Digital Art Requirements
Acceptable Formats
Digital files should be in .tiff or .eps format, depending on the type of image submitted. While current standards for the print reproduction of digital images are presented below, there are many potential pitfalls that early consultation can avoid. Software standards also change, and there may be other formats we can accept beyond those listed in the table below.
For all .eps files, fonts should either be embedded or included with submission. Exports from CAD or GIS programs will only be accepted in .eps or .pdf format. If you are planning to submit a map or photograph with an overlay of type, please put this type in a separate layer or layers and submit an unflattened image.
| Type of Image | Mode | Min. Resolution at Final Size | Preferred File Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black and white line drawing (scanned) | Bitmap | 1200 dpi | .tiff |
| Black and white line drawing (born digital) | Scalable vector art | n/a | .eps |
| Black and white photograph (scanned or born digital) | Grayscale | 350 dpi | .tiff |
| Black and white combination graphic (born digital, mix of b/w line drawing, text, and grayscale fills) | Scalable vector art | n/a | .eps (with layers retained) |
| Color photograph (scanned or born digital) | CMYK | 350 dpi | .tiff |
| Color combination graphic (born digital, mix of color line drawing, text, and tints) | Scalable vector art | n/a | .eps (with layers retained) |
Unacceptable Formats
Photographs embedded in Microsoft Word documents or Powerpoint presentations, and graphs or charts generated in Excel are not suitable for print reproduction. Files ending in .jpg, .png, .bmp, and .gif will also not be accepted.
Sizing and Compression
Digital images have physical dimensions in the same way as print art. The dimensions of a digital image should be at least as large as the desired size of final reproduction on the printed page. Do not increase their resolution by artificially “sizing up” in Adobe Photoshop or a similar image manipulation program.
Charts, Graphs, and Maps
No lines or rules should be defined at hairline width. Fills for bar charts, etc., reproduce better with patterns instead of shades of gray. When setting the size of type and elements, anticipate the effect of reducing the image, taking into account whether the lines will disappear or the labeling will become too small. Please ensure that no portion of your image contains black composed of CMYK, rich black, or registration black; all black should be composed of 100% black (i.e., 100% K).
Scanning from Published Works
While line art scanned from a published source can be reproduced to an acceptable standard, halftones usually cannot. (This includes maps with shading as well as photographs.) Authors should either photograph the published image or try and obtain the source image. We will require printed permission from the publisher for all images scanned or photographed from works published after 1923. Depending on the image, you may also be required to obtain additional permissions from the author or image creator.
Further Guidance
In addition to the information above, useful guidance can be obtained by downloading the Digital Art Requirements for Submission prepared by the Association of University Presses.