PsTricks

Sandeep Kumar

Shaheed Bhagat Singh College

(University of Delhi)

August 2, 2017

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 Introduction

Introduction: PsTricks

LATEX has very limited capabilities in terms of drawing. If you want to

generate some graphs or pictures, then PSTricks package is an add on
over LATEX that can be used for this task.

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 Introduction

Introduction: PsTricks

LATEX has very limited capabilities in terms of drawing. If you want to

generate some graphs or pictures, then PSTricks package is an add on
over LATEX that can be used for this task.

PSTricks is developed by Timothy van Zandt, is a package based on

PostScript that can be included in LATEX documents for drawing of
pictures and graphs.

Sandeep Kumar (SBSC, DU) PsTricks August 2, 2017 2 / 23

 Introduction

Introduction: PsTricks

LATEX has very limited capabilities in terms of drawing. If you want to

generate some graphs or pictures, then PSTricks package is an add on
over LATEX that can be used for this task.

PSTricks is developed by Timothy van Zandt, is a package based on

PostScript that can be included in LATEX documents for drawing of
pictures and graphs.

PSTricks provides many in-built functions to draw mathematical

objects that makes it easy to use.

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 Introduction

Program to Compile

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 Introduction

Program to Compile

Because PSTricks is based on PostScript, we can not use the program

pdfLaTeX to compile.
You have to use the program dvips.
If you are using the editor TexMaker, set the run/build option as:
Options → Configure TexMaker → Quick Build →
LaTeX+dvips+ps2pdf+ViewPDF.

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 Introduction

A Simple Example

Include the package ‘pstricks’ in the preamble of the document.

\ d o c u m e n t c l a s s [ 1 1 p t ] { book }
\ usepackage { p s t r i c k s }
\ b e g i n { document }

\ begin { p s p i c t u r e }(0 , 0)(3 ,3)

\ p s c i r c l e [ l i n e s t y l e =s o l i d ] ( 2 , 2 ) { 1 }
\ end { p s p i c t u r e }

\ end { document }

The command
‘\begin{pspicture}(m0,n0)(m1, n1)’
sets aside space in coordinate system with lower-left corner (m0, n0) (by
default (0, 0)) and upper-right corner (m1, n1).

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 Introduction

General Syntax of Functions

Some general rules regarding the use of arguments/parameters.

The compulsory arguments are specified in curly braces { }.
The optional arguments/parameters are specified in square braces [ ].
Parenthesis ( ) are used for co-ordinates (separated by commas).
‘=’ (equal to) symbol is used to specify arguments/parameters value.

Observe the above rules for the command

‘\pscircle[linestyle=solid](2,2){1}’ that generates a circle with
center (2, 2), radius 1 units and with solid boundary.

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 Graphic Objects

Grid

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 Graphic Objects

Grid

PSTricks provides the macro ‘psgrid’ to generate a grid. The general syntax is:

\psgrid[par1=val1, par2=val2, ..., parn=valn](x0,y0)(x1, y1)(x2, y2)

where (x1, y1), (x2, y2) are the coordinates of opposite corners of the grid. The horizontal labels
are positioned at the positions (x0, ∗) and vertical labels at the positions (∗, y 0). If (x0, y 0) is
not specified then (x1, y 1) is used for labeling purpose.
3

2
\ begin { p s p i c t u r e }(0 , 0)(3 ,3)
\ psgrid (0 ,0)(3 ,3)
\ end { p s p i c t u r e } 1

0
0 1 2 3

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 Graphic Objects

Grid
One can also customize a grid using different parameters and their possible values, which are
given in the following table:

Parameter Description Parameter Possible Values

gridcolor Color of grid lines red, green, gray, ... etc.
griddots Specify number of dots per division 1, 2, 3, ...
gridlabelcolor Specify color of grid labels red, green, blue, ...
subgriddiv Specify number of sub grid subdivisions 1, 2, 3, ...
gridlabels Size of labels 1pt, 2pt, 3pt, ...
gridwidth The width of grid lines/dots 1pt, 2pt, 3pt, ...

