Microsoft Word is on almost every computer, so it’s the first place many people try to make ID cards. For a single, text-only card it works. But the moment you need photos, the right card size, or a whole list of people, Word starts fighting you. Here’s how to do it in Word, where it breaks down, and a faster way built for the job.
Short answer: You can make an ID card in Word with a table, and a batch with mail merge, but per-person photos need fiddly INCLUDEPICTURE field codes, there is no CR80 card size, and no cut-lined print sheet. For photos or a whole list, a tool built for cards is faster.
How to make an ID card in Word
The usual approach uses a table or a label template:
- Set the page up and insert a table (or start from a business-card / label template) sized roughly like a card.
- Type the name, role and ID, and Insert → Picture for the logo and photo.
- Resize and nudge everything into place inside the cell.
- For many cards, use Mailings → Mail Merge: connect an Excel list and insert merge fields so each record fills a card.
For a quick, text-only staff list, that can get you there.
Where Word falls short for ID cards
The trouble starts with the things real ID cards actually need:
- Photos in mail merge are painful. Word’s mail merge handles text well, but
per-person photos require fiddly
INCLUDEPICTUREfield codes and absolute file paths, it’s the part everyone gets stuck on. - No real card size. There’s no built-in CR80 (85.6 × 54 mm) preset, so it’s easy to end up slightly off-size for badge holders and card printers.
- No QR codes or barcodes. Generating a unique QR/barcode per person isn’t something Word does.
- No print-ready, cut-lined sheet. You get a document, not a sheet imposed with cut lines at card size, so trimming a batch is guesswork.
- Double-sided is manual. Lining up backs behind fronts for duplex printing is all on you.
None of this is a knock on Word, it’s a word processor, not an ID-card tool. The data-and-print part simply isn’t what it was built for.
A faster way: a tool built for cards
StencilID does the exact job Word struggles with:
- Spreadsheet in, cards out. Upload a CSV, map columns to fields, and generate a personalised card per row. (Bulk ID Card Maker)
- Photos by filename, no field codes. Put each photo’s filename in a column and
upload the photos; they’re matched automatically. No
INCLUDEPICTURE, no file paths. - Correct sizes built in. CR80 for cards, A4 for certificates, what you design is what prints.
- QR codes & barcodes per person, built in.
- A real print-ready PDF with cut lines, plus a ZIP of images, single or double-sided, laid out for duplex printing.
It runs in the browser, and it’s free to start.
Word vs a tool built for cards, at a glance
| Task | Microsoft Word | StencilID |
|---|---|---|
| Card size | No CR80 preset, easy to mis-size | CR80 (85.6 × 54 mm) built in |
| Photos per person | INCLUDEPICTURE codes and file paths | Matched by filename, automatic |
| Bulk from a list | Mail merge (text ok, photos painful) | Upload a CSV, one card per row |
| QR codes and barcodes | Not built in | Per person, built in |
| Print-ready sheet | A document, no cut lines | PDF with cut lines, plus an image ZIP |
| Double-sided | Manual duplex line-up | Front and back, laid out for duplex |
| Cost | Office licence | Free to start |
Which should you use?
- One quick text card, and Word is already open? Word is fine.
- Photos, the right size, QR codes, or many cards from a list? Use a tool built for it, try the bulk ID card maker, or a vertical like the employee ID card maker or school ID card maker.
Design once, generate the whole list, print straight away, start free.