Give careful thought to what material, if any, can be presented as figures. Figures should be illustrative of information that is provided in the text, with callouts that include dimensions, descriptions, or other relevant information.
Figures generally appear in the body of the book and/or in the back matter (e.g., appendix). They vary in width (e.g., 19p6, 30p, 40p6, or 53 picas) and depth. Most commonly, a figure consists of a figure caption, subcaption, line art, callouts, illustration captions, General Notes, and referenced Notes.
Figures most commonly appear as line art (see Sample). Use of gray scale (see Sample) and halftones (see Sample) is discouraged; instead, it is recommended that line art be used. If halftones are used, they must be screened at 133 lines or scanned at a minimum of 300 dots per inch (dpi) and a maximum of 600 dpi. Figures may appear as a combo, in which a combination of halftones and line art is used (see Sample).
“Figure” is abbreviated as “Fig.” unless it begins a sentence. See Abbreviations.
General Notes and Notes may also be used in figures.
NOTE: With the implementation of the Digital Path we will be changing the figure caption, spelling out the word "Figure" instead of abbreviating it. This will go into effect in the 2011 publication of the BPVC and earlier for any code and standard being produced in the new system.
Drawings, charts, and graphs should be prepared in accordance with the C&S Guide to the Delivery of Digital Files.
