[R] Graphics and LaTeX documents with the same font

[jiho]

On 2007-September-28  , at 16:57 , Frank E Harrell Jr wrote:
> jiho wrote:
>> On 2007-September-28  , at 15:18 , Paul Smith wrote:
>>> On 9/28/07, Prof Brian Ripley <ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk> wrote:
>>>>> I know how to export graphics as pdf files and then how to include
>>>>> them in LaTeX documents. However, I do not know how to do in   
>>>>> order to
>>>>> have the text of the graphics written with the font selected  
>>>>> for the
>>>>> LaTeX document. Is that possible?
>>>> [...]
>> If you don't mind an extra step between R and LaTeX, you could  
>> use  Inkscape to modify your graphics:
>> 	http://www.inkscape.org/
>> It is a (very nice!) vector graphics editor which:
>> - works with SVGs (as produced with the RSvgDevice package)
>> - imports PDFs (really well in the latest development version)
>> - is available for free, on most platforms
>> and
>> - exports PDFs that nicely integrate in LaTeX documents
>> - exports PSTricks graphics
>> Then two roads are opened for you:
>> 1- either get a TTF version of the LaTeX fonts (there are  
>> packages  for this on all linux distros I know, for use with Lyx  
>> and you can  probably find them on the web otherwise) and change  
>> all the fonts to  those once your document is in Inkscape (select  
>> all > text and font >  select the font)
>> 2- or open the document with inkscape and export it to pstricks
>> I personally use Inkscape on all my R graphics because I find it   
>> easier and quicker to get decent graphics and R and refine their  
>> look  in Inkscape than to get them perfect in R in one shot  
>> ( though with  ggplot2 things are improving on R's side).

> As this works against principles of reproducible research, I  
> wouldn't recommend it.

Do you consider that changing the font size of the graphic would be  
altering the research result? Or laying out a 2d contour and a 3d  
plot in parallel, or changing the line color/pattern...? My  
modifications are usually of this kind. Of course those things are  
doable with R but they are usually immensely easier in a graphics  
program (where the color palettes are predefined, the dash patterns  
are more diverse etc.).

For example, I often find myself using the same plot in an article, a  
presentation, and a poster, usually with different color palettes and  
font requirements. I just open the pdf, change the colors, font and  
font size to match the design of the article/presentation/poster,  
realign the labels a bit and re-save it. I don't think that I am  
doing any harm to my result or present any false information to the  
readers, I just make the graphics easier on their eyes.

But maybe I am a bit too much of a purist on these maters. I just  
find that, much too often, research results that represent months of  
work are presented as narrow, black and white (possibly even  
pixallated!) captures of article graphics which don't do justice to  
the quality of the work behind them. I don't think there is any harm  
in making (good) science look a bit "sexier", do you?

Jean-Olivier Irisson
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