Quick reminder on resizing template photos

Just had to reject three more submissions tonight, and tbh it's the same issue every time – the head height is completely off for the AZ templates. If you haven't run into this yet, here's what I've been seeing: the face either looks stretched vertically or squished, and when you measure from chin to crown in the final file it's way outside the 1.29 inch spec. Sometimes it's off by a quarter inch or more, which means the whole ID will look wrong when printed and laminated. It's an instant rejection because we can't risk sending something that won't scan right or match the state's proportions.

Troubleshooting this is pretty straightforward. First, double-check your template layer – make sure you're working on the correct AZ layout and haven't accidentally scaled it. Then measure the head height in the actual image layer, not the preview. If it's not sitting at that 1.29 inch mark, you'll need to resize the photo layer, not crop it. Also, check your export settings – make sure you're saving at 600 DPI, not 300 or 72. I've seen people export at 300 DPI thinking it's fine, but then the physical dimensions get blown up wrong and the head height goes out of whack.

The fix is pretty simple actually. Just set your canvas to the correct template dimensions – typically 3.375x2.125 for AZ – then place your photo so the head height measures exactly 1.29 inches from chin to top of hair. Export at 600 DPI in TIFF or high-quality PNG. Whatever you do, don't scale the photo after placing it – that's what causes the distortion.

For prevention, I'd suggest making a habit of checking the physical dimensions before you export. Keep a ruler or use your software's ruler tool to verify that head height. Some people save a reference image with the correct head height marked so they can visually compare. And always export at 600 DPI – it keeps the print line moving fast and saves everyone a headache at sunrise. Trust me, honestly, nobody wants to be redoing these at 5 AM.