# Plots export to svg with text converted to shape

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/plots-export-to-svg-with-text-converted-to-shape/47420>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** plots, gr\
**Created:** [September 28, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/plots-export-to-svg-with-text-converted-to-shape/47420 "2020-09-28T16:44:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jlang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/22d042/32.png) [@jlang](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jlang)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/plots-export-to-svg-with-text-converted-to-shape/47420/1 "2020-09-28T16:44:46Z")

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I have two julia versions: one julia 1.0 with Plots 0.28.4 and one julia 1.5.1 with Plots 1.6.4. They both use the GR backend. Basically I don’t change anything. Take this little script:

```julia
import Plots
using Plots

plot(exp.(0:0.01:4))
savefig("test.svg")		

```

When I execute it with the julia1.0/Plots 0.28.4 setup I get a SVG where the text is text. When I do the same with Julia 1.5.1 and Plots 1.6.4 I get a SVG with a text in it that is a shape. Due to my further pipeline of doing stuff, I prefer the SVG with text instead of shape.  
Do you happen to know if I can get text that is text in SVG with that setup? Also, if you happen to know the background and if that is a GR or a Plots thing, I would love to be enlightened 🙂

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jlang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/22d042/32.png) [@jlang](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jlang)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 8:36am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/plots-export-to-svg-with-text-converted-to-shape/47420/2 "2020-10-05T08:36:28Z")

</div>

I found the answer in some Issue which skipped my first 100 search attempts…  
[https://github.com/JuliaPlots/Plots.jl/issues/2596#issuecomment-616054537](https://github.com/JuliaPlots/Plots.jl/issues/2596#issuecomment-616054537)

You should explicitly include a font that is known to GR() like this:

```julia
import Plots
using Plots

plot(exp.(0:0.01:4), fontfamily="helvetica"))
savefig("test.svg")

```

and voila, text is text in your svg.