Artwork Instructions

ARTWORK INSTRUCTIONS

JSCS accepts only TIFF or EPS formats, as well as JPEG format (only for colour and greyscale photographs) for electronic artwork and graphic files. MS files (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio) NOT acceptable. Generally, scanned instrument data sheets should be avoided. Authors are responsible for the quality of their submitted artwork. Every single Figure or Scheme, as well as any part of the Figure (A, B, C…) should be prepared according to following instructions (every part of the figure, A, B, C…, must be submitted as an independent single graphic file):

TIFF
Virtually all common artwork and graphic creation software is capable of saving files in TIFF format. This 'option' can normally be found under 'the 'Save As...' or 'Export...' commands in the 'File' menu.
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is the recommended file format for bitmap, greyscale and colour images.

  • Colour images should be in the RGB mode
  • When supplying TIFF files, please ensure that the files are supplied at the correct resolution:
  1. Line artwork: minimum of 1000 dpi
  2. RGB image: minimum of 300 dpi
  3. Greyscale image: minimum of 300 dpi
  4. Combination artwork (line/greyscale/RGB): minimum of 500 dpi
  • Images should be tightly cropped, without frame and any caption.
  • If applicable please re-label artwork with a font supported by JSCS (Arial, Helvetica, Times, Symbol) and ensure it is of an appropriate font size.
  • Save an image in TIFF format with LZW compression applied.
  • It is recommended to remove Alpha channels before submitting TIFF files.
  • It is recommended to flatten layers before submitting TIFF files.

Please be sure that quality of an image cannot be increased by changing the resolution from lower to higher, but only by rescanning or exporting the image with higher resolution, which can be set in usual "settings" facilities.

EPS
Virtually all common artwork creation software, such as Canvas, ChemDraw, CorelDraw, SigmaPlot, Origin Lab…, are capable of saving files in EPS format. This 'option' can normally be found under the 'Save As...' or 'Export...' commands in the 'File' menu.
For vector graphics, EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) files are the preferred format as long as they are provided in accordance with the following conditions:

  • when they contain bitmap images, the bitmaps should be of good resolution (see instructions for TIFF files)
  • when colour is involved, it should be encoded as RGB
  • an 8-bit preview/header at a resolution of 72 dpi should always be included
  • embed fonts should always included and only the following fonts should be used in artwork: Arial, Helvetica, Times, Symbol
  • the vertical space between the parts of an illustration should be limited to the bare necessity for visual clarity
  • no data should be present outside the actual illustration area
  • line weights should range from 0.35 pt to 1.5 pt
  • when using layers, they should be reduced to one layer before saving the image (Flatten Artwork)

JPEG
Virtually all common artwork and graphic creation software is capable of saving files in JPEG format. This 'option' can normally be found under 'the 'Save As...' or 'Export...' commands in the 'File' menu.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is the acceptable file format only for colour and greyscale photographs. JPEG can be created with respect to photo quality (low, medium, high; from 1 to 10), ensuring file sizes are kept to a minimum to aid easy file transfer. Images should have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Image width: minimum 3.0 cm; maximum 12.0 cm.

Please be sure that quality of an image cannot be increased by changing the resolution from lower to higher, but only by rescanning or exporting the image with higher resolution, which can be set in usual "settings" facilities.

SIZING OF ARTWORK
JSCS aspires to have a uniform look for all artwork contained in a single article. Hence, it is important to be aware of the style of the journal.
Figures should be submitted in black and white or, if required, colour (charged). If coloured figures or photographs are required, this must be stated in the cover letter and arrangements made for payment through the office of the Serbian Chemical Society.
As a general rule, the lettering on an artwork should have a finished, printed size of 11 pt for normal text and no smaller than 7 pt for subscript and superscript characters. Smaller lettering will yield a text that is barely legible. This is a rule-of-thumb rather than a strict rule. There are instances where other factors in the artwork, (for example, tints and shadings) dictate a finished size of perhaps 10 pt. Lines should be of at least 1 pt thickness.
When deciding on the size of a line art graphic, in addition to the lettering, there are several other factors to address. These all have a bearing on the reproducibility/readability of the final artwork. Tints and shadings have to be printable at the finished size. All relevant detail in the illustration, the graph symbols (squares, triangles, circles, etc.) and a key to the diagram (to explain the explanation of the graph symbols used) must be discernible.
The sizing of halftones (photographs, micrographs,...) normally causes more problems than line art. It is sometimes difficult to know what an author is trying to emphasize on a photograph, so you can help us by identifying the important parts of the image, perhaps by highlighting the relevant areas on a photocopy. The best advice that can be given to graphics suppliers is not to over-reduce halftones. Attention should also be paid to magnification factors or scale bars on the artwork and they should be compared with the details inside. If a set of artwork contains more than one halftone, again please ensure that there is consistency in size between similar diagrams.

General sizing of illustrations which can be used for the Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society:
Minimum fig. size: 30 mm width
Small fig. size - 60 mm width
Large fig. size - 90 mm width
Maximum fig. size - 120 mm width

Pixel requirements (width) per print size and resolution for bitmap images:

 
Image width
A
B
C
Minimal size
30 mm
354
591
1181
Small size
60 mm
709
1181
2362
Large size   
90 mm
1063
1772
3543
Maximal size
120 mm
1417
2362
4724

A: 300 dpi >   RGB or Greyscale image
B: 500 dpi >    Combination artwork (line/greyscale/RGB)
C: 1000 dpi> Line artwork

The designation of physical quantities and graphs formatting
The designation of physical quantities on figures must be in italic, whereas the units are in upright letters. They should be in Times New Roman font. In graphs a slash should be used to separate the designation of a physical quantity from the unit (example: p / kPa, j / mA cm-1, T0 / K, t / h, ln (j / mA cm-2)…). Designations such as: p (kPa), t [min]…, are not acceptable. However, if the full name of a physical quantity is unavoiable, it should be given in upright letters and separated from the unit by a comma (example: Pressure, kPa, Temperature, K…). Please do not use the axes of graphs for additional explanations; these should be mentioned in the figure captions and/or the manuscript (example: "pressure at the inlet of the system, kPa" should be avoided). The axis name should follow the direction of the axis (the name of y‑axis should be rotated by 90°). Top and right axes should be avoided in diagrams, unless they are absolutely necessary. Decimal numbers must have decimal points and not commas in the axis labels in graphical presentations of results. Thousands are separated, if at all, by a comma and not a point.