How to export to PDF a graph based on a Pandas dataframe in Matplotlib?

To export a graph based on a Pandas DataFrame to PDF format in Matplotlib, you can use the savefig() method with a .pdf extension. This creates a high-quality PDF file suitable for reports and presentations.

Basic PDF Export

Here's how to create a DataFrame plot and save it as PDF ?

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import pandas as pd

# Set figure size and layout
plt.rcParams["figure.figsize"] = [7.50, 3.50]
plt.rcParams["figure.autolayout"] = True

# Create sample DataFrame
df = pd.DataFrame([[2, 1, 4], [5, 2, 1], [4, 0, 1]], 
                  columns=['col1', 'col2', 'col3'])

# Plot the DataFrame
df.plot()

# Save as PDF
plt.savefig('dataframe_plot.pdf')
plt.show()

PDF Export with Custom Settings

You can customize the PDF output with additional parameters ?

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import pandas as pd

# Create sample data
data = {
    'Sales': [100, 150, 120, 180, 200],
    'Marketing': [30, 45, 35, 50, 60],
    'Operations': [70, 80, 65, 90, 95]
}
df = pd.DataFrame(data, index=['Q1', 'Q2', 'Q3', 'Q4', 'Q5'])

# Create the plot
ax = df.plot(kind='bar', figsize=(10, 6))
ax.set_title('Quarterly Performance Report')
ax.set_xlabel('Quarters')
ax.set_ylabel('Amount ($000)')

# Save as PDF with custom settings
plt.savefig('quarterly_report.pdf', 
           bbox_inches='tight',
           dpi=300,
           format='pdf')
plt.show()

Key Parameters for PDF Export

Multiple Plots in One PDF

To save multiple plots in a single PDF file, use PdfPages ?

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import pandas as pd
from matplotlib.backends.backend_pdf import PdfPages

# Create sample data
df1 = pd.DataFrame({'A': [1, 2, 3], 'B': [4, 5, 6]})
df2 = pd.DataFrame({'X': [7, 8, 9], 'Y': [10, 11, 12]})

# Save multiple plots to one PDF
with PdfPages('multi_page_report.pdf') as pdf:
    # First plot
    fig1, ax1 = plt.subplots()
    df1.plot(ax=ax1)
    ax1.set_title('Dataset 1')
    pdf.savefig(fig1, bbox_inches='tight')
    
    # Second plot
    fig2, ax2 = plt.subplots()
    df2.plot(ax=ax2)
    ax2.set_title('Dataset 2')
    pdf.savefig(fig2, bbox_inches='tight')
    
    plt.close('all')

Output

When you execute the code, it will create a PDF file containing your DataFrame visualization:

Conclusion

Use plt.savefig('filename.pdf') to export DataFrame plots as PDF files. Include parameters like bbox_inches='tight' and dpi=300 for professional-quality output suitable for reports and presentations.