What are the USPTO patent drawing requirements?

Under 37 CFR §1.84, USPTO drawings must be black ink line drawings on white paper with uniform, durable, dense, solid lines; each view numbered as a separate figure; reference numerals connected by leader lines and consistent across views; correct sheet sizes and margins; and shading done with lines or stippling rather than gray fills. Color or photographs are accepted only by petition.

Do provisional patent applications need drawings?

Provisional applications should include drawings whenever they are necessary to understand the invention. While the formal drawing rules are applied less strictly than for non-provisional filings, clear figures still protect your disclosure and can be reused later, so it is best to prepare compliant drawings.

What line quality does the USPTO require?

Lines must be black, uniformly thick, well-defined, clean, durable, and dense. Faint, broken, or photocopied-looking lines, and lines of varying weight, are common reasons for an objection.

How are reference numerals supposed to work?

Each feature is assigned a reference numeral connected to it by a straight leader line. The same numeral must refer to the same feature across every view, and numerals should not cross or touch each other unnecessarily.

Can I submit color or grayscale patent drawings?

Standard practice is black-and-white line drawings. The USPTO accepts color drawings or photographs only when they are the only practical medium and a petition is granted. Most filings should avoid color and grayscale.

How do I check whether my drawings are compliant?

Upload them to the PatentFig AI figure checker. It flags issues such as line quality, missing or inconsistent reference numerals, gray fills, margin problems, and unlabeled views against your target office before you file.

Are the requirements the same for EPO, CNIPA, JPO, and KIPO?

They are closely related but not identical. The EPO (Rule 46), CNIPA, JPO, KIPO, and the PCT (Rule 11) each have their own sheet, margin, and numbering specifics. See the patent drawing standards page for an office-by-office comparison.

Patent Drawing Requirements

What the USPTO and other offices require for patent drawings — line quality, views, reference numerals, margins, and shading — with an automatic figure checker to validate yours.

Check my figures Office-by-office rules

USPTO 37 CFR §1.84
Views & numerals
Margins & line quality
Automatic checker

The 30-second checklist

USPTO (37 CFR §1.84): black line art on white paper; margins at least 2.5 cm top, 2.5 cm left, 1.5 cm right, 1.0 cm bottom; sheets A4 or 8.5 × 11 inch; reference numerals at least 0.32 cm (1/8 inch) tall.
Export or scan at 300 DPI minimum (600 DPI for fine detail). No color, grayscale, or photographs without a granted petition.
EPO, CNIPA, JPO, KIPO, and PCT rules are closely related but differ in specifics — run your figures through the checker against your target office before filing.

Compliant vs. common-mistake examples

Fictional inventions showing the conventions examiners expect. Open one to generate a compliant version.

How to meet patent drawing requirements

Generate compliant figures, then validate them before filing.

Generate compliant line art

Produce black-and-white line drawings with uniform line weights and reference numerals.

Add the required views

Include every view needed to show the invention, each numbered as a separate figure.

Run the figure checker

Upload figures to the checker to flag line quality, margins, numerals, and shading issues.

Fix and export for filing

Resolve flagged issues, then export at 300 or 600 DPI in the format your office accepts.

Key USPTO requirements

The rules most filings get wrong.

Black ink, white background

No photos or color unless permitted.

Uniform line weights

Durable, dense, clean, solid lines.

Numbered views

Each figure labeled Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and so on.

Reference numerals

At least 0.32 cm (1/8 in) tall, with leader lines.

Correct margins

Top/left 2.5 cm, right 1.5 cm, bottom 1.0 cm.

Proper shading

Line or stipple shading, no gray fills.

What the figure checker validates automatically

Upload a figure and these checks run against your target office in seconds.

Margins & sheet size

Content inside §1.84 margins on A4 or Letter.

Line weight uniformity

Flags faint, broken, or varying line weights.

Resolution (DPI)

300 DPI minimum, 600 DPI for fine detail.

Color mode

Detects color, grayscale, and photo content.

Numeral legibility

Minimum numeral height and clear leader lines.

View labeling

Each view labeled as a numbered figure.

Compliant figure vs. rejected figure

What examiners accept versus the issues that draw objections.

Compliant

Common rejection

Lines

Solid, uniform black line art

Faint, broken, or varying weights

Color

Black and white only

Color or grayscale photo

Shading

Line or stipple shading

Solid gray fills

Numerals

Consistent, with leader lines

Missing or inconsistent across views

Views

Each view numbered as a figure

Multiple views crowded, unlabeled

Margins

Meets §1.84 sheet/margins

Content runs into margins

Patent drawing requirements