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 Graphic Objects

Dots

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 Graphic Objects

Dots

PSTricks provides the macro \psdot to draw dots of different types. The general syntax for this
command is:

\psdot[par1=val1, par2=val2, ..., par3=val3](x1, y1)(x2, y2), ... ,(x3, y3)

where par1, par2,..., par3 and val1, val2, ..., val3 specify parameter names and their
corresponding values. The pairs (x1, y1)(x2, y2) ... (x3, y3) specifies the coordinates where the
dots are to be drawn.
Different parameters and their possible values are given in the following table:

Parameter Description Parameter Possible Values

dotstyle Specify dot type *, +, o, square, square*, triangle,
triangle*, diamond, diamond* etc.
fillcolor Specify center fill color of a dot red, green, blue, gray, ...
dotsize Specify size of dot 1, 2, 3, ...

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 Graphic Objects

Plotting Dots

\ p s s e t { x u n i t =0.7cm , y u n i t =0.7cm} 3 u u
\ p s g r i d [ s u b g r i d d i v =1 , g r i d d o t s = 4 ] ( 0 , 0 ) ( 3 , 3 )
\ p s d o t s [ d o t s t y l e =+](1 , 1 ) ( 2 , 1 ) ( 3 , 1 ) 2 ut ut ut
\ p s d o t s [ d o t s t y l e= t r i a n g l e ] ( 1 , 2 ) ( 2 , 2 ) ( 3 , 2 )
\ p s d o t s [ d o t s t y l e= t r i a n g l e ∗ ] ( 1 , 3 ) ( 2 , 3 ) 1
\ end { p s p i c t u r e } + + +
0
0 1 2 3

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 Graphic Objects

Lines and Arrows

PSTricks provides the macro ‘psline’ to draw a line. The general syntax is:

\psline[par1=val1, par2=val2, ..., par3=val3]{arrows}(x1, y1)(x2, y2).

where par1, par2,..., par3 and val1, val2, ..., val3 specify parameter names and their
corresponding values. The argument arrows specifies the type of arrows. (x1, y1), (x2, y2) are
the starting and ending points of the line.

Parameter Description Possible Values

linewidth Specify line width 1pt, 2pt, 3pt, ...
linecolor Specify line color red, green, blue, gray, ...
arrows Specify arrows ↔, ←, →, | - |, ...
linearc Radius of arcs drawn at the corner of lines 1, 2, 3, ...

To draw a collection of line segments, connected end to end, use the following command:

\psline[par1=val1, par2=val2, ..., parn=valn]{arrows}(x1, y1)(x2, y2)...(xn, yn).

where {(x1, y1), (x2, y2)}, {(x2, y2), (x3, y3)}, ... , {(x(n-1), y(n-1)), (xn, yn)} are the end
points of the line segments.

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 Graphic Objects

Drawing Line

3
\ begin { p sp i c t u re }(4 ,4)
\ p s g r i d [ s u b g r i d d i v =1 , g r i d d o t s = 4 ] ( 0 , 0 ) ( 4 , 4 )
\ p s l i n e (0 , 0 ) ( 2 , 1) 2
\ p s l i n e [ l i n e w i d t h =1p t ]{<−>}(0, 2 ) ( 3 , 2 )
\ p s l i n e [ l i n e w i d t h =2p t ]{<−>}(2, 0 ) ( 4 , 2 )
(2 , 4 ) ( 0 , 3) 1
\ end { p s p i c t u r e }

0
0 1 2 3 4

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 Graphic Objects

Circle

PSTricks provides the macros ‘pscircle’ and ‘pscircle*’ to draw a hollow circle and a filled
circle respectively. The general syntax is:

\pscircle[par1=val1, par2=val2, ..., par3=val3](x, y){r}

The above command draws a circle of radius r with center (x, y ). The possible parameters and
their values are same, as those of \psline.
4

