Top left: gnuplot: # Similar data in octave # set multiplot layout 2,1 # x=-1:0.02:1; # y=0.3+0.3*sin(x); set xrange [-1:1] # set yrange [0:1] # subplot(2,1,1); # plot(x,y) set label "square" # axis('square', [0,1, -1,1]); set size ratio 1 # title("square"); plot 0.3+0.3*sin(x) # unset label # subplot(2,1,2); # plot(x,y) set label "equal" # axis('equal', [0,1, -1,1]); set size ratio -1 # title("equal"); plot 0.3+0.3*sin(x) # waitforbuttonpress() Behaviour is dependent on difference between axis length and plot data. Lower right plot with "screen_coordinates_for_{lrtb}margin" 0, shows *data* plotted square or equal (correct for equal, at least). Upper right plot with "screen_coordinates_for_{lrtb}margin" 1, shows apparently inverted behaviour of equal, and square *almost* producing a square plot region (might be a coincidence). Perhaps it inadvertently inverts scaling for gnuplot>=4.3? Versions: Octave 3.2.4, Gnuplot 4.4.0