Subplots size/tick spacing pyplot
<p>I have searched for similar problems and not found any, so I apologize.</p>

<p>I have this:</p>

<pre><code>import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

yearlymean_gm = np.load('ts_globalmean_annualmean.npz')
ts = yearlymean_gm['ts_aqct']

time = np.arange(0., 45 , 1)
plt.figure( figsize=(12, 5), dpi=80, facecolor='w', edgecolor='k' )

ax = plt.subplot(3, 4, 1)

data = ts[0, :]
plt.plot(time, data)
plt.title('Annual Mean Global Mean Temperature', fontsize=14)
plt.xlabel('year', fontsize=12)
plt.ylabel(modnames[0], fontsize=12)
plt.xlim(0, 50), plt.ylim(275, 310)
ax.set_xticks(time)
ax.set_xticklabels(time, fontsize = 8)

ax= plt.subplot(3, 4, 2)

data = ts[1, :]
plt.plot(time, data)
plt.title('Annual Mean Global Mean Temperature', fontsize=14)
plt.xlabel('year', fontsize=12)
plt.ylabel(modnames[1], fontsize=12)
plt.xlim(0, 50), plt.ylim(275, 310)
ax.set_xticks(time)


ax = plt.subplot(3, 4, 3)

data = ts[2, :]
plt.plot(time, data)
plt.title('Annual Mean Global Mean Temperature', fontsize=14)
plt.xlabel('year', fontsize=12)
plt.ylabel(modnames[2], fontsize=12)
plt.xlim(0, 50), plt.ylim(275, 310)
ax.set_xticks(time)


plt.tight_layout()
plt.show()
plt.close
</code></pre>

<p>There are currently 9 missing plots, as I'm sure you could guess, <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q07Fc.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q07Fc.jpg" alt="Here&#39;s what it&#39;s spitting out right now"></a></p>

<p>Here are the three issues, to be clear:
1) Each subplot is <em>tiny</em> compared to the size of the figure (and, you know... what's easily visible). Reducing the size of the figure doesn't make the subplots any more easily readable.</p>

<p>2) They are too close together. I have some ideas about how to solve this, but I feel like I need to resolve 1) first.</p>

<p>3) The axes are so small that the xticks appear all bunched up</p>

<p>I've searched and found no explanation as to how to do this that's written at a level I can understand. The pyplot documentation is essentially gibberish to me.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any assistance (and if anyone can offer more general advice about what I'm doing in addition to specific advice about solving this problem, I would appreciate the edification).</p>