Figure size for publication in Matplotlib

Introduction

Setting the right figure size helps your charts look clear and professional when you add them to reports or papers.

When you want your plot to fit nicely in a printed report or journal.

When you need consistent sizes for multiple charts in a presentation.

When preparing images for online articles with specific size limits.

When you want to control the resolution and layout of your saved figures.

Syntax

Matplotlib

plt.figure(figsize=(width, height))

width and height are in inches.

Use this before creating your plot to set the size.

Examples

This creates a plot 6 inches wide and 4 inches tall.

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.figure(figsize=(6, 4))
plt.plot([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6])
plt.show()

A square figure, useful for small charts or icons.

Matplotlib

plt.figure(figsize=(3, 3))
plt.bar(['A', 'B'], [10, 20])
plt.show()

A wide and short figure, good for timeline or trend lines.

Matplotlib

plt.figure(figsize=(8, 2))
plt.plot([0, 1, 2], [2, 3, 4])
plt.show()

Sample Program

This code sets the figure size to 5 inches wide and 3 inches tall, then plots a simple line chart with markers. This size is good for fitting into a publication column.

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Set figure size for publication
plt.figure(figsize=(5, 3))

# Create a simple line plot
x = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]
y = [0, 1, 4, 9, 16]
plt.plot(x, y, marker='o')

# Add title and labels
plt.title('Sample Plot for Publication')
plt.xlabel('X axis')
plt.ylabel('Y axis')

# Show the plot
plt.show()

Important Notes

Figure size is measured in inches, not pixels.

When saving figures, use plt.savefig('filename.png', dpi=300) for high quality.

Adjusting figure size helps keep text and labels readable in your final output.

Summary

Use plt.figure(figsize=(width, height)) to set plot size in inches.

Choose sizes that fit your publication or presentation layout.

Combine figure size with resolution settings for best results.