Publisher and Journal Figure Snapshots

Accessed 2026-07-23 from current official pages. Requirements are date-sensitive and often depend on the journal, article type, figure type, and submission phase. Verify the live target-journal page before submission. Source IDs resolve in sources.md.

The machine-readable subset in assets/publisher_profiles.json is for planning and deterministic screening only. scripts/export_plan.py never claims compliance.

Nature (flagship journal)

Scope: Nature final submission after acceptance in principle, not all Nature Portfolio journals [NATURE-FINAL] [NATURE-FIG].

Standard widths: 89 mm single column, 183 mm double column; 120-136 mm is possible for one-and-a-half columns.
Full page depth: 247 mm.
Panels: lowercase bold upright a, b, c, 8 pt.
Other text: 5-7 pt at final size; Helvetica or Arial preferred.
Keep text and line art editable; do not outline or rasterize them.
Preferred line/graph containers include AI, PostScript, vector EPS, and PDF.
Preferred raster source: layered PSD or TIFF. The final-submission page states 300-600 dpi for photographs; minimum 300 dpi at maximum use size.
The newer research-figure guide recommends export images at 450 dpi or above because online proofs top out at 450 dpi. This is a recommendation layered on the final-submission minimum, not a universal 450 dpi rule.
RGB is recommended; final print conversion may use CMYK.
Type 42 fonts are requested. The figure guide explicitly gives matplotlib.rcParams["pdf.fonttype"] = 42.
High-quality JPEG can be accepted when it is the only option for a photograph. Therefore, “Nature never accepts JPEG” is false.
Extended Data has different rules: RGB, maximum 300 ppi, maximum 10 MB, and JPEG preferred with TIFF/EPS alternatives.

Do not apply these flagship rules automatically to Nature Communications, Scientific Reports, npj journals, or Nature Reviews; each has its own page.

Science (AAAS flagship journal)

Scope: Science, with separate initial and revised-manuscript stages [SCIENCE-INITIAL] [SCIENCE-REVISED].

Initial submission

A single manuscript file with embedded figures is preferred.
Figures should be 300 dpi for review.
Printed widths are usually 5.7 cm (one column), 12.1 cm (two columns), or 18.4 cm (three columns).
Vector creation is preferred.
Use sans serif, preferably Helvetica. Lettering should be about 7 pt after reduction and no smaller than 5 pt.
Avoid red/green combinations and similar hues as sole identifiers; add shape/texture where needed.
Scales should not extend beyond the plotted data merely as empty range.

Revised manuscript

Upload each figure separately.
Preferred vector formats: PDF, EPS, or AI.
Raster illustrations/diagrams and photographs/microscopy: TIFF.
Vector/raster combinations: PDF or EPS.
Line art without a vector original: at least 300 dpi at final size, preferably higher.
Color and grayscale images: at least 300 dpi at final size.
Upsampling is not permitted.
PowerPoint and figures embedded in Word are not accepted at this stage.

The current official page does not state the older blanket “1,000 dpi line art / 600 dpi combination” numbers that this skill previously claimed.

Science Advances and other AAAS journals publish separate figure guides; do not reuse the flagship profile without checking.

Cell Press

Scope: general Cell Press figure page; exceptions are explicitly listed for STAR Protocols and Cell Leading Edge [CELL-FIG].

Initial submission and review

Cell Press accepts a wide range of formats, sizes, and resolutions.
Figures may be embedded or uploaded separately.
Individual 1-2 MB files are recommended for reviewer convenience.

Final production

Upload each main figure as one separate file containing all its panels; keep titles/legends in the manuscript.
Recommended overall maximum: 16.5 × 20 cm. This is framed as a recommendation.
Two-column article widths: 8.5 cm, 11.4 cm, and 17.4 cm.
Three-column formats: 5.5 cm, 11.4 cm, and 17.4 cm.
Maximum individual file size: 20 MB.
TIFF and PDF are preferred for most journals/types. EPS, JPEG, and CDX are accepted. Special cases differ.
Color/grayscale: at least 300 dpi; black-and-white: at least 500 dpi; line art: at least 1,000 dpi at final size.
RGB, Arial, capital panel letters, 6-8 pt text, and 0.5-1.5 pt strokes.
Embed fonts. General production guidance says flatten layers, except specified Cell Leading Edge material.
Do not use red and green together as the only distinction.

Cell Press requires minimal image processing, original unprocessed data on request, and disclosure of processing/stitching. Its current policy prohibits generative AI/AI-assisted alteration of research/data images, including brightness, contrast, or color-balance adjustment performed by such tools.

PLOS research journals

Scope: current PLOS Computational Biology page, consistent with the sampled PLOS research-journal figure pages [PLOS-FIG]. Verify the selected PLOS journal.

