Assuming that the final graph will fit within a single column in
a two-column-per-page format.
Examples use Matplotlib
- Set the chart area size to be 5 in. tall by 6.75 in. wide.
Use 4:3 as default or adjust if the data suggests a better shape.
fig, ax1 = plt.subplots(figsize=(6.75, 5))
- Chart font size to be 14 pt (7pt after shrinking 50%).
plt.rcParams['font.size'] = 14
plt.rcParams['font.size'] = 12 # works too
- Remove legend if not needed (put labels inside the graph if they fit
rathe than using a legend).
if using a legend, try to place it within the plot area. - Remove all gridlines.
plt.rcParams["axes.grid"] = False
- Change axes line to black and 1pt thick.
plt.rcParams['axes.edgecolor'] = 'black'
plt.rcParams['axes.linewidth'] = 1
plt.rcParams['axes.linewidth'] = 0.5 # works too
- Change major tick to “cross” and minor tick to “outside”.
- Format the chart area to to have no border.
- Format the plot area to have a solid black border, 1pt thick and no fill.
- Set the “axis crosses” point so that the two axes meet at the lower left corner.
- Adjust the axes label numbers so that they have the proper number of decimal points.
- If necessary, adjust the axes min and max values.
- Add axis titles, 18pt (less if title is too long), no bold, use a rotated vertical title.
- Data series should have a preferred color and symbol or line type/style for maximum readability.
- No title.