First version of the most awesome paper-plot configuration for matplotlib.

README.md

@@ -1,3 +1,16 @@
 # development-matplotlib
 
-Nince configuration for paper-quality plots using matplotlib.
+Nice configuration for paper-quality plots using matplotlib.
+
+The python file includes two functions. Before creating a plot, call `pre_paper_plot()` and after the plot is created, but before showing it, call `post_paper_plot()`.
+
+## Usage and Function Parameters
+
+### pre_paper_plot(change)
+  * change: if `True`, change the plot to be paper friendly. `False` disables the paper-friendly plotting.
+
+### post_paper_plot(change, bw_friendly, adjust_splines)
+  * change: if `True` (default), change the plot to be paper friendly. `False` disables the changes.
+  * bw_friendly: set to `True` to make the plot friendly for black and white printing. Adds different line styles to line-plots.
+  * adjust_splines: if `True`, do not display the top and right plot bounding lines (known as splines)
+

paper-plots.py

@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+import matplotlib as mpl
+import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+from cycler import cycler
+
+# set global settings
+def pre_paper_plot(change=True):
+    if not change:
+        # Reset back to defaults
+        #mpl.rcParams.update(mpl.rcParamsDefault)
+        mpl.rcdefaults()
+        # Apply own default config (as indicated in the matplotlibrc file)
+        params = mpl.rc_params_from_file(mpl.matplotlib_fname())
+        mpl.rcParams.update(params)
+        return
+
+    plt.rcParams['text.color'] = '000000'
+    plt.rcParams['patch.facecolor'] = 'blue'
+    plt.rcParams['patch.edgecolor'] = 'black'
+    plt.rcParams['axes.facecolor'] = 'white'
+    plt.rcParams['axes.edgecolor'] = 'black'
+    plt.rcParams['axes.grid'] = False
+    plt.rcParams['axes.labelcolor'] = 'black'
+    #plt.rcParams['axes.color_cycle'] = '8cd0d3, 7f9f7f, cc9393, 93e0e3, dc8cc3, f0dfaf, dcdccc'
+    plt.rcParams['axes.prop_cycle'] = cycler('color', ['#1f77b4', '#ff7f0e', '#2ca02c', '#d62728', '#9467bd', '#8c564b', '#e377c2', '#7f7f7f', '#bcbd22', '#17becf'])
+    plt.rcParams['xtick.color'] = 'k'
+    plt.rcParams['xtick.direction'] = 'in'
+    plt.rcParams['ytick.color'] = 'k'
+    plt.rcParams['ytick.direction'] = 'in'
+    plt.rcParams['legend.fancybox'] = False
+    plt.rcParams['figure.facecolor'] = 'white'
+    plt.rcParams['figure.edgecolor'] = 'white'
+    plt.rcParams['text.usetex'] = True
+
+    plt.rcParams['figure.figsize'] = (8, 3)
+    plt.rcParams['font.size'] = 12
+    plt.rcParams['font.family'] = 'Computer Modern'
+    plt.rcParams['axes.labelsize'] = 14
+    plt.rcParams['axes.titlesize'] = 14
+    plt.rcParams['legend.fontsize'] = 10
+    plt.rcParams['xtick.labelsize'] = plt.rcParams['font.size']
+    plt.rcParams['ytick.labelsize'] = plt.rcParams['font.size']
+    plt.rcParams['savefig.dpi'] = 300
+    plt.rcParams['xtick.major.size'] = 3
+    plt.rcParams['xtick.minor.size'] = 3
+    plt.rcParams['xtick.major.width'] = 1
+    plt.rcParams['xtick.minor.width'] = 1
+    plt.rcParams['ytick.major.size'] = 3
+    plt.rcParams['ytick.minor.size'] = 3
+    plt.rcParams['ytick.major.width'] = 1
+    plt.rcParams['ytick.minor.width'] = 1
+    plt.rcParams['legend.frameon'] = True
+    plt.rcParams['legend.edgecolor'] = 'k'
+    plt.rcParams['legend.loc'] = 'best'
+    plt.rcParams['axes.linewidth'] = 1
+
+def post_paper_plot(change=True, bw_friendly=False, adjust_spines=False):
+    if not change:
+        return
+    if adjust_spines:
+        plt.gca().spines['right'].set_color('none')
+        plt.gca().spines['top'].set_color('none')
+    plt.gca().xaxis.set_ticks_position('bottom')
+    plt.gca().yaxis.set_ticks_position('left')
+    if bw_friendly:
+        setFigLinesBW(plt.gcf())
+
+# Following functions taken from:
+# https://stackoverflow.com/questions/7358118/matplotlib-black-white-colormap-with-dashes-dots-etc
+
+def setAxLinesBW(ax):
+    """
+    Take each Line2D in the axes, ax, and convert the line style to be 
+    suitable for black and white viewing.
+    """
+    marker_size = 5
+
+    color_map = {
+        '#1f77b4': {'marker': None, 'dash': (None,None)},
+        '#ff7f0e': {'marker': None, 'dash': [3,4]},
+        '#2ca02c': {'marker': None, 'dash': [5,3,2,1]},
+        '#d62728': {'marker': None, 'dash': [1,3]},
+        '#9467bd': {'marker': None, 'dash': [5,2,5,2,5,10]},
+        '#8c564b': {'marker': None, 'dash': [5,3,1,2,1,10]},
+        '#e377c2': {'marker': 'o', 'dash': (None,None)} #[1,2,1,10]}
+        }
+
+
+    lines_to_adjust = ax.get_lines()
+    try:
+        lines_to_adjust += ax.get_legend().get_lines()
+    except AttributeError:
+        pass
+
+    for line in lines_to_adjust:
+        orig_color = line.get_color()
+        #line.set_color('black')
+        line.set_dashes(color_map[orig_color]['dash'])
+        line.set_marker(color_map[orig_color]['marker'])
+        line.set_markersize(marker_size)
+
+def setFigLinesBW(fig):
+    """
+    Take each axes in the figure, and for each line in the axes, make the
+    line viewable in black and white.
+    """
+    for ax in fig.get_axes():
+        setAxLinesBW(ax)