Formatting requirements are waived until provisional Editorial Accept.
Final figure format: TIFF or EPS.
Width: 789-2250 px at 300 dpi, equivalent to 6.68-19.05 cm.
Text-column alignment recommendation: no wider than 13.2 cm.
Maximum height: 2625 px at 300 dpi, equivalent to 22.23 cm.
Resolution: 300-600 dpi at final dimensions. The page warns that above 600 may trigger resizing and below 300 will degrade output.
Maximum file size: less than 10 MB.
Text: Arial, Times, or Symbol, 8-12 pt.
Color mode: RGB 8-bit/channel or grayscale.
Put all panels of one figure in one single-page file.
Captions remain in the manuscript; filenames are Fig1.tif, Fig2.eps, and so on.
Do not increase pixel count and present that as improved resolution.

For manuscripts submitted on or after 2026-04-01, original uncropped, minimally adjusted blot/gel images must be supplied before acceptance. Adjustments must not alter scientific information and must be applied consistently.

Elsevier

Scope: publisher-general artwork instructions. Elsevier explicitly says journal-specific Guides for Authors can override them [ELSEVIER-FORMAT] [ELSEVIER-SIZE].

Recommended containers: TIFF for halftones/bitmaps, EPS for vector-based images (including embedded images), and PDF for vector/text material.
JPEG and Microsoft Office files are accepted in the general checklist; use the journal page to decide suitability.
RGB is preferred unless the journal says otherwise.
General target widths: 90 mm single, 140 mm one-and-a-half, 190 mm full; 30 mm is the listed minimal size.
General raster targets at final size: 300 dpi halftone, 500 dpi combination, 1,000 dpi line art.
General lettering rule of thumb: 7 pt normal text, not smaller than 6 pt for sub/superscripts.

These are publisher defaults, not universal Elsevier-journal hard limits.

IEEE journals

Scope: IEEE Author Center journal graphics page, modified 2025-02-25 [IEEE-SIZE].

Acceptable vector formats listed on the page: PS, EPS, PDF.
Non-vector color/grayscale graphics: greater than 300 dpi.
Black-and-white line art: greater than 600 dpi.
One-column width: 3.5 in / 88.9 mm.
Two-column width: 7.16 in / 182 mm.
IEEE warns that increasing resolution after creation does not improve quality.

Conference and magazine instructions can differ; use their separate Author Center pages.

BMC

Scope: BMC Bioinformatics, used as a current BMC-journal example rather than a guaranteed BMC-wide profile [BMC-BIOINFO].

Web widths: 600 px standard, 1200 px high resolution.
PDF widths: 85 mm half page, 170 mm full page.
Maximum figure-plus-legend height: 225 mm.
Approximately 300 dpi at final size.
Fonts embedded; lines wider than 0.25 pt at final width.
Accepted formats include EPS, PDF, Word, PowerPoint, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, and CDX; JPEG is described as less suitable for graphical images.
One composite file per multi-panel figure; individual file maximum 10 MB.

BMC journals are migrating onto Springer Nature Link and may publish updated journal-specific instructions. Verify the selected journal rather than assuming this profile.

ACS Publications

Scope: the current general “Preparing Manuscript Graphics” page. It does not provide a complete modern universal digital-export profile [ACS-GRAPHICS].

Listed maximum dimensions: 3.25 in single column, 7 in double column, 9.5 in length.
Lettering should be no smaller than 5 pt after reduction; Helvetica/Arial are suggested.
Lines should be no thinner than 1 pt on that general page.
The page mentions using the best available resolution and 600+ dpi printing, but it does not establish a universal per-figure digital file-format/DPI rule for all ACS journals.

Use the selected ACS journal’s current Author Guidelines for formats, color, resolution, and TOC/abstract graphics. The planner intentionally does not invent missing ACS-wide requirements.

Rules that are not universal

Do not present these as cross-publisher laws:

“JPEG is never accepted.” Several publishers accept it for photographs or specific workflows.
“All line art must be 1,000/1,200 dpi.” Vector output is often preferred, and current Science revised guidance says at least 300 dpi when vector is unavailable.
“All publishers require grayscale compatibility.” Accessibility guidance varies; use redundant encoding regardless.
“All figures must be RGB.” RGB is often preferred, but Nature accepts RGB or CMYK for final print artwork and target-journal rules can differ.
“All figures need error bars/significance stars.” The right display depends on the estimand, data, and analysis.
“A matching DPI/width means compliant.” Technical metadata is only one part of submission review.

Submission-stage workflow

Identify exact journal, article type, figure type, and current stage.
Save the live official page URL and access date.
Create a plan with scripts/export_plan.py.
Export with explicit dimensions and settings.
Inspect the delivered file with scripts/image_metadata.py.
Review fonts, embedded rasters, image integrity, accessibility, caption, and source data manually.
Re-check official instructions immediately before upload.