May 28, 2026 · 6 min read

Journal Figure Formatting Guide: Dimensions, DPI, and Formats by Journal

A complete reference guide to scientific figure formatting requirements by journal: Nature, Cell, Science, PNAS, eLife, PLOS ONE, and more — dimensions, DPI, file formats, and typography.

Every journal has different figure specifications. Submitting figures at the wrong dimensions, resolution, or format is one of the most common causes of production revisions after acceptance. This guide is a quick reference for the most common journals in biomedical research.

How to use this guide

Find your target journal in the tables below. For each journal, note:

  1. Column width — set your figure canvas to this width in mm
  2. Minimum DPI — export at this resolution or higher
  3. Accepted formats — use the preferred format
  4. Height limit — ensure your figure does not exceed this

Then build your figure at these exact specifications from the start. Do not build at screen size and scale later.

Nature Portfolio

Journal Single col. Full width Max height Min DPI (photos) Min DPI (line art)
Nature 89 mm 183 mm 247 mm 300 1000
Nature Methods 89 mm 183 mm 247 mm 300 1000
Nature Communications 89 mm 183 mm 247 mm 300 1000
Nature Medicine 89 mm 183 mm 247 mm 300 1000
Nature Cell Biology 89 mm 183 mm 247 mm 300 1000
Nature Genetics 89 mm 183 mm 247 mm 300 1000
Scientific Reports 89 mm 183 mm 247 mm 300 1000

Preferred formats: TIFF (photographs), EPS (vector line art) Fonts: Arial or Helvetica, minimum 5–7 pt at print size Color: RGB at submission; CMYK handled in production Notes: No charge for color. Panels must be submitted as a single file.

See our dedicated Nature figure guidelines guide.

Cell Press

Journal Single col. Full width Max height Min DPI
Cell 85 mm 170 mm 225 mm 300 (photos) / 1000 (line)
Cell Reports 85 mm 170 mm 225 mm 300 / 1000
Cell Systems 85 mm 170 mm 225 mm 300 / 1000
Cell Metabolism 85 mm 170 mm 225 mm 300 / 1000
Cancer Cell 85 mm 170 mm 225 mm 300 / 1000
Current Biology 85 mm 170 mm 225 mm 300 / 1000
Cell Host & Microbe 85 mm 170 mm 225 mm 300 / 1000
Immunity 85 mm 170 mm 225 mm 300 / 1000

Preferred formats: PDF (vector), TIFF (photographs) Fonts: Arial or Helvetica only, all fonts embedded in EPS/PDF Graphical abstract: Required; 85 × 85 mm landscape preferred Notes: No color charges.

See our dedicated Cell Press figure guidelines guide.

AAAS (Science)

Journal Single col. Full width Max height Min DPI
Science 90 mm 185 mm 230 mm 300 / 600
Science Advances 90 mm 185 mm 230 mm 300 / 600
Science Translational Medicine 90 mm 185 mm 230 mm 300 / 600

Preferred formats: EPS (vector), TIFF (photos) Fonts: Helvetica or Arial, minimum 7 pt Notes: Science uses a narrower full-width than Nature/Cell; check before building.

PNAS

Version Width Max height Min DPI
Single column 87 mm 220 mm 300 (photos) / 600 (line)
1.5 column 114 mm 220 mm 300 / 600
Full width 178 mm 220 mm 300 / 600

Preferred formats: EPS, TIFF, or PDF Fonts: Minimum 6 pt at print size Notes: PNAS has the least restrictive minimum DPI for line art (600 vs 1000 for Nature/Cell).

eLife

Version Width Min DPI
Single column 87 mm 300 (photos) / 600 (line)
Full width 178 mm 300 / 600

Accepted formats: TIFF, EPS, PDF, PNG Graphical abstract: Required ("eTOC image") Notes: eLife is online-only and accepts PNG at submission. Peer review is open; reviewers see full-resolution figures. No APC charge (diamond open access).

PLOS journals (PLOS ONE, PLOS Biology, PLOS Medicine)

Version Width Min DPI
Single column 83–100 mm 300 (photos) / 600 (line)
Full width 170–190 mm 300 / 600

Accepted formats: TIFF, EPS, PNG (not JPEG) Notes: PLOS is flexible about initial submission format; production requests high-res TIFF/EPS after acceptance. Open access.

EMBO journals

Version Width Min DPI
Single column 86 mm 300 / 800
Full width 180 mm 300 / 800

Preferred formats: TIFF, EPS Fonts: Minimum 6 pt

BMC / Springer journals

BMC and many Springer journals follow the same core specifications:

  • Single column: 85 mm; full width: 170 mm
  • 300 DPI minimum for photos; 600 DPI for line art
  • TIFF or EPS preferred

Frontiers journals

  • Single column: 85 mm; full width: 170 mm
  • 300 DPI minimum across all figure types
  • TIFF, EPS, or PDF accepted
  • Note: Frontiers uses 300 DPI for all types — line art at 300 DPI may appear soft in print, but they do not require more

Quick reference for the most common mistake

The most common figure mistake for each journal category:

  • Nature: Building at screen size — then the line art is only 72–96 DPI at print size, far below 1000 DPI
  • Cell: Wrong column width (89 mm for Nature, 85 mm for Cell — 4 mm matters)
  • Science: Using JPEG for any panel (rejected in production)
  • PLOS: Not formatting supplementary figures to the same DPI as main figures

Using FigureGuild with journal presets

FigureGuild includes presets for all major journals above. Select your journal and the canvas is set to the correct mm dimensions. Export selects the correct minimum DPI. You choose the format (TIFF or PDF) at export.

Build your figure for your target journal →

FAQ

Which journal has the strictest figure requirements? Nature and Cell Press have the strictest requirements — 1000 DPI for line art and very specific column widths (89 mm and 85 mm respectively). PLOS is among the most flexible.

Can I use the same figure file for multiple journal submissions? You can reuse the source figure. However, if the journal column widths differ, you should export at the new dimensions — the same source file at 89 mm (Nature) is 4 mm too wide for Cell (85 mm).

What happens if I submit at the wrong dimensions? During peer review, most journals accept lower-quality figures. If your paper is accepted, production will request correctly formatted files. Submitting correctly from the start saves revision cycles.

Do online-only journals need the same DPI as print journals? Online-only journals (eLife, PLOS) require lower DPI — 300 DPI for photographs is sufficient, and 600 DPI for line art. Nature and Cell, which produce print editions, require 1000 DPI for line art.