How can I print a plot in matplotlib either from the plot window or with a command?

Question

is there a way to print a plot from matplotlib,either with a command or from the plot window itself ? I know i could save it and then print,but I am looking for something more automated.Thanks.

Answer 1

You could save the figure as a pdf, then use subprocess to print the pdf. On *nix, lpr could be used:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
import subprocess
import shlex

n=20
x=np.linspace(0,np.pi,n)
y=np.sin(x)
plt.plot(x,y)
fname='/tmp/test.pdf'
plt.savefig(fname)
proc=subprocess.Popen(shlex.split('lpr {f}'.format(f=fname)))