Hi Patrick,
You have mentioned that in the start up file you have added the commands:
>> set(h,'DefaultAxesFontName','times');
>> set(h,'DefaultAxesFontWeight','normal');
>> set(h,'DefaultAxesFontSize',14);
Is the handle "h" also defined in the startup.m file? If not, this should result in an error message "Undefined function or variable 'h'." and the default values will not be set. If the handle is defined then
The correct method of setting the values is to set the graphics root in the startup file. For R2014a and older versions the h has to be replaced by 0. For example:
>> set(0,'DefaultAxesFontSize',14);
And for R2014b and newer versions, it is:
>> set(groot,'DefaultAxesFontSize',14);
Please note that even though "groot" is recommended, if you pass 0 then also it should work in R2014b and later versions.
If the default values are set correctly, then there should not be a major difference in the Font Size in the two versions. However, new axes properties have been added for controlling the title and axis label font sizes in the new MATLAB graphics system introduced in Release 2014b. For example, TitleFontSizeMultiplier, and LabelFontSizeMultiplier properties.
The new MATLAB graphics system introduced in Release 2014b is built on an improved infrastructure and supports most of the functionality of previous releases, although there are some differences. Please look at the following links for more information: