Cell Reports figure size & submission guidelines
Cell Reports publishes no figure guidelines of its own: its author pages link straight to the shared Cell Press figure guidelines. Here they are — plus the two Cell Reports-specific rules that do exist (figure counts, and TIFF/PDF for final files).
| Column widths | 85 mm (1 column) · 114 mm (1.5 columns) · 174 mm (full page width) — the Cell Press standard |
|---|---|
| Maximum size | No hard height limit — Cell Press recommends keeping a figure within 165 × 200 mm overall; each figure must fit on a single page |
| Resolution | Colour or greyscale at least 300 dpi · black-and-white at least 500 dpi · line art at least 1,000 dpi, at the desired print size. No separate combination tier |
| Panel labels | Capital letters. (Parentheses are not specified in the guidelines — the preset uses the (A), (B), (C) form standard in published Cell Press articles) |
| Other text | About 6–8 pt at the desired print size |
| Font | Arial only — fonts embedded |
| File formats | TIFF and PDF are the preferred formats for final production; EPS, JPG, PSD, PNG and CDX are also accepted, and EPS is recommended for vector images. The journal's own final-file checklist asks for final main figures as TIFF or PDF |
| Colour | RGB — and red and green should not be used together |
| Figure count | Research articles and Resources: up to 7 figures and/or tables. Reports: up to 4 (Cell Reports article-types page) |
The button opens the studio with the width, export DPI and (A)-style labels already set.
A myth to ignore: some third-party summaries claim Cell Reports uses a special 90–180 mm width window, an 800 dpi line-art tier, and no EPS. We read every document linked from the journal's author pages on cell.com — none of those rules exists. The journal links directly to the shared Cell Press guidelines above.
How it works
- Add your panels — drop in images or PDF pages; white margins are trimmed automatically.
- Arrange & label — the width, DPI and label style are already set for Cell Reports; drag panels into order.
- Export — free PNG at 100 DPI to check the layout; high-res PNG / SVG / PDF (300–1200 DPI) with a figure credit.
Pricing: free preview · Manuscript pack $7 (12 figures) · Researcher annual $79 · Lab annual $249. One credit exports one figure in any format, and re-exports of the same figure are free for 24 hours — built for revision rounds.
Specs summarised from the official source: Cell Press — figure guidelines (linked from the Cell Reports author pages). Journals update their rules — always confirm against the current official guidelines before you submit.
More guides: All journal figure guides · How to combine graphs into one figure · Figure resolution & DPI, explained · Back to the studio