TEXT
For manuscript text (body of manuscript, biography, references, etc.), provide files in MS Word or WordPerfect.

TABLES
Preferred table programs are MS Word (Table function) or Excel. Lines (called "rules") within a table should be at least 1/2 point or thicker (do not use hairline). Hairline rules are too fine for print production.

JOURNAL PAGE SIZE
The page of a bound print ASR journal is not the same size as a regular piece of letter-size paper. The journal page text dimensions are approximately 5.25 inches (wide) by 8.5 inches (high). All text, tables, figures, etc. are typeset and sized to fit this journal page dimension. When figures are sized down to fit on the page, any text or type in the actual figure should not be any smaller than 6 pt Times New Roman in the final printed journal page; 8 pt Times New Roman reduction size is optimal. For example, an Excel chart/graph that is to be reduced to 55% in the print journal article, should use 14.5 Times New Roman font in the original (100% size) Excel chart/graph file.

For Tables, all the text and/or data should fit on the journal page across two columns (maximum of 5.25 inches wide). If the table is too wide for the journal page, it will be typeset as a broadside table that appears vertically on the page. If possible, please look at past ASR issues to see how tables and figures have been typseset previously.

DISK/CD
The disk/CD you send to us must contain the computer file of the figure as created in the original program (e.g., an Excel graphic must be sent as an Excel file, not pasted into a Word document file). Do not send laser proofs; they do not reproduce well in print composition. Sending a word processing document with a figure placed in it is *not* useful unless the original graphic file is also sent as a separate file (see previous paragraph).

FIGURES/GRAPHICS
Send only black and white figures; do not send color figures. Send the computer file of the figures (laser proofs do not reproduce well). Excel (*.xls) is the preferred computer program file for charts/graphs. For other illustrations/images, acceptable programs include Photoshop, PowerPoint, Illustrator, Freehand, or Corel Draw. Preferred formats for illustrations/images/photos are *.tiff files using grayscale (not CMYK) with LZW compression, or *.eps files (not *.ps files). Please do not send files from StATA program and Paint; these are not acceptable/suitable for graphics for print---authors can convert StATA files to Excel and send us the Excel file.

Provide the original computer file(s) of the figure(s) as created in the original program (e.g., an Excel chart/graph must be sent as an Excel file), not pasted or inserted into a Word document file. Do not send a figure placed in a word processing document; this is not useful because the word processing document only contains a low-resolution 72 dpi preview.

Use at least 300 dpi resolution for grayscale (not CMYK); use at least 600 dpi resolution for line-art (1200 dpi is preferred). Do not make the mistake of sending 72 dpi screen shots or web gifs because they look okay on the computer screen; these will reproduce very badly.

Lines (called "rules") within a figure (chart/graph), at reduction size, must be at least 1/2 point or thicker (do not use hairline). Hairline rules are too fine for print production. For example, if the chart/graph will be printed in the journal at 55% reduction, the original (100%) size of the rule should be at least 1 point to appear in the journal at 1/2 point.

A note about Excel graphs/charts: Excel is the preferred program at ASR for figures/graphs/charts. When creating or generating a chart in Excel, make sure to designate the "chart location" in the Excel file "As new sheet." Name this new sheet Figure 1, etc. All the data for the figure(s) can appear on one worksheet, but do not make the graph/chart an object within that same data worksheet (i.e., do not designate the chart location for the graph/chart "As object in"; please locate each figure "As new sheet".)

If you choose to send reflective art, then veloxes, PMTs (photo mechanical transfer), or Photostats are preferred over laser printouts. If the illustration contains grays, a Continuous tone print is preferred. Also, consider the size your illustration will be reduced to in the published print article. The finest line should be 1/2 point at the reduced size. For example, if your illustration will be reduced 50% in print, the finest rule in your 100% original should be 1 point, which will reduce to 1/2 pt at the print size. If you must send a laser proof of an illustration that contains grays, do not use the printer's default screen. The screen, at the final print size, must be no finer than 133 line. For example, if your illustration will reduce to 50% in print, your laser proof's screen must be no finer than 66.5.

CONSISTENCY OF TYPE (FONT) SIZE
To assure that the type sizes are the same in all the figures in the print journal page, the author or artist needs to compute the inverse of the focus of the reproduction size of the image, and size the type (font) in the original accordingly.

The formula to compute the reproduction focus (reduction or enlargement) is as follows:

R / O = F
where R is journal print reproduction size (inches), O is original illustration size (inches), and F is the focus (move decimal 2 places to the right to get %).

Example A:
To obtain a final print reproduction size of 8 point font type size (R) from a figure that contains 14 point font type size originally (O), divide 8/14 to equal .57 (the F) or 57%. This means, to make the 14 point font fit on the journal page in 8 point font, the figure will be reduced to 57% of its original dimensions.

Example B:
To obtain a final print reproduction size of 8 point font type size (R) from a figure that contains 6 point font type size originally (O), divide 8/6 to equal 1.33 (F) or 133%. This means, to make the 6 point font fit on the journal page in 8 point font, the figure will be enlarged to 133% of its original dimensions.

To compute the inverse focus, the formula is as follows:
1/F = i
where F is the focus and i is the inverse focus.

In simple English, if the illustration is to be reduced, divide the finished reproduction width (R from above) by the original width (O), and the resulting decimal (.xx) is the reduction percentage or focus (F). Divide 1 by that decimal amount (F), and that equals the inverse focus (i).

If the illustration is to be enlarged, again divide the finished reproduction width (R from above) by the original width (O), and the resulting decimal (x.xx) is the enlargement percentage. Divide 1 by that number (F), and that equals the inverse focus (i).

For example, if the desired finished type size is 8 point font, and the focus is 65%, the inverse is 154%. Multiply 8 x 1.54 = 12.3 point font (sizes can be entered in decipoints [tenths of a point] by using decimals).

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Last Updated on April 06, 2007
© 2007 American Sociological Association