3
\ begin { p sp i c t u re }(4 ,4)
\ p s g r i d [ s u b g r i d d i v =1 , g r i d d o t s = 4 ] ( 0 , 0 ) ( 4 , 4 ) 2
\ p s c i r c l e [ l i n e c o l o r =g r e e n ] ( 2 , 2 ){ 2 }
\ p s c i r c l e ∗ [ l i n e w i d t h =1p t ] ( 2 , 2 ) { 1 }
\ end { p s p i c t u r e } 1

0
0 1 2 3 4
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 Graphic Objects

Ellipse

PSTricks provides the macros ‘psellipse’ and ‘psellipse*’ to draw a hollow ellipse and a
filled ellipse respectively. The general syntax for this macro is:

\psellipse[par1=val1, par2=val2, ..., par3=val3](x, y)(r1, r2)

The above command draws an ellipse with r 1 and r 2 as horizontal and vertical radii respectively
and center (x, y ). The possible parameters and their values are same, as those of \psline.
3

2
\ begin { p sp i c t u re }(3 ,3)
\ p s g r i d [ s u b g r i d d i v =1 , g r i d d o t s = 4 ] ( 0 , 0 ) ( 3 , 3 )
\ p s e l l i p s e [ l i n e w i d t h =1p t ] ( 1 . 5 , 1 . 5 ) ( 1 . 5 , 1 ) 1
\ end { p s p i c t u r e }

0
0 1 2 3

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 Graphic Objects

Putting Label at a point

PSTricks provides the macros ‘put’ and ‘rput’ to put a label at a specified location. The
general syntax is:

\put(x, y){text}

\rput{A}(x, y){text}

where (x, y) is the point where the label ‘text’ is to be putted. In ‘rput’ macro, A specifies the
angle at which the label is to be rotated.

(3, 3)
3

\ begin { p sp i c t u re }(3 ,3) 2

2)
\ p s g r i d [ s u b g r i d d i v =1 , g r i d d o t s = 4 ] ( 0 , 0 ) ( 3 , 3 )

(2,
\ r p u t { 3 0 } ( 1 , 1 ) { ( 1 , 1 )}
\ r p u t { 6 0 } ( 2 , 2 ) { ( 2 , 2 )} 1
\ r p u t { 9 0 } ( 3 , 3 ) { ( 3 , 3 )} 1)
(1,
\ end { p s p i c t u r e }
0
0 1 2 3

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 Graphic Objects

Co-ordinate Axes

PSTricks provides the macro ‘psaxes’ to draw the coordinate axes. The general syntax is:

\psaxes[par1=val1, par2=val2, ..., par3=val3]{arrows}(x, y)(x1, y1)(x2, y2)

where the co-ordinates (x, y), (x1, y1), (x2, y2) define the intersection point of axes, lower-left
corner and upper-right corner, respectively, of the co-ordinate system. The possible arrows type,
parameters and their values are same, as those of \psline.

y
2

\ begi n { p s p i c t u r e }( −1.5 , − 1 . 5 ) ( 2 . 5 , 2 . 5 )
1
\ p s a x e s [ l i n e c o l o r =g r a y , l i n e w i d t h =0.5 p t ]{ −}
( 0 , 0)( −1 , −1)(2 , 2 )
\ put ( 2 . 3 , −0.1){ $x$ }
x
\ put ( − 0 . 1 , 2 . 3 ) { $y$ }
\ end { p s p i c t u r e } −1 1 2

−1

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 Graphic Objects

Plotting Mathematical Functions

PSTricks provides the macro ‘psplot’ to plot functions. Before using this function, include the
package ‘pst-plot’ in the preamble of the document. The general syntax is:

\psplot[par1=val1, par2=val2, ..., par3=val3]{x_min}{x_max}{myFunction}

where x_min and x_max specify the domain of the function. The parameters and their values are
same as those of macro \psline.

