Thumb impression sizes by exam
Forms differ more than you might expect: some set an exact pixel size and DPI, some only a file size, and one wants every finger and thumb of both hands in a single picture. Each row below is as per that exam's notice, with the notice's date; check the latest notice before you apply. Under the table are each exam's own rules and its notice's words.
| Exam and upload | Pixels | File size | Format | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBPS Left thumb impression | 240 × 240 px (preferred) 3 × 3 cm, 200 DPI | 20–50 KB | JPG / JPEG | IBPS CRP PO/MT-XVI Detailed Notification, dated 30 June 2026 |
| SBI Left thumb impression | 240 × 240 px (preferred) 3 × 3 cm, 200 DPI | 20–50 KB | JPG / JPEG | SBI PO Advertisement No. CRPD/PO/2026-27/09, dated 18 June 2026 |
| LIC Left thumb impression | 240 × 240 px (preferred) 3 × 3 cm, 200 DPI | 20–50 KB | JPG / JPEG | LIC AAO (Generalist) 32nd Batch notification, applications 16.08.2025 to 08.09.2025, read on 8 October 2026 |
| NEET (UG) Fingers and thumb impressions (both hands, one image) | Not set | 10–200 KB we aim for 50–200 KB | JPG/JPEG | NEET (UG) 2026 Information Bulletin (revised PDF), dated 23 February 2026 |
| NEET PG Left thumb impression in a 3.5 × 1.5 cm box | Not set 3.5 × 1.5 cm | less than 80 KB we aim for 79 KB or less | JPG/JPEG | NEET-PG 2026 Image Upload Instructions (NBEMS), dated 1 July 2026 |
| AFCAT Thumb impression | Not set | 50–100 KB | JPG/JPEG | AFCAT 02/2026 Notification, read on 8 October 2026 |
| Sarathi Thumb impression (only if you can't sign) | 256 × 64 px (presumed) | 10–20 KB | JPEG/JPG | Sarathi guideline: Photo and Signature Scan & Upload Process, file date 28 October 2014, read on 8 October 2026 |
IBPS: Left thumb impression
Your left thumb impression on white paper with black or blue ink.
- Left thumb, pressed on white paper with black or blue ink
- No left thumb: use the right thumb. No thumbs: a finger of the left hand starting from the forefinger, then the right hand, then the left toe, and say which finger, hand or toe in the image
“Dimensions: 240 x 240 pixels in 200 DPI (Preferred for required quality) i.e. 3 cm * 3 cm (Width * Height).”
“File Size: 20 KB - 50 KB.”
SBI: Left thumb impression
Your left thumb impression on white paper with black or blue ink.
- Left thumb, on white paper, with black or blue ink
- No left thumb: you may use your right thumb
“240 x 240 pixels in 200 DPI (Preferred for required quality) i.e. 3 cm x 3 cm (Width x Height)”
“File Size: 20 kb- 50 kb”
LIC: Left thumb impression
Your left thumb impression on white paper with black or blue ink, scanned so it isn't smudged.
- Left thumb, black or blue ink, white paper; no left thumb: use the right one
- Not smudged, and cropped to the edge of the impression
“left thumb impression (on white paper with black or blue ink)”
“Dimensions: 240 x 240 pixels in 200 DPI (Preferred for required quality) i.e 3 cm * 3 cm (Width * Height)”
“File Size: 20 KB - 50 KB”
NEET (UG): Fingers and thumb impressions (both hands, one image)
One image with the finger and thumb impressions of both your left and right hands.
- One image with the fingers and thumbs of both hands: there are no separate left and right thumb uploads
- Make the impressions clear: unclear impressions are rejected, and there's no correction later
“Left and Right Hands Fingers and Thumb impressions in JPG/JPEG format between 10 kb to 200 kb”
“File size must be between 50 kb to 300 kb”
Why 50–200 KB: Clause d(iii) and the upload form say 10–200 KB, but another line of the same bulletin says 50–300 KB. A file of 50–200 KB meets both.
NEET PG: Left thumb impression in a 3.5 × 1.5 cm box
A horizontal print of your left thumb, made with a fresh blue or black ink pad inside a 3.5 cm × 1.5 cm box on white paper, cropped to the box.
- Left thumb, pressed horizontally inside the box with a fresh blue or black ink pad
- Crop to the box: a whole A4 sheet makes the print too small
- A complete, clear print: not smudged, over-inked, dry or cut off
“Draw a box of 3.5 cm x 1.5 cm (width x height) on a white sheet of paper”
“Set the scanner to 200 dpi.”
“Save the scanned image of thumb-print as .jpg/.jpeg format.”
Why 79 KB or less: NBEMS says "less than 80kb" (the User Manual says "Maximum 80 Kb"), so the tool stays at 79 KB or less, under the limit however a KB is counted.
AFCAT: Thumb impression
Men upload the left thumb and women the right thumb, pressed on an ink stamp pad and then on plain blank paper.
