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Signature size for SSC, IBPS and PAN forms

SSC CGL and IBPS PO both want a JPG signature between 10 and 20 KB; PAN wants one under 10 KB. Here are the full specs from each official notice, checked in October 2026.

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The signature resizer crops your signature photo, makes the paper pure white and the ink dark, and fits it to the pixel size and KB range a form asks for. It runs in your browser, so your signature isn’t uploaded.

Resize a signature

The signature specs, checked October 2026

We read these from each organisation’s own notice or instruction page on 8 October 2026. Each exam publishes its rules again with every notification, and they do change, so check the notice for the exam you are applying to.

FormFile sizeDimensionsFormat
SSC CGL 2026 (notice of 21 May 2026)10 to 20 KBAbout 6.0 cm wide × 2.0 cm highJPEG or JPG
IBPS PO/MT-XVI (notification of 30 June 2026)10 to 20 KB140 × 60 pixels (preferred)JPG or JPEG
PAN, Protean (NSDL) online application with scanned imagesUp to 10 KB2 cm high × 4.5 cm wide at 200 DPIJPEG, colour
  • SSC: applications with blurred or miniature signatures are rejected.
  • IBPS: sign in black ink on white paper, not in capital letters, and scan at 200 DPI or more.
  • PAN: the photo is a separate upload, up to 20 KB at 3.5 × 2.5 cm.

Two details are easy to miss. The SSC notice states the size in centimetres, and one of its annexures gives 4.0 × 2.0 cm while the main instructions give 6.0 × 2.0 cm. Follow the upload screen if it states a size, and otherwise use 6.0 × 2.0 cm from paragraph 9.6. And IBPS’s pixel size is marked “preferred”, but the KB range is a hard limit: the form won’t move on until the file is inside it.

UPSC and other forms

UPSC sets its own photo and signature rules in the notice for each examination, and they are not the same as SSC’s or IBPS’s. We couldn’t open UPSC’s website to check the current notice when we wrote this, so we have left its numbers out rather than repeat figures we couldn’t confirm. Read the “instructions for uploading photo and signature” in the notice on upsc.gov.in before you start.

The same applies to state commissions, banks, railways and university forms. Look for three things in the notice: the KB range, the dimensions in pixels or cm, and the file format. Write them down, then make one file that meets all three.

Turning cm into pixels

When a form gives centimetres, you need a DPI (dots per inch) to turn them into pixels:

Pixels = cm ÷ 2.54 × DPI

SpecAt 100 DPIAt 200 DPI
SSC, 6.0 × 2.0 cm236 × 79 px472 × 157 px
SSC annexure, 4.0 × 2.0 cm157 × 79 px315 × 157 px
PAN, 4.5 × 2.0 cm (width × height)177 × 79 px354 × 157 px

SSC doesn’t name a DPI. The shape matters more than the exact pixel count: 6 × 2 cm is a long strip, three times as wide as it is tall. PAN does name 200 DPI, so 354 × 157 px is the size to aim for. The DPI value stored inside a JPEG doesn’t change its file size; only the pixels and the compression do.

Making the signature file

  1. Sign on plain white paper. Use a black pen (IBPS asks for black ink). Sign the way you will on exam day, in running handwriting, slightly bolder than usual.
  2. Photograph it from straight above. Daylight, no shadow from the phone, the signature filling most of the frame. A scanner at 200 DPI is even better.
  3. Crop and clean up. In the signature resizer, drag the box tight around the ink. Clean-up turns grey paper white and the ink solid.
  4. Set the size and range. Choose 140 × 60 for IBPS, or Custom for a cm-based size such as 472 × 157. Keep JPG. Pick the KB limit from the form.
  5. Check before you download. The preview shows the exact KB. Make sure it is inside the range, not just under the maximum.

Staying above the minimum

A cleaned-up signature on pure white compresses extremely well. That is good for a 10 KB maximum like PAN’s, but SSC and IBPS also set a 10 KB minimum, and a small, clean signature can come out well under 10 KB. The form then rejects it as too small.

  • Choose a larger pixel size in the same shape, for example 472 × 157 instead of 236 × 79 for SSC.
  • Don’t add noise, borders or a grey background to pad the file. It makes the signature look worse.

IBPS marks 140 × 60 as preferred rather than required. If a 140 × 60 file lands under 10 KB, a larger size in the same 7:3 shape, such as 280 × 120, can bring it into the range. Check the KB in the preview after each change.

Why signatures get rejected

  • Capital letters. IBPS states that signatures in capital letters won’t be accepted.
  • Blurred or tiny. SSC rejects blurred or miniature signatures. Fill the frame and don’t leave wide margins of empty paper.
  • It doesn’t match later. IBPS warns that if the signature on the attendance sheet or call letter doesn’t match the uploaded one, the candidate can be disqualified. Sign naturally.
  • Wrong format. All three want JPEG. Renaming a PNG to .jpg doesn’t convert it.
  • Photo and signature swapped. IBPS says a candidate whose photo and signature aren’t in their proper places won’t be allowed to sit the exam. Check each upload box before submitting.

If the form also wants a photo within a KB range, use Compress image to 20 KB or Resize image for exact pixels.

Sources