Rendering large datasets with matplotlib

This post provides a great solution for a common problem. Like the author, I always go for vector graphics for publications and posters. The problem is that some times these images are build using large datasets, which means large number of vector elements in the final image. This, in turn, makes browsing such document slow and painful (I've sure have stopped reading some articles due to unresponisveness). To overcome such problem, matplotlib offers a neat trick. Is possible to rasterize only selected elements in your figure, while keeping the rest vectorized. Read the post for more info.