# Fonts with latex interpreter and no interpreter look different

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Mark on 22 Mar 2011
Commented: Gustavo Pires on 4 Oct 2020

When I use the latex interpreter to make a title with, for example $\frac{1}{2}$, the font for the title looks different to the font for the axes tick labels. How can I make the axis tick labels and title have the same looking font? For example:

plot(1,1)
title('Title with latex character $\frac{1}{2}$',...
'interpreter','latex','FontName','Times New Roman')
set(gca,'FontName','Times New Roman')


This is a problem because now the title (that must be latex interpreted to get the $\frac{1}{2}$) looks different to the axes. As far as I'm aware, one cannot set the interpreter for the axes to be 'latex'.

Thanks, Mark

Matt Tearle on 23 Mar 2011
You can use the 'latex' interpreter option on the axis labels:
xlabel('hello world','interpreter','latex')
Do you mean the actual tick labels?
OK, try this:
set(gca,'FontName','cmr12')
This uses the LaTeX font. It should exist on your system, if LaTeX typesetting is working. I don't know if there's a high-level version of the name. ("Computer Modern Roman" doesn't work for me.)
If you go to C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2011a\sys\fonts\ttf\cm (or wherever your MATLAB install lives) you can see the available TeX fonts.
Gustavo Pires on 4 Oct 2020
Thanks Matt!
You saved me a lot of time searching it on the web in other related posts.
Best regards!

Oleg Komarov on 23 Mar 2011
Des using Tex (default) help?
title('2 1.8 1.6 Title with latex character \pi')
Mark on 23 Mar 2011
I should clarify that when I initially wrote \pi I chose a bad example, as I often require real latex commands like $\frac{1}{2}$. The Tex interpreter, while it works well for Greek letters, cannot interpret more complicated markups.
I have edited my question so that this is more clear.