How to use it
- Choose the journal you submit to, or keep the general rules.
- Choose the figure type: charts and line art need a higher resolution than photographs.
- Drop one or more files. Each gets a list of passes, points to check and things to fix.
- Fix and export again. Figures made in CleanFigure, such as a forest plot or a Kaplan–Meier plot, can apply the journal’s rules in one step before export.
Common reasons figures are sent back
- The resolution is too low for the printed size, often because a screenshot or a slide was exported.
- The file is not in an accepted format (for example PNG for a journal that takes only TIFF or EPS).
- Fonts are not embedded in the PDF, or an unusual font was used.
- The figure is wider or taller than the journal’s columns and page.
- The image is CMYK or has a transparency channel.
Frequently asked questions
What does the checker look at?
For PNG, TIFF and JPEG: the pixel size and the resolution stored in the file, the printed size that results, the color mode (RGB or CMYK), a transparency channel and, for TIFF, the compression and number of pages. For PDF: the page size and whether every font is embedded, and which font families are used. For SVG: the size and fonts. It then compares all of it with the chosen journal’s figure rules and says what to change.
Why is my 300 dpi figure too small?
Resolution only means something together with the printed size. A 1,000-pixel-wide image is 300 dpi at 85 mm but only 150 dpi at 170 mm. Changing the dpi number in an image editor without resampling does not add detail; it only makes the printed size smaller. Make the figure at its final width and export it at the required dpi, or send a vector PDF, which has no resolution limit for text and lines.
What resolution do journals ask for?
Typical minimums are 300 dpi for photographs, 500–600 dpi for figures that combine photos and text, and 600–1,200 dpi for line art such as charts. Some journals take only vector files for charts (Nature asks for PDF), and PLOS ONE accepts only TIFF or EPS at 300–600 dpi. The checker uses the chosen journal’s own rules where they are known and these general minimums otherwise.
Why do embedded fonts matter?
A PDF without embedded fonts shows text in whatever font the reader’s computer substitutes, which can change letter widths, break symbols and move labels. Journal submission systems usually reject such files. Every PDF exported from CleanFigure embeds its fonts.
Are my files uploaded?
No. The files are read in your browser; only their headers and font dictionaries are examined, and nothing is sent to a server. That also means very large files are checked as quickly as your computer can read them.