When I export a pdf with savefig I have errors in the greek letters, but only in the pdf the png export is fine. I use the option "usetex=True" and the package "mathptmx".

importmatplotlib.pyplotaspltfrommatplotlibimportrcimportmatplotlibrc('text',usetex=True)rc('text.latex',preamble= [r"\usepackage{mathptmx}",                           ])x=range(10)plt.figure()plt.plot(x,label=r'$\varphi$')plt.legend()plt.xlabel('abcdefgh')name=matplotlib.__version__plt.savefig('mpl_'+name+'.pdf')plt.savefig('mpl_'+name+'.png')plt.show()

With the provided code you will get a png and a pdf file. In the pdf file the \varphi symbol in the legend is only a long line. With version 2.2.4 and 1.5.3 this happens. With Version 1.4.3 the pdf and the png is fine.

Matplotlib version

• Operating system: MacOS 10.12.6
• Matplotlib version: 2.2.4, 1.5.3 and 1.4.3 tested
• Matplotlib backend: MacOSX
• Python version: 2.7.17

All instalations done via macports.

Attached the output files:

Version 1.4.3
mpl_1.4.3.pdf

Version 1.5.3
mpl_1.5.3.pdf

Version 2.2.4
mpl_2.2.4.pdf

Screenshot of error in pdf