[Rd] Defaults for postscript()

[Prof Brian Ripley]

On Fri, 7 Dec 2007, Paul Murrell wrote:

> Hi
>
>
> Prof Brian Ripley wrote:
>> The defaults for postscript()
>>
>> paper = "default"
>> onefile = TRUE
>> horizontal = TRUE
>>
>> (it seems) date from the days when people used to used this to send plots
>> directly to a postscript printer via print.it=TRUE.  I haven't done that
>> for years, and it seems that our current generation of students don't even
>> know the concept.  It seems 'horizontal = TRUE' is particularly difficult
>> to grasp.
>>
>> Given that I suspect almost all uses of postscript() are to produce plots
>> to be viewed on-screen or incorporated into another document, a more
>> appropriate set of defaults would be
>>
>> width = 7, height = 7
>
>
> Wouldn't that be better as width = 6, height = 6 to match pdf() ?

Perhaps (but not matching X11 nor windows).  Would anyone notice the 
difference?  One argument against is that I now think the default 
pointsize in pdf() is too large for the default device region.

I would have suggested 8x6 (which is what the MASS scripts use) apart from 
the R preference for square device regions.

Thanks to Deepayan & Marc for other comments: I will have some follow-up 
comments in due course.

>
> Paul
>
>
>> paper = "special"
>> onefile = FALSE
>> horizontal = FALSE
>>
>> which would have the advantage of using the same default aspect ratio for
>> plots as all (?) other R graphics devices.
>>
>> Does anyone see a reason not to change the defaults?
>>
>
>

-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595