CREATINGDIGITALARTWORK

Digitalartworkcantakeseveralforms:photographs,charts,graphs,diagrams,radiograph,OR
anyscannedversionsofthesetypesofartwork.Theseguidelinesaredesignedtohelpyou
createartworkwithacamera,scanner,oranypieceofimagingsoftwaresothatitisatthe
qualityrequiredforprintandonlinepublicationinajournal.

CreatingDigitalArt
DeterminingArtworkType ..................................................................................................................................2
Option1:Scanning ...................................................................................................................................................2
Option2:Diagrams,drawingsorgraphs(lineart)fromdigitalfile....................................................3
Option3:HalftoneArt(photo/nonvectorillustration)fromdigitalfile ..........................................4
CreatingPrintReadyPDFs ...................................................................................................................................4
SubmittingYourArtwork......................................................................................................................................4
Terminology .................................................................................................................................................................6

DETERMININGARTWORKTYPE

Beforebeginningtocreatenewartworkorpreparingexistingartworkforprint,determinewhich
typeofartworkyouhave,andthentaketheappropriatestepstoprepareforsubmission.
1. ImagesdownloadedfromtheInternet,fromadigitalrepository(stockimages)or
otherfilearchive.Thereisnowaytoimprovefilesfromtheinternet,fromdigital
repositoriesorfilearchives.Resolutionissetwhendigitalartworkisfirstcreated.Ifthe
qualityispoortobeginwith,thereisnowaytocorrectit.Donothingfurtherwiththe
file:submitasis.
2. Scannedimage.FollowOption1.
3. Diagrams,drawingsorgraphs(lineart)fromdigitalfile.FollowtheOption2.
4. HalftoneArt(photo/nonvectorillustration)fromdigitalfile.FollowtheOption3.
Everypieceofartworkshouldbesubmittedasaseparatefile.Artworkshouldnotbeincluded
inthetextfileofthemanuscript.
Nameeachfigurefilesusingthisformat:Author_Last_Name_Figure1.tifand
Author_Last_NameFigure2.eps.Forexample,Dr.SmithwouldnametheirFigure1EPSfile
Smith_Figure1.eps

OPTION1:SCANNING
Remember,thekeyistosetyourresolutionsandfiletypesettingsonyourscanneror
cameraBEFOREcreating/scanningtheimage.
Onlyscanifadigitalcopyoftheartisnotavailable.
Determineyourfiletype(seetermssection):
Fordiagrams,drawingsandgraphs(imagescomposedmostlyoflines):
o

Settheresolutiontoatleast1200dpi(dotsperinch,ameasureofprinting
resolution)at100%theimagesize.

Setafontsizegreaterthan6.

Ifyourimageissmallerthanthedesiredoutput,increasethepercentageto
achievethedesiredsize.

2011 Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

These guides are intended for sole use by LWW and its customers and may be distributed at LWWs sole
discretion. Any dissemination or other transmission is explicitly prohibited.

Ifdevicedoesnotallowresolutionchoices,setimagesizeto400%greater
thandesiredprintsize.

Forphotographs,radiographsandotherhalftoneimages:
o

Settheresolutiontoatleast300dpiat100%ofimagesize.

Ifyourimageissmallerthanthedesiredoutput,increasethepercentageto
achievethedesiredsize.

Ifdevicedoesnotallowresolutionchoices,setimagesizeto24%greater
thandesiredprintsize.

Forphotographsandradiographswithtext:
o

Settheresolutiontoatleast600dpiat100%ofimagesize.

Ifyourimageissmallerthanthedesiredoutput,increasethepercentageto
achievethedesiredsize.

Ifdevicedoesnotallowresolutionchoices,setimagesizeto200%greaterthan
desiredprintsize.

Cropwiththefollowinginmind:
o

Crop(orblackout)anypatientidentifiers.

Cropunwantedtextorart.

Cropexcessivewhitespace.

Oncethescaniscomplete,saveeachpieceofartworkseparatelyasaTIFF,EPS,or
PDF*.