‘yMinValue’ and ‘yMaxValue’ that restrict the graph of the given function between these two
values.

myFunction is the function that is to be plotted, which needs to be in postfix form, which is a
bit inconvenient to use.

By setting the property ‘algebraic=true’, we can avoid the postfix notation and can work with
standard notations.

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 Graphic Objects

Plotting Functions

5
\ begi n { p s p i c t u r e }( −3.5 , − 1 . 5 ) ( 3 . 5 , 5 . 5 ) 4
\ p s a x e s {−>}(0, 0 ) ( − 3 . 5 , − 1 . 5 ) ( 3 . 5 , 5 . 5 )

x2
3
\ p s p l o t [ a l g e b r a i c =t r u e ]{ −3}{3}{ x+2}

2
+
\ p s p l o t [ a l g e b r a i c =t r u e , yMaxValue =5]{ −3}{3}{ x ˆ2} 2

x
\ r p u t { 4 5 } ( 1 , 2 . 3 ) { $x+2$ }
1
\ r p u t {90}( −2 , 3 ){ $x ˆ2 $ }
\ end { p s p i c t u r e }
−3 −2 −1
−1 1 2 3

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 Graphic Objects

Mathematical Functions

PSTricks also provides standard mathematical functions. A list of all these functions is given in
the below table:

Function Description Function Description

sin Sine function cos Cosine function
tan Tangent function ASIN Arc sine function
ACOS Arc cosine function ATAN Arc tangent function
EXP Exponential function SINH Sine hyperbolic function
COSH Cosine hyperbolic function TANH Tangent hyperbolic function
log Log function (base 10) ln Log function (base e)
fact Factorial function sqrt Square root function
ceiling Ceiling function floor Floor function
abs Absolute function round Round off function

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 Graphic Objects

Plotting Sine and Cosine Functions

\psset{xunit=0.8cm,yunit=0.8cm}
\begin{pspicture}(-4.5, -2.5)(4.5,2.5)
\psaxes(0, 0)(-4,-2)(4, 2)
\psplot[algebraic=true, linecolor=red]{-4}{4}{sin(x)}
\psplot[algebraic=true, linecolor=blue]{-4}{4}{cos(x)}
\rput{-20}(2, 1.2){$Sin(x)$}
\rput{45}(-1.5, 0.6){$Cos(x)$}
\end{pspicture}

2
Sin(
x )
1
x)
s(
Co

−4 −3 −2 −1 1 2 3 4
−1

−2

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 Graphic Objects

Plotting Absolute and Round off Functions

\psset{xunit=0.6cm,yunit=0.6cm}
\begin{pspicture}(-3.5, -3.5)(3.5, 3.5)
\psaxes(0, 0)(-3,-3 )(3, 3)
\psplot[algebraic=true, linecolor=red, linewidth=1pt]{-3}{3}{abs(x)}
\psplot[algebraic=true, linecolor=gray, linewidth=1pt]{-3}{3}{round(x)}
\rput{0}(-2, -1.5){$[x]$}
\rput{0}(-1.5, 2){$|x|$}
\end{pspicture}

|x| 2

−3 −2 −1 1 2 3
−1
[x]
−2

−3

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 Graphic Objects

Graphical Representation of Rolle’s Theorem

(f ′ (c) = 0)

\begin{pspicture}(-4,-1)(1,4)
\psplot[algebraic=true]{-2}{0}{x^3 -4*x}
\psline(-3,3.08)(1,3.08)
\put(-2.5, -0.5){$(a, f(a))$}
\put(-0.5, -0.5){$(b, f(b))$}
\put(-1.75, 3.5){$(f’(c) = 0)$} f (a) = f (b)
\put(-4,1){$f(a) = f(b)$}
\end{pspicture}

(a, f (a)) (b, f (b))

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 Graphic Objects

Exercises:

1 Plot a circle of radius 2, center at (0,0).

2 Plot the function x 3 over the domain (-3, 3).
3 Plot the function ln(x) over the domain (1, 10).

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 Graphic Objects

Thank You

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