LaTeX forum ⇒ Graphics, Figures & Tables ⇒ begin{figure} always puts the image at the beginning of the relative page

[ssimo]

Hello,

This is my 1st post and I writing because I have a formatting problem when using the

\begin{figure}
% img here
\end{figure}

block. It always put tne image at the beginning of the page, so without respecting the order and the placement of the image, except for the first one.
The syntax I use for each image (and which is giving me these problems) is:

\begin{figure}
\centering
\includegraphics[scale=0.4]{\imagesDir/image.png}
\caption{\footnotesize{ image caption here }}
\label{fig:fign}
\end{figure}

while if I use:

\begin{center}
\includegraphics[scale=0.4]{\imagesDir/image.png}
\center{\footnotesize{ image caption here }}
\end{center}

I don't have these problems, but I cannot reference the image and automatically enumate it as the \begin{figure} block does..

How can I solve my problem ?
Do you have any suggestion for it ?
Thanks,
s.

[ssimo]

Solved !

The solution is explained here : https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Flo ... ns#Figures
I love that wikibook.

Simon

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Hi Simon,

welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the link. The easiest way for most flexible positioning as near as possible with good page breaks is \begin{figure}[!htbp], so allowing all, no general restrictions. That's what I use most of the times.

Sometimes \begin{figure}[H] for placing exactly here, forced, can be good, and allows referencing, same syntax. It just has a risk that page breaks are not good if you don't allow floating that way.

Stefan

[cgnieder]

Sometimes \begin{figure}[H] for placing exactly here, forced, can be good, and allows referencing, same syntax.

You should mention that

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\begin{figure}[H]
\end{figure}
\end{document}

will give the error

! LaTeX Error: Unknown float option `H'.

and that packages float or here are needed. But then, package float has other disadvantages which is why I nowadays tend to say that

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{caption}
\begin{document}
\begin{center}
  ...
  \captionof{figure}{...}
\end{center}
\end{document}

is the better solution for non-floating figures.

The solution is explained here : https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Flo ... ns#Figures

You might also be interested in Frank Mittelbachs extended explanation in TUGboat volume 35, number 3, 2014: How to influence the position of float environments like figure and table in LaTeX?

Regards

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Yes, I forgot to mention, that for using the H option, \usepackage{float} is needed.

Nowadays I tend to prefer figure with H over center and \captionof, because the syntax then stays the same, and it can easily be changed to floating or back. Let's say at the very end for printing, one can change H to !hb or !htbp or, the other way round, some floating figures to H if it's a better match within the text and the page break is fine. But the latter is just for final tweaks. Main reason for me is the consistent syntax. And the easy way to change to proper floating.

Stefan