Forcing Figure Placement In Latex Documents

Specifying Figure Positioning in LaTeX

LaTeX handles figures as floats, which means their final position is determined automatically depending on the flow of text and available space on the page. However, authors may wish to override this behavior to explicitly specify where certain figures should be placed.

Absolute Positioning with \begin{figure}[H]

The [H] placement specifier forces the figure to be inserted exactly where it is declared in the LaTeX source code. This prevents LaTeX from moving the figure elsewhere during paragraph reflows. Using [H] overrides the float placement algorithm and anchors the illustration at that fixed point in the text.

Floating Figures to the Top with [t]

The [t] placement hint tells LaTeX to preferentially position the diagram near the top of the page where it is first referenced. Page breaks may still occur above the figure with [t], but the renderer will attempt to keep the image high on the sheet. This works well for small charts that relate closely to the preceding paragraph.

Table of Contents

Floating Figures to the Bottom with [b]

In contrast to [t], the [b] specifier biases LaTeX to place the figure near the end of the page instead. The illustration will migrate to later in the column, leaving extra space above it. Illustrations with wide horizontal spreads benefit more from [b] so text can wrap along their sides.

Forcing Figures to a Dedicated Page with [p]

For sizable diagrams that deserve isolation, [p] delegates them to a page of their own. This clears out surrounding text to spotlight the visual. The next object will start on the next sheet. Use [p] sparingly, as too many dedicated figure pages can harm readability.

Code Examples for Common Figure Positioning

Certain figure placement specifiers see regular use in LaTeX documents. Here are some snippets showcasing their syntax for frequent scenarios.

Keeping a Figure in the Same Section with [h!]

The [h!] option aggressively keeps the figure in the same section where it was described, even if considerable vertical space is left underneath. This prevents awkward breaks before important diagrams:

\begin{figure}[h!]
  \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{diagram.png} 
  \caption{Key concept illustration}  
\end{figure}

Allowing a Figure to Float Between Sections with [htbp]

For nonlinear figures that relate more globally to the text, permit them mobility with the [htbp] stacked specifiers:

\begin{figure}[htbp]
  \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{graph.png}
  \caption{Measurement readings}  
\end{figure}

Here LaTeX can shift «graph.png» around to maintain decent page balance, without trapping it at the end.

Reserving Space for Upcoming Figures with \clearpage

If a major visual is approaching, clear space with \clearpage so it gets the attention it deserves:

  
\clearpage
\begin{figure}[tbp]
  \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{diagram.png}
  \caption {Architecture schematic}
\end{figure}

This grants the large schema room to breathe on its own section without intrusions.

Troubleshooting Figure Placement Issues

Even with meticulous positioning specs, you may still encounter strange figure migrations or stacking at times. Here are insights for diagnosing undesirable LaTeX float behavior.

Understanding LaTeX Float Placement Rules

LaTeX automatically indexes figures as floats that move, but obeys certain rules:

Avoid leaving large blank areas between paragraphs
Prefer placing illustrations at the top or bottom of pages
Maintain proper reading order between floats

Knowing these guidelines helps reverse-engineer odd figure arrangements when they violate expected flow.

Strategies When Figures Stack Up at the End

If deploying [htbp] type loose specs still piles diagrams together by the backmatter, tighter constraints may help:

Add a \clearpage before clusters to isolate them
Use [H] to staunch wayward floats in early sections
Set \renewcommand{\topfraction}{0.7} globally

Increasing top/bottom fill ratios keeps more illustrations embedded inline.

Using Packages Like float and placeins

When all else fails, specialty packages lend a hand:

float - Fine figures tuning with counters, sizes, types
placeins - Manually splits and places floats among text

These robes remove constraints that the base LaTeX float algorithm cannot.

Customizing LaTeX Handling of Figures

Aside from slide directives, LaTeX provides some global and local means to overhaul figure deployment.

Global Options: floats Package, Float Placement Specifiers

General document-wide adjustments:

floats package - Sets parameters for all floats
\renewcommand{\textfraction}{0.05} - Text/figure ratios
\renewcommand{\topfraction}{0.7} - Top size limits
\renewcommand{\bottomfraction}{0.8} - Bottom size limits

Tweak the master controller rules with these.

Local Options: minipage, capt-of Packages, Box Offsets

To influence individual figures only:

minipage - Isolates a figure in a custom box
capt-of - Moves the caption beside the image
\addtolength{\abovecaptionskip}{10pt} - Box parameter adjustments

Surgical changes to problem figures may help site them better.