How to Photocopy a CNIC with Both Sides on One Page

Almost every form in Pakistan — bank account, SIM, admission, visa file — asks for a CNIC copy with both sides on one page. Photocopy shops do it in seconds; at home or in a small office people waste two sheets and a lot of patience. Here are the three ways, best first.

Method 1 — the ID Copy button (HP MFPs)

• Most HP laser MFPs — including the Laser MFP 135/136 series, 137fnw/139fnw and LaserJet Pro MFP M227fdn — have a dedicated ID Copy button or menu option.
• Press ID Copy, place the CNIC face-down on the top-left area of the scanner glass (follow the card outline printed on some models), and press Start/Copy.
• When the panel or light prompts you, flip the card over in the same spot and press Start again.
• The printer puts the front on the top half and the back on the bottom half of one A4 page. Done.

Method 2 — the two-pass manual method (any copier or MFP)

• Place the CNIC on the top-left of the glass and take a normal copy. The front appears on the upper part of the page.
• Take that printed page and put it back into the paper tray, printed side positioned so the machine prints on the same face (on most HP lasers with a front tray: printed side up, top edge in first — do a test with a scrap sheet to learn your machine's orientation).
• Now place the CNIC lower on the glass (or leave it — the second copy lands in a different area on the re-fed page), flip it to the back side, and copy again.
• Result: both sides on one sheet. Wasteful the first time, quick once you know your tray orientation.

Method 3 — scan with your phone, print once

Cleanest result with no copier tricks: open the HP Smart app (or any scanner app), use the ID-card or two-page scan mode, capture front and back — it composes both onto one page — then print that single page to your printer. This also leaves you a PDF of your CNIC for the next twenty forms; see how to scan documents to PDF. Keep such scans in a private folder — treat a CNIC image like a bank card.

Getting a clean, legible copy

• Wipe the scanner glass — one fingerprint blurs every copy.
• If the copy is dark or the hologram area is muddy, lighten the copy density one step; NADRA cards copy best slightly lighter than default.
• Use 'text' or 'mixed' copy mode rather than photo mode for sharp numbers.
• Never print CNICs at a public shop when a bank asks for attested copies you'll re-use — one clean master and a home printer beats repeated shop visits.

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