Scan an ID Card and Print Both Sides from iPhone

Q: Can I scan the front and back of an ID on one page?

Not with Scan Document, which makes one page per side. Photo Collage can place both sides on one Letter page, but it crops each photo to its cell, so photograph the card with a margin around it.

Q: Is it free to scan an ID card and print it?

Yes for the two-page route: Scan Document is free. Photo Collage can be used once for free, then needs Pro. The free version shows ads, though Scan Document does not count toward the full-screen ones.

The quick route takes about a minute and costs nothing. Getting both sides onto a single sheet takes longer, and that route isn't a good choice for anything that has to look like a proper photocopy. For most forms, two pages works better.

Two pages, free: Scan Document

Lay the card flat on a dark surface with even light. A ceiling lamp can leave a white streak across the card number on the glossy plastic. Tilt the lamp away or use window light.
On the Home tab, tap Scan Document and allow the camera the first time.
Let the document camera catch the front. Scan the back as the next page in the same session; do not Save in between.
Tap Save. The pages become one PDF and the iOS print options open. Pick the printer and print.

Each side lands on its own page. On a normal printer that means two sheets with a small card floating on each, which is fine for a form that says attach a copy of both sides, and wasteful for everything else.

The scan also becomes an entry in History, named Scan with the date and a page count of 2, so you can reprint it later without touching the card again.

Both sides on one sheet with Photo Collage

This is the layout people usually mean by photocopy ID back to back. The app has no ID layout of its own, so the collage tool is used instead, which takes photos from your library. That means you photograph the two sides with the normal Camera app first, not with the scanner.

Photograph the front and the back with the card held upright, filling the frame with a little table around it.
Open Photo Collage, tap Select Photos and pick the front first, then the back.
Under Layout choose 2×2. Leave Spacing at its default, 8.
Check Preview, then tap Print Collage, or Share / Save PDF to look at the page first.

This is the main limitation. Every photo is scaled to fill its cell and whatever sticks out is cut off. The tool has no crop or move controls, so the framing you shoot is the framing you get.

Collage cells on a US Letter page, spacing 8, card 85.6 x 53.98 mm
Layout	Cell size	What happens to a card photo
2×2	3.69 x 4.94 in (266 x 356 pt)	A portrait photo cropped tight to the card loses 15.6% of its height; a photo with a margin around the card fits
2×1	3.69 x 10.00 in (266 x 720 pt)	A landscape card photo keeps only about 23% of its width; only a tall photo works
Card at true size in a 2×2 cell	2.13 x 3.37 in	The card must fill 57.5% of the photo width and 68.2% of its height

On a 3024 x 4032 portrait photo that works out to a card about 1733 pixels wide and 2748 pixels tall, centred. You will not hit that by eye, so expect the card to print a little smaller or larger than life. If a form demands true size, measure the printed card against a real one before you send it.

With two photos in a 2×2 layout the bottom row is empty, and the app draws those two cells as light grey boxes into the page. Fold or trim them off, or fill them with a second copy of each side.

What stays on the phone

Nothing is uploaded: scanning, collage and printing run on the device and the print job goes over your local network. The catch is History: every scan keeps a stored copy in the app, up to 100 entries, until you remove it.

After printing an ID, open History, or Settings then View History, and clear it with Clear History. If you built a collage from photos of the card, delete those photos from your library too; the app does not touch them.

What it will not do for you

No share step after Scan Document. If you need a digital PDF with both sides to email, photograph both sides and use Photos to PDF, which has a Share button.
No rotate, crop or brightness tools in the app, so retake a bad shot instead of fixing it.
No check that the scan is sharp enough to read a card number; look at the page before you print.

Questions and answers

Can I scan the front and back of an ID on one page?

Not with Scan Document, which makes one page per side. Photo Collage can place both sides on one Letter page, but it crops each photo to its cell, so photograph the card with a margin around it.

Is it free to scan an ID card and print it?

Yes for the two-page route: Scan Document is free. Photo Collage can be used once for free, then needs Pro. The free version shows ads, though Scan Document does not count toward the full-screen ones.

Is my ID uploaded anywhere?

No. The scan, the collage and the PDF are made on the phone and printing goes over your local Wi-Fi. A copy of each scan stays in History until you clear it.

How big is an ID photocopy supposed to be?

A standard ID-1 card is 85.6 x 53.98 mm, 3.37 x 2.13 in. The app does not print at a size you choose, so measure a test print against the card if the size matters.

Can I print the back of the ID on the other side of the same sheet?

Only through the print options of your printer. If it offers two-sided printing in the iOS print sheet, a two-page scan can go on one sheet, front and back; the app itself does not control that for single scans.

How do you scan an ID card with an iPhone and print both sides?