How should I draw a simple plot?

[Pzi]

Hi.

Let's say there is a need to recreate a primitive plot like
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/6001/graz.png

Surely I can Photoshop it, I can even generate it using Mathcad or such, but pictures look awkward when imported into documents...
I dare to say I want them scalable and pretty. Would "Microsoft Visio 2010" be decent for this? Other suggestions? What Google query should I use to get some examples?

 

[jhae2.718]

You probably want some sort of Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) image. Inkscape, Dia, and LibreOffice Draw are free programs that will do this; if you have Visio that should work.

 

[AlephZero]

It you are using LaTeX, look at MetaPost (powerful, but maybe not the easiest tool to learn), or Asymmptote, its successor: http://asymptote.sourceforge.net/gallery/

Actually, even the ancient \picture environment built into LaTeX would do your example quite nicely. http://www.ursoswald.ch/LaTeXGraphics/picture/picture.html