How to use your figures in a textbook/book publication (👑 Premium only)

BioRender looks great on print too!

If you plan to publish BioRender figures in a textbook or book, you must have a paid BioRender subscription with the appropriate Publication License.

The subscription required depends on how your figures will be used, whether the publication is for-profit or non-profit, and the number of figures being included.

• Non-profit publications: Figures used in publications that do not generate profit may be eligible for publication under an Academic plan or license.
• For-profit publications: Figures used in commercially sold textbooks or books require an Industry plan, even if the individual author does not receive any payment or royalties.

Additional per-figure fees apply when publishing more than 15 figures. If you're unsure which subscription or publication license is appropriate for your intended use, please contact our Support team at support@biorender.com for guidance.

Non-profit publications

If your figures will be included in a non-profit textbook or book publication that does not generate profit, you may use an eligible Academic or Industry subscription, depending on the number of figures being published.

Eligibility is based on the intended use of the figures, rather than whether you personally receive payment for contributing to the publication.

The following subscription types can be used without incurring additional per-figure charges:

• If you will be publishing 5 or less figures, we require either a monthly academic plan (Academic Individual, Student, Postdoc), the Monthly Industry Individual Plan, the Academic Lab plan or that you are on a Academic Institutional license.
• If you will be publishing 6 to 15 figures, we require any annual academic plan (Postdoc, Student, Academic Individual) the Academic Lab or the Annual Industry Plan.
• Members of an institutional license can publish up to 15 figures.

If you will be publishing more than 15 figures, the price breakdown for additional figures is as follows:

Number of figures / Cost per figure

• Figures 16 - 49: 29.00 USD 
• Figures 50+ : 25.00 USD

For-profit publications

If your figures will be included in a commercially sold textbook or book, an eligible Industry subscription is required. This applies even if you are contributing the figures for free and will not personally receive royalties or other compensation.

An Annual Industry Individual plan allows you to publish up to 15 figures in a for-profit textbook or book without additional per-figure charges.

Additional fees apply when publishing more than 15 figures. The price breakdown for additional figures is as follows:

Number of figures / Cost per figure

• Figures 16 - 49: 60.00 USD 
• Figures 50 - 99: 50.00 USD
• Figures 100 - 249: 39.00 USD
• Figures 250 - 499: 35.00 USD
• Figures 500 - 999: 31.00 USD
• Figures 1000+: 28.00 USD

Reuse and republish someone else's figure in a book publication

Follow these steps to reuse a published BioRender figure in a textbook or book:

1. Confirm you have the correct plan and license

   • You must have a Premium plan and export the figure with a Publication License. 

   • If the figure will be reused in a commercially sold textbook or book, an eligible Industry plan is required, regardless of whether the individual author receives payment.
   • Figures originally exported under an Academic Publication License are not licensed for commercial use. The appropriate Industry plan and Publication License must be obtained before commercial reuse.

   • Academic licenses do not permit commercial use. If a figure was originally exported under an Academic license and will appear in a for profit publication, the account must be upgraded to an Industry plan before reuse.

2. Include the required citation

   • When you export with a Publication License, BioRender generates a unique citation and URL. You can also copy the in-text citation from your figures public page.

   • You must include this citation in the figure legend, references section, or acknowledgments of the book.

3. Obtain permission from the original author.

   • If you are not able to request access to the figure through the figure's unique URL link, you are responsible for contacting the original creator of the figure and securing their permission before reusing it.

More information can be found here: How to reuse and republish a BioRender figure