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Academy · Concepts & Definitions · Preparing figures for production (guide)
Preparing Figures for Production: Resolution, Font Embedding and Colour Space
A video walkthrough of this guide is in preparation. This written version addresses the three technical categories that most frequently cause figures to be returned from production.
Figures returned at production stage are most often flagged for one of three technical reasons: resolution below the journal’s stated minimum, fonts that do not embed or render correctly across platforms, and an inappropriate colour space (RGB [red, green, blue] versus CMYK [cyan, magenta, yellow, key/black]) for the intended output. Each can be checked before submission, independently of the underlying data.
Learning objectives
- Which resolution must be checked, and in which unit.
- Why font embedding matters even when a figure appears correct on screen.
- The practical difference between RGB and CMYK for figure preparation.
Common misconceptions
- “A figure that appears sharp on a laptop screen will print or reproduce satisfactorily.” Screen display (typically around 72-96 dots per inch [DPI]) and print or production reproduction (commonly requiring 300 DPI or higher for raster images) are different checks; a figure that appears sharp on screen may still fall below a journal’s print or production resolution requirement.
- “Any font is acceptable provided that it displays correctly on the author’s own computer.” A font not embedded in the exported file, or not available on the production system, can be silently substituted during processing, changing character spacing, special symbols, or Greek letters in ways the author never sees before publication.
Checking resolution at final print size
Resolution should be checked at the figure's final printed or displayed size, in DPI (dots per inch), against the specific journal's stated minimum — commonly 300 DPI for colour or greyscale photographic images and higher for line art, although exact figures vary by publisher. A figure that appears sharp at a small on-screen preview size can fail this check once scaled to its actual print dimensions, so resolution should be verified at final size, not at the size at which the figure is displayed during drafting.
Importance of font embedding
When exporting a figure (particularly from vector software), fonts used for labels and annotations should be embedded in the exported file (or converted to outlines/paths) rather than left as a system reference, since a production system without that exact font installed will substitute a default font — silently changing label spacing and potentially corrupting special characters such as Greek letters or mathematical symbols used in axis labels.
RGB and CMYK colour modes
RGB (red-green-blue) is the colour space for screen display, while CMYK (cyan-magenta-yellow-key/black) is the standard colour space for print production; colours that look correct in RGB on screen can shift, sometimes substantially, when converted to CMYK for print. Checking the specific journal's required colour mode before final export avoids an unexpected colour shift appearing only once the figure reaches print or final production.
Video walkthrough
A narrated video walking through the actual export settings and checks for resolution, font embedding, and colour space in common figure-preparation software is in production and will be added above once complete.
Key points
Key points
Resolution, font embedding and colour space are the three technical checks that most frequently cause a figure to be returned from production. Each can be verified before submission by checking resolution at final print size (not on-screen preview size), confirming that fonts are embedded or outlined, and confirming that the colour mode matches the journal’s output requirement.
Practical application
Practical application
- Check resolution, in DPI, at the figure’s final printed size. Resolution should not be judged at the preview size at which the figure is displayed during drafting.
- Embed or outline all fonts before final export. This should be confirmed specifically for any special characters (Greek letters, mathematical symbols) used in labels.
- Confirm the required colour mode (RGB or CMYK) with the specific journal before final export. The figure should also be previewed in that colour mode before submission to identify unexpected colour shifts.
Frequently asked questions
Requirements vary by journal, but line art (graphs, diagrams) often requires a higher DPI than photographic/halftone images; the specific journal's current figure guidelines should always be checked.
Usually yes, through the proof-correction process, but this introduces a delay that checking before submission avoids.
Yes — export settings in statistical or plotting software should be checked the same way, since default export settings are not always production-ready.
References
- Based on current major-publisher author guidelines for figure preparation (Elsevier Author Resources; Wiley Author Services), applied as general best practice; always confirm against the specific target journal's current instructions for authors. read 10 October 2026.
Every source above is a peer-reviewed article, a publisher’s record of one, or a standard issued by the body that owns it. Each carries the date it was last read. Where a standard moves, this article is revised rather than left up with a note.
How to cite this article
Pick your referencing style and copy it. Your university or target journal may vary the punctuation — check its guide if it has one.
Pubrica Academy. (2026, October 10). Preparing Figures for Production: Resolution, Font Embedding and Colour Space. Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/academy/video-guides/preparing-figures-for-production-guide/
Pubrica Academy. “Preparing Figures for Production: Resolution, Font Embedding and Colour Space.” Pubrica, 10 Oct. 2026, pubrica.com/academy/video-guides/preparing-figures-for-production-guide/.
Pubrica Academy (2026) Preparing Figures for Production: Resolution, Font Embedding and Colour Space. Pubrica. Available at: https://pubrica.com/academy/video-guides/preparing-figures-for-production-guide/ (Accessed: 15 October 2026).
Pubrica Academy. “Preparing Figures for Production: Resolution, Font Embedding and Colour Space.” Pubrica. October 10, 2026. https://pubrica.com/academy/video-guides/preparing-figures-for-production-guide/
Pubrica Academy, ‘Preparing Figures for Production: Resolution, Font Embedding and Colour Space’ (Pubrica, 10 October 2026) <https://pubrica.com/academy/video-guides/preparing-figures-for-production-guide/> accessed 15 October 2026.
Pubrica Academy. Preparing Figures for Production: Resolution, Font Embedding and Colour Space. [Internet]. Pubrica; 2026 Oct 10 [cited 2026 Oct 15]. Available from: https://pubrica.com/academy/video-guides/preparing-figures-for-production-guide/
Pubrica Academy, “Preparing Figures for Production: Resolution, Font Embedding and Colour Space,” Pubrica, Oct. 10, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://pubrica.com/academy/video-guides/preparing-figures-for-production-guide/
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title = {Preparing Figures for Production: Resolution, Font Embedding and Colour Space},
howpublished = {Pubrica},
year = {2026},
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url = {https://pubrica.com/academy/video-guides/preparing-figures-for-production-guide/},
note = {Accessed: <span data-cite-acc="iso">2026-10-15</span>}
}This article is written to be learned from. Cite it if you are referring to what it says; if you are using the evidence behind it, cite the sources listed above instead.
Figure production check
Run before final export.
[ ] Resolution checked at final print size, in DPI, against journal minimum [ ] All fonts embedded or converted to outlines [ ] Special characters (Greek letters, symbols) checked after font embedding [ ] Colour mode (RGB/CMYK) matches journal's required output [ ] Figure previewed in the required colour mode before final export
Pubrica AcademyWritten and maintained by Pubrica’s subject matter experts. Articles are revised when the underlying standards change, and each article states the date on which it was last reviewed.
How Pubrica can help
Pubrica prepares figures to each target journal’s current technical requirements for resolution, font embedding and colour space before submission, to reduce the likelihood of figures being returned at production.