OPTION2:DIAGRAMS,DRAWINGSORGRAPHS(LINEART)
FROMDIGITALFILE
Shadingisacceptable,butdonotusepatternfillswithinMSOfficeastheyresultinpoor
printquality.
2011 Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
These guides are intended for sole use by LWW and its customers and may be distributed at LWWs sole
discretion. Any dissemination or other transmission is explicitly prohibited.

IfcreatedinMSOfficesimplysaveasanOfficedocumentandsubmitthefile.
IfcreatedinadesignprogramsuchasIllustrator,saveasanEPSorPDF*andsubmitthefile.
o

Ifyouareunsureaboutcreatingthepostscriptfile,sendthenativeapplication
file.Makesureallfontsandimportedimagesareincluded.

Ifusingspecialtysoftware,pickfromthefollowingoptions:
o

Save/exportfileasEPSorPDFiftheprogramsallows.(seeCreatingPrintReady
PDFs)

IfyouhaveAdobeAcrobatProfessionalinstalled,printtofileusingAcrobatas
yourprinteroptiontocreateaPDF*.

Ifneitheroftheaboveoptionsisavailable,printthearttoyourofficeor
desktopcomputer.ThenscantheprintedartusingthestepsinOption1.

OPTION3:HALFTONEART(PHOTO/NONVECTOR
ILLUSTRATION)FROMDIGITALFILE
IfyourimageisalreadyaTIFF,EPS,JPEG,orPDFdonotdoanything.Sendthefileas
is.

CREATINGPRINTREADYPDFS
LWWacceptsimagessavedinPDFformat,butthePDFsmustbesavedusingprintquality
settings.PDFwritersotherthanAdobeAcrobatProfessionalwillnotproduceaprintquality
PDF.
WhencreatingaPDFusingAdobePDF(printer)orAcrobatDistiller,usethePress
QualityorHighQualityPrintAdobePDFSetting.
FromIllustrator,InDesignorPhotoshopmakesureyourdocumentadherestothe
criterialistedinoptions13beforesavingasaPDF.Donotdownsample(makethe
imagesmallerbyremovingpixels).

SUBMITTINGYOURARTWORK
2011 Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
These guides are intended for sole use by LWW and its customers and may be distributed at LWWs sole
discretion. Any dissemination or other transmission is explicitly prohibited.

Everyjournalpublishescustomizedguidelinesforsubmission.Pleasevisitthejournalwebsite
andlocatetheInstructionsforAuthorstodeterminethepreferredsubmissionmethod.Keep
thefollowinginmind:
Submitfigurestothejournalaccordingtotheirpreferredmethodofdelivery:online
submission,email,disk,etc.aslistedintheirInstructionsforAuthors/Author
Guidelines.
CompressingfiguresintooneZIPfilespeedssubmissionuploadingprocess.

2011 Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

These guides are intended for sole use by LWW and its customers and may be distributed at LWWs sole
discretion. Any dissemination or other transmission is explicitly prohibited.

TERMINOLOGY
BlackandWhite(Grayscale)/ColorArtworkanimagewithvariationsoftone
includingphotographs,radiographsandscannedimages,theseimagesshouldbe
scannedwitharesolutionofatleast300dpi.
Example:

Grayscaleanyblackandwhiteimagethatisnotlineart,orintechtalk,astripof
standardgraytonesrangingfromwhitetoblack.
LineArtpurelyblackandwhitefigures,theseimagesshouldbescannedwitha
resolutionofatleast1200dpi.
Example:

Resolutiononprintedmedia,itisthenumberofdotsperinch;onavideomonitor,itis
thenumberofpixelsperunitofmeasurementingeneral,thehigherthedpi,the
sharpertheimage.
ZipFileonefilethatcontainsoneormorefilesthathavebeencompressedorstored,
creatingazipfilewiththefilesofyourmanuscriptisaneasywaytouploadnumerous
filestoasubmissionsite,anFTPsite,ortosimplyEmailmultiplefiles.
2011 Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
6
These guides are intended for sole use by LWW and its customers and may be distributed at LWWs sole
discretion. Any dissemination or other transmission is explicitly prohibited.