Including Figures in a LaTeX document

A figure in a separate PostScript file can be included in a LaTeX document using the epsfig package. Most mathematical/scientific graphics software allows you to save graphics (figures, diagrams, graphs) in PostScript form; this includes Mathematica, Maple, Matlab, IDL, and xfig (a marvelous X figure-drawing program). GIF and JPEG images can be converted to PostScript form with ``xv'', among other methods.

The epsfig package is read if you put the line

  \usepackage{epsfig}

near the top of the LaTeX file. Then, where you want the PostScript image to appear, use commands like this:

  \epsfysize=35mm \epsfbox{graph.eps}

where ``epsfysize'' is used to indicate the desired height of the figure in your document (you could instead indicate a desired width by using epsfxsize instead), and \epsfbox{...} encloses the name of the PostScript file.

Two characteristics which the (Encapsulated) PostScript file must have are

file does not consist of more than one page; is not a multi-page document
must have a valid BoundingBox line

If the PostScript file does not include a bounding box line, you can indicate the bounding box numbers manually as options to the epsfbox command, e.g.,

    \begin{center}
	\epsfxsize=5.5in
	\epsfbox[72 144 540 544]{graph.eps}
    \end{center}

Mathematica graphics

A single graphic image from Mathematica should be saved, using Display, with the "EPS" option to produce an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file. An EPS file contains only one graphic image, and a set of valid bounding box numbers, making it possible to insert the image into a document. An example of usage, where a graphic image gr is defined and then saved in EPS form:

    gr = Plot[Sin[x^2], {x,0,5}];
    Display["mygraph.eps", gr, "Display.html">EPS"]

Then, in your LaTeX document, you can insert that image with commands like

    \begin{center}
	\epsfysize=88mm
	\epsfbox{mygraph.eps}
    \end{center}

assuming that you have loaded the epsfig package.

If printed directly, this EPS file has the image tucked down into bottom corner of a page. To make a nicer single-image printout of the EPS image you can filter the file through the script program fixmmaps. Download this file to a Unix computer, make it executable (chmod +x fixmmaps), move your Mathematica-generated EPS file to the same directory, and then run the program by typing its name;

   spot>   fixmmaps

The program prompts you for the name of the EPS file (it must end with the .eps or .ps suffix), and gives you a sizing option. But to reiterate, fixmmaps is not necessary for including the EPS image in a LaTeX document; the EPS file generated by Mathematica is sufficient.