Hello:
I use matplotlib to generate x-y data plots; i.e., 2-D plots. The problem is
that the output files (the PDF files containing plots that are generated with
matplotlib) are huge. I can generate files that are 100's of KB or even MBs.
This seems absurd to me. These file sizes cause programs that use them to come
to a grinding halt. My goal is to reduce the plot files that I produce with
matplotlib. Details follow.
----------
I use matplotlib from EPD.
Enthought Canopy Python 2.7.3 | 64-bit | (default, Aug 8 2013, 05:37:06)
Matplotlib version:
>>> print matplotlib.__version__
1.3.0
OS:
I'm using Mac OS X Version 10.8.4.
----------
I use a home-grown code whose starting point was an example code on matplotlib
website.
My relevant imports are:
import numpy
import scipy
import pylab
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib
My plotting code lines are:
## PDF.
outfile = "basefile" + ".pdf"
## pylab.savefig(outfile, bbox_inches=0)
pylab.savefig(outfile,bbox_inches='tight')
----------
My PDF files contain simple plots which consist of (a) data points only, (b)
lines between data points (data points not plotted), or (c) both data points
and lines.
I have a consistent problem in that the files produced have sizes that seem way
too big.
For example, most recently, I am plotting 3 data sets; each data set has about
90,000 points. If I plot all three sets in one PDF figure, the file size is
over 2MB.
This seems absurd to me. I used R plotting for many years (again, my own
homegrown code, for 6 years) and never had this issue, and I was making these
kinds of plots/figures.
I thought it may be a vector/raster issue, but the following web page says that
PDF are generated as vector image, which, to my understanding (which could be
wrong), is the more compact format.
http://matplotlib.org/faq/usage_faq.html
Is there a command I can use to reduce the file size? Since I am using these
in reports and publications, the figures are almost always less than 3 inches
by 3 inches in size; i.e., I do not have issues about taking a raster figure
and trying to blow it up. So I am not concerned about pixelation problems that
occur when an image is increased in size.
Thank you very much.
c
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Learn Graph Databases - Download FREE O'Reilly Book
"Graph Databases" is the definitive new guide to graph databases and their
applications. Written by three acclaimed leaders in the field,
this first edition is now available. Download your free book today!
http://p.sf.net/sfu/13534_NeoTech
_______________________________________________
Matplotlib-users mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/matplotlib-users
