Question

How do I change the resolution of my MATLAB graphs? The default seems to be 96×96 PPI.

Answer 1

You can save using the print command; here’s how:

h1=figure;
your plotting commands here

print(h1,'-djpeg','-r150','filename')

The -r150 argument sets the resolution to 150 DPI. you can set it higher or lower depending on your need. This is assuming you’re saving as a JPEG. If not, there are other options such as -dpng for PNG, -dbmp for 24-bit bitmap, etc. more can be found in the help section for print.

That said, if your plot consists only of lines, I would recommend using -depsc which saves it as an EPS file, which is scalable and lossless. You also won’t have to define a resolution, so you can simply do

print(h1,'-depsc','filename')

You can convert this EPS file to PDF and retain the same resolution, yet have portability between applications and platforms. I wouldn’t recommend saving to PDF directly as MATLAB puts additional white spaces around the plot, wheras the EPS bounding box is tight, and looks neat.