Journal Figure Requirements Reference
Column widths, resolution, accepted formats, color mode, fonts and panel-label conventions for 10 major publishers — every value transcribed from the publisher's official author page and dated. Filter by publisher, expand a row for the full record, or download the whole table as CSV or JSON.
| Journal | Single column | Double column | Photo DPI | Line-art DPI | Formats | Fonts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 mm (journals guide) / 89 mm (Nature artwork guide) | 180 mm (journals guide) / 183 mm (Nature artwork guide) | 300 dpi minimum at final used size | Vector (no DPI) | AI, Vector EPS, Layered PSD, PostScript, PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, CorelDraw (≤ v8) | Sans-serif, preferably Helvetica or Arial (Courier for amino-acid sequences) | Official page | |
| 5.7 cm (2.24 in, 1 column) | 12.1 cm (4.76 in, 2 col); 18.4 cm (7.24 in, 3 col) | 300 dpi (initial submission; higher at revision) | — | Vector (Adobe Illustrator) preferred, Files must be readable by Photoshop or Illustrator | Sans-serif, Helvetica preferred | Official page | |
| 85 mm | 174 mm | 300 dpi (color) at print size | 1,000 dpi at print size | Initial: TIFF or PDF preferred (PDF < 3 MB); JPEG or EPS accepted, Final: high-res TIFF, PDF, or CDX | Arial only; fonts embedded | Official page | |
| Min 789 px @ 300 dpi (2.63 in / 6.68 cm) | Max 2250 px @ 300 dpi (7.5 in / 19.05 cm) | 300–600 dpi (single range for all artwork) | 300–600 dpi (single range for all artwork) | TIFF or EPS only | Arial, Times, or Symbol only | Official page | |
| 80–180 mm width range (no discrete column values) | 180 mm (upper bound of range) | 300 dpi (≥ 80 mm canvas or 1800 px wide) | 600 dpi | Vector: PDF, PS, EPS, Bitmap: PNG, TIFF, When in doubt, submit a PDF | — | Official page | |
| 90 mm (1 column) | 190 mm (full width); minimal size 30 mm | 300 dpi minimum (grayscale and RGB) | 1000 dpi (1200 dpi for very fine lines) | EPS (preferred for vector), PDF, TIFF, JPEG, Microsoft Office files | Arial (or Helvetica), Courier, Symbol, Times (or Times New Roman) | Official page | |
| 8.4 cm (84 mm); sub-column 3.9 cm | 17.4 cm (174 mm, full page) | 300 dpi minimum (halftone) | 1200 dpi minimum | Vector: EPS (preferred), Halftone: TIFF, MS Office files acceptable | Helvetica or Arial (sans serif); embed fonts in vector files | Official page | |
| 3.5 in / 88.9 mm / 21 picas | 7.16 in / 182 mm / 43 picas | > 300 dpi (color and grayscale) | > 600 dpi (black & white line art) | PS, EPS, PDF, PNG, TIFF (vector preferred: PS, EPS, PDF) | Helvetica, Times New Roman, Arial, Cambria, Symbol | Official page | |
| 8.3 cm | 17.1 cm | 600 dpi minimum | — | TIFF (preferred, 600 dpi+), EPS or PDF acceptable (converted to TIFF) | Arial/Helvetica (chemical structures) | Official page | |
| Complete figure 9–18 cm (3.5–7.1 in); no separate single/double | Up to 18 cm (7.1 in) | 600 ppi (single standard for all images) | 600 ppi (single standard for all images) | TIFF (preferred), PowerPoint, High-resolution PDF, EPS, Illustrator | Helvetica or Arial | Official page |
A dash (—) means the official page does not state that value — it is not the same as zero or unknown. Specs vary by journal within a publisher; the Scope field records exactly which guide each row describes.
How to read this table
Publishers describe figure specs in incompatible ways — some by column width in millimeters, some by pixel min/max, some by a single width range — so this table keeps each publisher's own model rather than forcing one format. Three conventions are worth knowing:
- A concrete value is quoted from the publisher's official page.
- A dash (—) means the official page is silent on that spec; we do not fill it from general knowledge.
- "Vector (no DPI)" means the publisher requires vector line art and states no DPI (e.g. Nature says "do not rasterize line art").
- Scope names the exact journal or guide a row came from, because specs often differ between journals of the same publisher.
Frequently asked questions
Are these figure requirements the same for every journal from a publisher?
No. Specs frequently differ between journals of the same publisher — Cell Press alone uses several width sets across its journal families, and RSC and Springer values vary by journal. Each row's Scope field records exactly which journal or guide it describes, so you can confirm against your target journal's own page.
Why does a cell show a dash instead of a number?
A dash means the publisher's official page does not state that value. We deliberately do not fill gaps from memory or from other journals, so a dash is an honest "not stated," not a zero.
Why does Nature show "Vector (no DPI)" for line art?
Nature's final-artwork guide requires line art to remain vector and explicitly says "do not rasterize line art," so there is no line-art DPI to quote. That is different from a missing value.
Can I download and reuse this data?
Yes. Use the CSV or JSON download for the current filter. Each record keeps its official source URL and last-verified date so you can re-check any value against the publisher directly.
Sources & verification
Every value links to the official publisher page it was taken from, with a last-verified date. Publisher guidelines change without notice and vary by journal, so always confirm against your target journal's current author page before submitting.
Want to check whether your actual figure file meets these specs?
Try the Figure Checker