Check Scientific Figures Before Submission
A research figure checker for DPI, format, grayscale, and colorblind safety
Upload a research figure to estimate effective DPI at real layout widths, surface risky export formats, and preview what happens in grayscale or common color-vision deficiency simulations.
Drag a file here, or click to choose one
One raster figure up to 4 MB.
Use for microscopy, gels, EM, or photographic figure panels.
Evaluate effective DPI against an 85 mm target width.
Figure Checker Features
A practical preflight for resolution, format, grayscale readability, and colorblind safety.
Effective DPI Check
Recalculate usable DPI against single-column, double-column, or custom journal widths.
Format Risk Review
Flag export risks such as JPEG compression, unsupported sources, and alpha-channel issues.
Grayscale Readability
Estimate whether the figure still separates clearly in grayscale and print-like workflows.
Colorblind Safety
Simulate common color-vision deficiencies and highlight pairs that collapse too easily.
Figure Checker FAQ
Common questions before submitting research figures to journals.
What does this figure checker do?
It reviews your scientific figure against the technical requirements journals enforce — resolution (DPI), color mode, font legibility, and colorblind-safe palettes — and flags what to fix before you submit. Instead of finding out at the production stage that a figure is too low-resolution or fails accessibility, you catch it early and avoid a round-trip with the editor.
Why check figures before submission?
- The most common figure rejections are technical, not scientific — wrong DPI or format.
- Many journals require 300 DPI for color and up to 600–1000 DPI for line art.
- Red/green palettes fail for colorblind readers and increasingly trigger reviewer requests.
- Tiny fonts that look fine on screen become unreadable at print size.
- Catching issues before submission avoids weeks of back-and-forth with production.
How to check a figure for journal requirements
Upload your figure and review the report: confirm the resolution meets your target journal's DPI, check that the color mode and palette are appropriate and colorblind-safe, and make sure labels stay legible at print size. Fix anything flagged, then re-export at the required resolution with the image converter before you submit.
What the checker reviews
- Resolution (DPI) against journal minimums.
- Color mode (RGB vs CMYK) suitability.
- Colorblind-safe palette review.
- Font and label legibility at print size.
- Overall readiness for journal submission.
- Suggestions for what to fix before exporting.
Figure Checker FAQ for Journal Submission
What image requirements do journals usually ask for before submission?
Many journals ask authors to check final figure size, effective DPI, file format, and whether text and symbols stay readable after export. Photo-like panels are often expected around 300 DPI at final size, while mixed figures or line art may need substantially higher resolution. TIFF or PNG is commonly safer than JPEG, but the exact requirement still depends on the target journal.
How do I know if my figure is really 300 DPI at journal submission size?
You need to compare the pixel dimensions of the file with the physical width it will occupy in the final layout. That real output resolution is often called effective DPI. A figure can look like 300 DPI in an editor, but once it is placed at double-column width, the effective DPI may drop below the journal requirement.
Is 300 DPI enough for every scientific figure?
Not always. Around 300 DPI is a common target for photos, microscopy images, or other continuous-tone panels, but line art, schematics, and mixed figures with labels often require 600 DPI or even 1000 to 1200 DPI in some journal guidelines. The safest approach is to check the author instructions and evaluate the figure at the exact submission width.
Should I submit TIFF, PNG, or JPEG for a journal figure?
TIFF is still a common journal-preferred format for raster submission files because it preserves detail without the compression artifacts often introduced by JPEG. PNG is also a strong option for charts, annotated figures, and screenshots. JPEG is usually the riskiest choice for scientific figures because repeated exports can soften labels, edges, and fine structures.
What does single-column or double-column width mean for figure preparation?
It refers to the physical width the figure will occupy in the journal layout, and that width directly changes the effective DPI. Many journals use roughly 80 to 90 mm for single-column figures and around 160 to 180 mm for double-column figures, but the exact value varies by publisher. If your figure is exported for the wrong width, it may fail resolution checks even when the pixel count looks large.
Why does Figure Checker require credits?
Each run creates normalized previews, grayscale and colorblind simulations, and a submission-oriented analysis report. In SciDraw AI, that is treated as a full tool action and currently costs 10 credits per figure.
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