Introduction to Stata 8

Select Enhanced Metafile (EMF) or Windows Metafile (WMF); which one works best depends
on your system and printer; take a critical look at the results.
Submitting graphs to journals etc.
The requirements of journals vary, but the best results are probably obtained by Windows
metafiles (.wmf, .emf) and Encapsulated PostScript (.eps). When saving a graph, select that
format. You may open an eps-file by Adobe Acrobat Reader to ensure that the result is
satisfactory. Formats like Portable Network Graphics (.png) and TIFF (.tif) give
unsatisfactory results.
For updated information on exporting graphs, see:
whelp graph_export
14.9. Schemes: Default appearance
A scheme is a collection of default styles; the Graphics Manual uses a scheme close to
s2mono, while the Base Reference Manual uses s1mono. s2mono is itself a modification
of the s2color scheme.
This note uses the schemes lean1 and lean2; they are modifications to s1mono and
s2mono. Most scientific journals use a lean graph style – or at least require that graphs
submitted are lean and black-and-white. If you are interested, download and install both
schemes (use the command findit lean schemes). 3
The difference between the two is that lean1 has a framed plot area, but no gridlines, while
the opposite is the case for lean2. Section 14.7 includes examples using both schemes.
To select a scheme:
set scheme lean2
To make Stata remember lean1 as your default scheme:
set scheme lean1 , permanently
To create a scheme with your own preferences use Stata's do-file editor or another text editor
to enter the options you want in your own personal scheme (e.g. myscheme) and save it as
c:\ado\personal\myscheme.scheme. Scheme terminology differs from graph command
terminology; documentation is forthcoming. 3
3 Juul S. Lean mainstream schemes for Stata 8 graphics. The Stata Journal 2003; 3: 295-301.
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