SSC asks for your signature as a JPG measuring 6.0 cm × 2.0 cm with a file size between 10 KB and 20 KB. That single line causes more failed uploads than any other part of an SSC application, for three reasons: SSC gives the size in centimetres while your scanner works in pixels, the 10 KB figure is a floor and not just a formality, and some SSC notices contradict themselves on the width. This guide settles all three.
SSC signature size in cm, pixels and KB
SSC publishes the signature spec in centimetres and never states a pixel size. That is why every tool and coaching site quotes a different pixel figure — they are all conversions, and the conversion depends on the resolution you scan at:
| Scan resolution | Pixel dimensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | 709 × 236 px | Recommended — the figure most SSC tools use |
| 200 DPI | 472 × 157 px | Also valid; appears in some SSC notice annexures |
| 150 DPI | 354 × 118 px | Acceptable but leaves little detail |
| 96 DPI (screen default) | 227 × 76 px | Too small — likely to look blurred at verification |
The arithmetic is just unit conversion: 6.0 cm ÷ 2.54 = 2.36 inches, and 2.36 × 300 DPI ≈ 709 pixels. The height works the same way: 2.0 ÷ 2.54 × 300 ≈ 236 pixels. What actually matters at upload is the 3:1 proportion and the file size — portals check bytes, not DPI metadata.
Why some SSC notices say 4.0 cm × 2.0 cm
This is the genuine inconsistency, and almost no guide mentions it. Several SSC notices — CGL, CHSL, CPO, Selection Post and Hindi Translators among them — give 6.0 cm × 2.0 cm in the main 'how to apply' instructions, then print 4.0 cm × 2.0 cm in an annexure at the back of the same PDF. The GD Constable notice and the application form itself both say 6.0 cm.
The 10 KB floor: the rejection nobody expects
Most size advice treats 20 KB as the number to beat. But SSC's requirement is a window, and the portal rejects a signature that is under 10 KB just as readily as one over 20 KB. Signatures fall through that floor constantly, because a signature is the easiest image JPEG will ever meet: two colours, large flat areas of white, almost no texture. A tightly cropped signature at the correct dimensions can encode to 5–6 KB even at full quality.
Once the dimensions are fixed by the form, there are only two ways to add bytes: spend them on image quality, or pad the file. Our SSC signature resizer does the first as far as the 20 KB ceiling allows, and pads with JPEG comment segments only if the file is still short — bytes that add nothing visible and are ignored by every decoder, SSC's included.
SSC photo and signature size by exam
SSC runs One Time Registration (OTR): you register once, and the photograph and signature in that profile are reused for every exam you apply to afterwards. So the specs do not differ by exam — the MTS signature size is the CGL signature size is the GD signature size.
| Exam | Signature | Signature size | Photograph | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSC CGL | 6.0 × 2.0 cm | 10–20 KB | 20–50 KB | JPG |
| SSC CHSL | 6.0 × 2.0 cm | 10–20 KB | 20–50 KB | JPG |
| SSC MTS | 6.0 × 2.0 cm | 10–20 KB | 20–50 KB | JPG |
| SSC GD Constable | 6.0 × 2.0 cm | 10–20 KB | 20–50 KB | JPG |
| SSC CPO | 6.0 × 2.0 cm | 10–20 KB | 20–50 KB | JPG |
| SSC Stenographer / Selection Post / JE | 6.0 × 2.0 cm | 10–20 KB | 20–50 KB | JPG |
Looking for an SSC GD photo and signature converter?
The photo and the signature have different specs, so a single "converter" has to do two different jobs — which is why we split them into two tools rather than one box that guesses. Resize the signature with the SSC signature resizer (6.0 × 2.0 cm, 10–20 KB) and the photograph with the SSC photo resizer (20–50 KB). Both run entirely in your browser, so neither file is uploaded anywhere — worth knowing, given what an identity document plus a specimen signature add up to.
How to scan a signature SSC will accept
- Sign in running hand on plain unlined white paper with a black pen. Block capitals are rejected at verification, and so is blue ink in most notices. A medium or thick nib scans better than a fine one.
- Scan at 300 DPI if you have a scanner. With a phone, shoot straight down in even daylight — no shadow falling across the paper, no flash.
- Crop close to the signature, leaving a thin white margin on all four sides. Don't clip the ascenders or the tail of the last letter.
- Keep the baseline horizontal. A signature scanned at an angle is a documented SSC rejection reason.
- Resize to 6.0 cm × 2.0 cm and a 10–20 KB JPG, then check the downloaded file's size before uploading.
- Keep the clean original. Other applications want 5 KB, 10 KB or 50 KB, and re-fitting the original always beats re-compressing a file that has already been squeezed.
Why signatures get rejected when the size is right
- Block capitals instead of a signature — the most common rejection at document verification, and nothing about the file size will save it.
- Wrong ink colour — blue or black-blue instead of black.
- Not horizontally aligned — scanned at a slant.
- Over-cropped — part of the signature cut off at an edge.
- Too faint or blurred — usually a phone photo taken in poor light, or an image compressed twice.
- Signature doesn't match the one on your admit card and answer sheet — use the same signature everywhere, every time.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the SSC signature size in KB?
- Between 10 KB and 20 KB as a JPG. Both ends are enforced: over 20 KB is rejected, and so is under 10 KB, which is the one that surprises people because signatures compress so efficiently.
- What is 6cm x 2cm in pixels?
- About 709 × 236 pixels at 300 DPI, or 472 × 157 pixels at 200 DPI. SSC specifies centimetres, so any resolution that produces the right 3:1 proportion satisfies the notice; 300 DPI is the usual choice.
- How do you resize a signature without stretching it?
- Keep the signature’s own proportions and fit it onto the 6.0 × 2.0 cm frame instead of stretching it to those exact numbers. Real signatures are rarely a perfect 3:1 shape, so forcing one to 709 × 236 pixels squashes or widens the handwriting. FlowVid’s SSC signature resizer centres your signature on a white 6 × 2 cm canvas at its natural proportions, so the strokes keep the shape you wrote them while the overall image still meets the spec.
- Is the SSC MTS signature size different from CGL?
- No. SSC's One Time Registration means the same signature file is used for MTS, CGL, CHSL, GD, CPO, Stenographer and Selection Post. Prepare it once.
- My signature file is 6 KB. Will SSC accept it?
- No — it is below the 10 KB floor. Re-export it at higher quality, or use a tool that lifts the file above 10 KB without changing the dimensions. Do not scale the image up to add bytes; that breaks the 6.0 × 2.0 cm spec.
- Can I upload a photo of my signature instead of a scan?
- Yes, as long as it is shot straight down in even light, cropped tightly, horizontally aligned and legible. A clean phone photo is accepted; a dim, angled one is a rejection risk regardless of file size.
- Do I need to write my name and the date next to the signature?
- Not for the signature upload. That requirement belongs to some other exam bodies and to SSC's photograph in certain cycles — check the wording in your own notice rather than assuming.
Related tools and guides
- SSC Signature Resizer — 6.0 × 2.0 cm at 10–20 KB, the spec on this page.
- SSC Photo Resize and SSC CGL Photo Size — for the photograph.
- Signature Resize to 20KB, 10KB and 5KB — for forms with a different ceiling.
- Photo & Signature Size for Every Indian Exam — the cross-exam reference table.
- Signature Size for Online Forms — scanning and compression in more depth.