How do to tighten the bounds of my 'matplotlib' figures to be closer to my axes?

Question

When matplotlib makes figures, I find that it "pads" the space around axes too much for my taste (and in an asymmetrical way). For example with

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

fig = plt.figure()
ax = fig.add_subplot(111)

x, y = 12*np.random.rand(2, 1000)
ax.set(xlim=[2,10])
ax.plot(x, y, 'go')

I get something that looks like

(here for example in Adobe Illustrator).

I'd like the bounds of the figure to be closer to the axes on all sides, especially on the left and right.

How can I adjust these bounds programmatically in matplotlib, relative to each axis?

Answer 1

try:

plt.tight_layout()

the default parameter set is:

plt.tight_layout(pad=1.08, h_pad=None, w_pad=None, rect=None)