MATLAB Function Reference

printpreview - Preview figure to print

GUI Alternative

Use File > Print Preview on the figure window menu to access the Print Preview dialog box, described below. For details, see Using Print Preview in the MATLAB Graphics documentation.

Syntax

printpreview printpreview(f)

Description

printpreview displays a dialog box showing the figure in the currently active figure window as it will print. A scaled version of the figure displays in the right-hand pane of the GUI.

printpreview(f) displays a dialog box showing the figure having the handle f as it will print.

Use the Print Preview dialog box, shown below, to control the layout and appearance of figures before sending them to a printer or print file. Controls are grouped into four tabbed panes: Layout, Lines/Text, Color, and Advanced.

Right Pane Controls

You can position and scale plots on the printed page using the rulers in the right-hand pane of the Print Preview dialog. Use the outer ruler handlebars to change margins. Moving them changes plot proportions. Use the center ruler handlebars to change the position of the plot on the page. Plot proportions do not change, but you can move portions of the plot off the paper. The buttons on that pane let you refresh the plot, close the dialog (preserving all current settings), print the page immediately, or obtain context-sensitive help. Use the Zoom box and scroll bars to view and position page elements more precisely.

The Layout Tab

Use the Layout tab, shown above, to control the paper format and placement of the plot on printed pages. The following table summarizes the Layout options:

Group	Option	Description
Placement	Auto	Let MATLAB decide placement of plot on page
	Use manual...	Specify position parameters for plot on page
	Top, Left, Width, Height	Standard position parameters in current units
	Use defaults	Revert to default position
	Fill page	Expand figure to fill printable area
	Fix aspect ratio	Correct height/width ratio
	Center	Center plot on printed page
Paper	Format	U.S. and ISO sheet size selector
	Width, Height	Sheet size in current units
Units	Inches	Use inches as units for dimensions and positions
	Centimeters	Use centimeters as units for dimensions and positions
	Points	Use points as units for dimensions and positions
Orientation	Portrait	Upright paper orientation
	Landscape	Sideways paper orientation
	Rotated	Currently the same as Landscape

The Lines/Text Tab

Use the Lines/Text tab, shown below, to control the line weights, font characteristics, and headers for printed pages. The following table summarizes the Lines/Text options:

Group	Option	Description
Lines	Line Width	Scale all lines by a percentage from 0 upward (100 being no change), print lines at a specified point size, or default line widths used on the plot
	Min Width	Smallest line width (in points) to use when printing; defaults to 0.5 point
Text	Font Name	Select a system font for all text on plot, or default to fonts currently used on the plot
	Font Size	Scale all text by a percentage from 0 upward (100 being no change), print text at a specified point size, or default to this used on the plot
	Font Weight	Select `Normal` ... `Bold` font styling for all text from drop-down menu or default to the font weights used on the plot
	Font Angle	Select `Normal`, `Italic` or `Oblique` font styling for all text from drop-down menu or default to the font angles used on the plot
Header	Header Text	Type the text to appear on the header at the upper left of printed pages, or leave blank for no header
	Date Style	Select a date format to have today's date appear at the upper left of printed pages, or `none` for no date

The Color Tab

Use the Color tab, shown below, to control how colors are printed for lines and backgrounds. The following table summarizes the Color options:

Group	Option	Description
Color Scale	Black and White	Select to print lines and text in black and white, but use color for patches and other objects
	Gray Scale	Convert colors to shades of gray on printed pages
	Color	Print everything in color, matching colors on plot; select `RGB` (default) or `CMYK` color model for printing
Background Color	Same as figure	Print the figure's background color as it is
	Custom	Select a color name, or type a colorspec for the background; `white` (default) implies no background color, even on colored paper.

The Advanced Tab

Use the Advanced tab, shown below, to control finer details of printing, such as limits and ticks, renderer, resolution, and the printing of UIControls. The following table summarizes the Advanced options:

Group	Option	Description
Axes limits and ticks	Recompute limits and ticks	Redraw x- and y-axes ticks and limits based on printed plot size (default)
	Keep limits and ticks	Use the x- and y-axes ticks and limits shown on the plot when printing the previewed figure
Miscellaneous	Renderer	Select a rendering algorithm for printing: `painters`, `zbuffer`, `opengl`, or `auto` (default)
	Resolution	Select resolution to print at in dots per inch: `150`, `300`, `600`, or `auto` (default), or type in any other positive value
	Print UIControls	Print all visible UIControls in the figure (default), or uncheck to exclude them from being printed