- Men: left thumb. Women: right thumb
- Press it on an ink stamp pad, then once on plain blank paper
- Save it as JPG: the notification says JPG/JPEG in two places and adds PDF in only one
“Male candidates should upload their left thumb, and Female candidates should upload their right thumb - created by pressing on ink stamp pad and then on plain blank paper.”
“Size of the file should be between 50KB to 100KB in jpg/jpeg and pdf formats only.”
Sarathi: Thumb impression (only if you can't sign)
Only for applicants who can't sign: a thumb impression in place of the signature, right thumb for women and left thumb for men.
- Women: right thumb. Men: left thumb
- It goes in the signature slot. The guideline gives it no size of its own; the signature's 256 × 64 px and 10–20 KB presumably apply, so the tool uses them
- The slot is four times as wide as it is high: photograph the impression in landscape with paper on both sides, then zoom out until it all fits
- Your fingerprints are still taken in person at the RTO; this image doesn't replace that
“For illiterate applicants - Right hand thumb impression in case of female applicant and left hand thumb impression in case of male applicant”
How to use the thumb impression resizer
- Under Which form is it for?, choose your exam. If it isn't listed, choose Another form and type the pixel size and KB limits from your notice.
- Choose a scan or a straight phone photo of the impression. Zoom in until the print fills most of the frame, use Turn 90° if it's sideways, and tap Whiten the paper if the paper looks grey.
- Download the file once its checklist is green. Switching to another exam keeps your picture, so you can make the file for a second form straight away.
Example: a IBPS thumb impression from a phone photo
- Left thumb impression: a 6-megapixel phone picture of the paper, 2,880 × 2,160 px, opens as a 2,400 × 1,800 px copy; the frame at the notice's 240 × 240 px shape covers 1,800 × 1,800 px, drawn smaller, at 240 × 240 px. The JPEG is 20,480 to 50,000 bytes (20–50 KB) with 200 DPI, named ibps-thumb-240x240.jpg. Under 20,480 bytes at full quality, an invisible comment makes up the rest.
The JPEG quality it lands on depends on the picture itself.
Making a clear thumb impression
A resizer can't add ridges that aren't on the paper, so start with a clean print. A practical way to get one: ink the thumb lightly and evenly on a stamp pad, press it once on plain white paper with steady pressure, and lift it straight up so it doesn't smear. Make two or three prints and keep the clearest. Where the notices in the table name an ink colour, it is black or blue.
Let the ink dry before you scan it. A flatbed scanner gives the sharpest result; the bank notices ask for at least 200 dpi. A phone photo works if you take it in daylight, without the flash, holding the phone flat above the paper. Then crop close: a print lost in a big white sheet becomes a tiny smudge at a few hundred pixels.
Thumb impression instead of a signature
Some forms that have no thumb upload accept a thumb impression in the signature slot, but only from certain candidates. SSC allows it for visually impaired (PwD(VH)) candidates and states no separate size for it:
“For the PwD(VH) candidates, the thumb impression is also allowed.”
RRB treats a fingerprint from a candidate who can't sign as the signature upload, in a fixed order of fingers:
“Some categories of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities whose disability prevents from signing are allowed to upload the scanned image of any one of the finger print as may be feasible in the following order: - Left hand thumb, Right hand thumb, any finger of hands, any finger of legs”
For everyone else, RRB lists a thumb impression in place of the signature as a ground for rejection. If one of these applies to you, choose Another form above and type that form's signature limits from its notice.
The driving licence portal, Sarathi, asks applicants who can't sign for a thumb impression in the signature slot:
“For illiterate applicants - Right hand thumb impression in case of female applicant and left hand thumb impression in case of male applicant”
The guideline gives it no size of its own; the signature slot's 256 × 64 px, 10–20 KB presumably applies, so choose Sarathi under Which form is it for? and the file is made at that size (the Sarathi page has the photo and signature too). For a PAN application, Protean asks applicants who can't sign for a left hand thumb impression in the signature's place, preferably in black ink and attested, and publishes no size for it. It goes where the signature goes, so the signature card on the PAN page (4.5 × 2 cm, up to 10 KB) makes a file that slot takes.
How the tool reaches the KB range
When the notice gives an exact pixel size, the file is drawn at that size and saved as a JPEG at the highest quality that keeps it under the maximum. When it gives only a file size, your own crop is kept, at up to 2,400 pixels on its longest side; if even 60% quality is too big, the pixels are reduced, keeping the crop's shape, and the search runs again. A file still under the minimum at full quality gets an invisible comment added until it reaches it. The checklist is read from the finished file, and the DPI is written in where the notice states one. For a whole exam's uploads in one go, open its own page from the table, such as the IBPS resizer; for a signed declaration, the Handwritten Declaration Resizer.
Sources
Every exam's numbers come from its own notice, named and dated in the table, which we read on 8 October 2026. Each exam's page lists all its sources and when we will check them again. Notices change between cycles, so open the latest one for your exam before you apply.