LaTeX integration for papers in Matplotlib

Introduction

Using LaTeX in plots helps make labels and text look professional and match your paper's style.

You want your plot labels to use math symbols like Greek letters or equations.

You need consistent font style between your paper and figures.

You want to include fractions, superscripts, or subscripts in axis labels.

You are preparing figures for a scientific paper or presentation.

You want to improve the clarity and appearance of plot text.

Syntax

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

plt.title(r"$\alpha > \beta$ Example")
plt.xlabel(r"Time ($s$)")
plt.ylabel(r"Distance ($m$)")

plt.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 4, 9])
plt.show()

Use raw strings (prefix with r) to avoid errors with backslashes in LaTeX code.

Enclose LaTeX math expressions within dollar signs $...$ inside the string.

Examples

Shows how to write a famous math formula in the plot title.

Matplotlib

plt.title(r"Euler's formula: $e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0$")

Labels with units in parentheses using LaTeX math mode.

Matplotlib

plt.xlabel(r"Voltage ($V$)")
plt.ylabel(r"Current ($I$)")

Adds text with a fraction at a specific point on the plot.

Matplotlib

plt.text(1, 5, r"$\frac{a}{b}$ is a fraction")

Sample Program

This code plots a simple quadratic curve and uses LaTeX to format the title and axis labels with math notation.

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Plot some data
x = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]
y = [0, 1, 4, 9, 16]

plt.plot(x, y)

# Use LaTeX in labels
plt.title(r"Quadratic Growth: $y = x^2$")
plt.xlabel(r"Input $x$")
plt.ylabel(r"Output $y$ (units)$")

plt.grid(True)
plt.show()

Important Notes

Make sure you have LaTeX installed on your system for full rendering support.

If LaTeX is not installed, matplotlib will use a fallback font but math may not look perfect.

Use raw strings (r"...") to avoid errors with backslashes in LaTeX commands.

Summary

LaTeX integration makes plot text look professional and consistent with papers.

Use raw strings and dollar signs to write math expressions in labels and titles.

This helps include symbols, formulas, and units clearly in your figures.