The Graphics Output Environment

How Graphic Elements are Placed in the Graphics Output Area

By default, SAS/GRAPH software positions certain graphics elements in predefined locations in the graphics output area. Default Locations for Graphic Elements in the Graphics Output Area shows the graphics output area and the areas within it that are used by the following graphic elements:

Titles are placed in the title area at the top of the graphics output area.
Footnotes are placed in the footnote area at the bottom of the graphics output area.
The graph itself uses the procedure output area, which is the area left after the titles and footnotes have been drawn.
Legends use the procedure output area and can affect the amount of space available for the graph. By default, space is reserved for the legend below the axis area of a graph and above the footnote area. However, you can position the legend in the part of the procedure output area that is reserved for the graph. For details, see LEGEND Statement.

Note: Titles and footnotes can be positioned elsewhere on the graph as well, with different effects on space allocation. See TITLE, FOOTNOTE, and NOTE Statements for details. For destinations other than the listing destination, some graphics elements, such as the title and footnote, can appear in the graphics output instead of the procedure output area. [cautionend]

Default Locations for Graphic Elements in the Graphics Output Area

[Default Locations for Graphic Elements in the Graphics Output Area]

Note: If the titles, footnotes, and legend are very large, they can make the procedure output area too small for the graph. You can control the size of title and footnote text and of most legend elements with statement options. For details, see SAS/GRAPH Statements for a description of the appropriate statement. In addition, the section GOPTIONS Statement lists the graphics options that control the size of various graphic elements. [cautionend]

Top of Page