Figure Preparation

Figures are submitted electronically, separately from the manuscript. Do not embed any images within the manuscript file. Also, all submitted micrographs must be in color; black and white micrographs will not be accepted for publication.

File formats accepted are TIFF (preferred), EPS, high-resolution JPG, and high-quality PDF (no image compression). PowerPoint slides, Excel graphs, and images embedded in Word are not acceptable.

Minimal resolution: 600 dpi for line art (for example, graphs in black and white); 300 dpi for color (save as CMYK; not RGB or indexed) or grayscale images (save black and white images as grayscale); 1200 dpi for scanned line art (save as TIFF). Photos taken with a digital camera must have a resolution of at least 4 megapixels.

Create figures with a width of 93.47 mm (single column) or 177.8 mm (double column); do not enlarge created figure to meet these dimensions.

Designate panels of figures by using uppercase letters (no periods) in the upper left corner of the image; keep size of lettering and other labels (at least 3 mm in height as submitted) consistent between panels of a figure and between figures. Embed fonts within digital images.

Indicate the magnification factor of an image by including an appropriate size bar in its lower right corner.

Minimize the use of color in charts, graphs, and drawings to that necessary for clarity of communication and ease of understanding. Use solid fill or percentage screens (not pattern or textured fills) and a minimum line weight of 0.5 pt throughout.

Below are items to consider when generating figures for publication purposes:

  • 2 column figures need to be created with a width of 177.8 mm and a minimum resolution of 300 DPI. Single column figures need to be created with a width of 93.47 mm and a minimum resolution of 300 DPI.
  • Photos taken with a digital camera must have a resolution of at least 4 megapixels.
  • Export files from PowerPoint as a PDF only.
  • Export files from SigmaPlot as a PDF only.
  • Export files from GraphPad Prism as PDF only.
  • Export files from Excel as PDF only.
  • Save figures created in Word as PDFs.
  • Figures need to be originally sized with the correct resolution. Figures cannot be resized or resolution increased after they have been created. This causes pixilation/resampling which will result in lower quality image.
  • Do not paste images into Word/PowerPoint/Excel. Send the original source file.
  • Word files are not acceptable formats for figures. Please provide the figures as individual files (Figure 1, Figure 2) in TIFF, JPEG, or PDF format.
  • Remove background lines and titles from all graphs/

Additional information regarding generating and formatting figures is available by emailing Brenda Johnson.