paper you'll print on.
- Auto-correction and trimming: if the machine finds a face and crops automatically or raises the brightness, the size and color change.
How to print PDFs and images at actual size also explains this approach. If you print at home, check that "fit to paper" is off and the scale is set to 100%.
How to cut cleanly, and what to watch for when attaching
- A utility knife and metal ruler cut straighter than scissors. Put a cutting mat or thick card underneath.
- Cutting just inside the cut line between photos (on the photo side) leaves no white edge.
- Before cutting, write your name on the back of the photo in oil-based pen so it can be identified if it comes loose. Don't stack the photos until the ink is dry, so it doesn't transfer to the front.
- Photo paper picks up fingerprints easily, so handle photos by the edges.
Résumé photo size and how to attach it covers where to place the photo on a résumé and which glue to use.
Make an L-size ID photo layout in your browser
With the ID Photo L-Size Print Maker, load a phone photo, choose the required size, position your face by dragging and zooming, and save a JPEG laid out on L, 2L, postcard, KG or A4. "Roomy" (4 mm outer margin, 3 mm between photos) fits 4 résumé-size photos on an L-size sheet, and "Pack many in" (1.5 mm outer margin, 2 mm between photos) fits 6.
- You can add a scale to the bottom margin of the image ("if this scale measures 5 cm, the size is correct"), so you can check the size right after printing.
- You can draw gray cut lines 0.4 mm outside each photo.
- You can mix 2 sizes on one L-size sheet, such as 2 résumé and 2 My Number Card photos.
- Photos are processed only in your browser and aren't sent to a server.
The ID photo size list has a table of how many photos fit at each size.
FAQ
- How much does it cost to print ID photos at a convenience store?
- As of 2026, an L-size print on photo paper costs about 30 yen at Lawson and FamilyMart and 40 yen at 7-Eleven. Fitting 4 to 6 résumé-size photos (4 cm tall × 3 cm wide) on one L-size sheet comes to about 5 to 10 yen each. Prices can change, so check in store.
- Should I print ID photos with a border or borderless?
- With a border. Borderless printing enlarges the image slightly to reach the paper's edge, so photos can come out 1 to 3% larger. Print with a border and check the actual size by measuring the scale in the margin with a ruler.
- Can I just print a single ID photo image at L size?
- No. A single ID photo image gets stretched to fill the L-size sheet, making a large photo about 12 cm tall. Create an L-size image (89 × 127 mm) with actual-size ID photos arranged inside it, then print.
- Can I use ID photos printed at a convenience store on a résumé?
- Yes. If they're printed on photo paper and meet the requirements for size, background, clothing and so on, you can use them just like photos from a booth or studio. Avoid prints on plain paper and photos that are extremely dark or bright.
- Is the image quality different between 7-Eleven and Lawson?
- The machine makers and printing methods differ, so color and texture vary. Both are good enough for ID photos, but at a store you haven't used before, print just one sheet to check the size and color before printing more.
Tools in this article
Related articles
Japanese Résumé Photo Size and How to Attach It: 4 × 3 cm, Clothing, Name on the Back and Digital Files
The photo is the first thing someone sees when opening a Japanese résumé. Small slip-ups, such as a size that doesn't fit the photo box, a crooked photo or one that falls off and goes missing, lower the impression before the content is even read. This article covers the correct résumé photo size and face size, choosing clothes, hair and background, how to attach it neatly and why to write your name on the back, and pixel sizes for attaching a photo file to a web application.
Read article →Japanese Passport Photo Requirements and Common Rejections: 34 mm Face Height, Background, Glasses and Bangs
Plenty of people are told at the passport counter that their photo can't be accepted and end up retaking it on the spot. Unlike a résumé photo, a passport photo has its face size and margins fixed to the millimetre. This article sets out the numbers in Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs passport photo standard, the common reasons photos are rejected (background, glasses, bangs, shadows), tips for getting a home photo within the standard, and how to photograph children and babies.
Read article →My Number Card Photo Size and How to Take It: By Mail, by Smartphone and for Renewal
Applying for Japan's My Number Card, and renewing it every 10 years, requires a face photo. Should you use a photo booth, shoot on your phone and send it straight away, or print it and attach it to the application form? The form the photo takes depends on how you apply, which confuses many people. This article covers the photo requirements, what you need for mail, smartphone, computer and photo booth applications, the pixel and file sizes that keep online applications from being rejected, and examples of photos that won't be accepted.
Read article →