matplotlib
diff --git a/‎doc/users/next_whats_new/2017_11_19_title_pad.rst
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diff --git a/‎lib/matplotlib/axes/_axes.py
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+11-1Lines changed: 11 additions & 1 deletion b/‎lib/matplotlib/axes/_axes.py
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+11-1Lines changed: 11 additions & 1 deletion
diff --git a/‎lib/matplotlib/axes/_base.py
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+16-6Lines changed: 16 additions & 6 deletions b/‎lib/matplotlib/axes/_base.py
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+16-6Lines changed: 16 additions & 6 deletions
diff --git a/‎lib/matplotlib/tests/test_axes.py
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@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+Add *pad* kwarg to ax.set_title
+-------------------------------
+
+The method `axes.set_title` now has a *pad* kwarg, that specifies the
+distance from the top of an axes to where the title is drawn.  The units
+of *pad* is points, and the default is the value of the (already-existing)
+``rcParams['axes.titlepad']``.
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 import functools
 import itertools
+import logging
 import math
 import warnings
 
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@
 from matplotlib.container import BarContainer, ErrorbarContainer, StemContainer
 from matplotlib.axes._base import _AxesBase, _process_plot_format
 
+_log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 rcParams = matplotlib.rcParams
 
@@ -134,7 +136,8 @@ def get_title(self, loc="center"):
             raise ValueError("'%s' is not a valid location" % loc)
         return title.get_text()
 
-    def set_title(self, label, fontdict=None, loc="center", **kwargs):
+    def set_title(self, label, fontdict=None, loc="center", pad=None,
+                    **kwargs):
         """
         Set a title for the axes.
 
@@ -159,6 +162,10 @@ def set_title(self, label, fontdict=None, loc="center", **kwargs):
         loc : {'center', 'left', 'right'}, str, optional
             Which title to set, defaults to 'center'
 
+        pad : float
+            The offset of the title from the top of the axes, in points.
+            Default is ``None`` to use rcParams['axes.titlepad'].
+
         Returns
         -------
         text : :class:`~matplotlib.text.Text`
@@ -182,6 +189,9 @@ def set_title(self, label, fontdict=None, loc="center", **kwargs):
             'fontweight': rcParams['axes.titleweight'],
             'verticalalignment': 'baseline',
             'horizontalalignment': loc.lower()}
+        if pad is None:
+            pad = rcParams['axes.titlepad']
+        self._set_title_offset_trans(float(pad))
         title.set_text(label)
         title.update(default)
         if fontdict is not None:
 
@@ -1053,10 +1053,6 @@ def cla(self):
             size=rcParams['axes.titlesize'],
             weight=rcParams['axes.titleweight'])
 
-        title_offset_points = rcParams['axes.titlepad']
-        self.titleOffsetTrans = mtransforms.ScaledTranslation(
-            0.0, title_offset_points / 72.0,
-            self.figure.dpi_scale_trans)
         self.title = mtext.Text(
             x=0.5, y=1.0, text='',
             fontproperties=props,
@@ -1074,10 +1070,12 @@ def cla(self):
             verticalalignment='baseline',
             horizontalalignment='right',
             )
+        title_offset_points = rcParams['axes.titlepad']
+        # refactor this out so it can be called in ax.set_title if
+        # pad argument used...
+        self._set_title_offset_trans(title_offset_points)
 
         for _title in (self.title, self._left_title, self._right_title):
-            _title.set_transform(self.transAxes + self.titleOffsetTrans)
-            _title.set_clip_box(None)
             self._set_artist_props(_title)
 
         # The patch draws the background of the axes.  We want this to be below
@@ -1134,6 +1132,18 @@ def set_facecolor(self, color):
         return self.patch.set_facecolor(color)
     set_fc = set_facecolor
 
+    def _set_title_offset_trans(self, title_offset_points):
+        """
+        Set the offset for the title either from rcParams['axes.titlepad']
+        or from set_title kwarg ``pad``.
+        """
+        self.titleOffsetTrans = mtransforms.ScaledTranslation(
+                0.0, title_offset_points / 72.0,
+                self.figure.dpi_scale_trans)
+        for _title in (self.title, self._left_title, self._right_title):
+            _title.set_transform(self.transAxes + self.titleOffsetTrans)
+            _title.set_clip_box(None)
+
     def set_prop_cycle(self, *args, **kwargs):
         """
         Set the property cycle for any future plot commands on this Axes.
 
@@ -4917,6 +4917,22 @@ def test_dash_offset():
         ax.plot(x, j*y, ls=(j, (10, 10)), lw=5, color='k')
 
 
+def test_title_pad():
+    # check that title padding puts the title in the right
+    # place...
+    fig, ax = plt.subplots()
+    ax.set_title('aardvark', pad=30.)
+    m = ax.titleOffsetTrans.get_matrix()
+    assert m[1, -1] == (30. / 72. * fig.dpi)
+    ax.set_title('aardvark', pad=0.)
+    m = ax.titleOffsetTrans.get_matrix()
+    assert m[1, -1] == 0.
+    # check that it is reverted...
+    ax.set_title('aardvark', pad=None)
+    m = ax.titleOffsetTrans.get_matrix()
+    assert m[1, -1] == (matplotlib.rcParams['axes.titlepad'] / 72. * fig.dpi)
+
+
 def test_title_location_roundtrip():
     fig, ax = plt.subplots()
     ax.set_title('aardvark')