Years later, another one is below. But for everyday use I just
np.set_printoptions( threshold=20, edgeitems=10, linewidth=140,
    formatter = dict( float = lambda x: "%.3g" % x ))  # float arrays %.3g
''' printf( "... %.3g ... %.1f  ...", arg, arg ... ) for numpy arrays too
Example:
    printf( """ x: %.3g   A: %.1f   s: %s   B: %s """,
                   x,        A,        "str",  B )
If `x` and `A` are numbers, this is like `"format" % (x, A, "str", B)` in python.
If they're numpy arrays, each element is printed in its own format:
    `x`: e.g. [ 1.23 1.23e-6 ... ]  3 digits
    `A`: [ [ 1 digit after the decimal point ... ] ... ]
with the current `np.set_printoptions()`. For example, with
    np.set_printoptions( threshold=100, edgeitems=3, suppress=True )
only the edges of big `x` and `A` are printed.
`B` is printed as `str(B)`, for any `B` -- a number, a list, a numpy object ...
`printf()` tries to handle too few or too many arguments sensibly,
but this is iffy and subject to change.
How it works:
numpy has a function `np.array2string( A, "%.3g" )` (simplifying a bit).
`printf()` splits the format string, and for format / arg pairs
    format: % d e f g
    arg: try `np.asanyarray()`
-->  %s  np.array2string( arg, format )
Other formats and non-ndarray args are left alone, formatted as usual.
Notes:
`printf( ... end= file= )` are passed on to the python `print()` function.
Only formats `% [optional width . precision] d e f g` are implemented,
not `%(varname)format` .
%d truncates floats, e.g. 0.9 and -0.9 to 0; %.0f rounds, 0.9 to 1 .
%g is the same as %.6g, 6 digits.
%% is a single "%" character.
The function `sprintf()` returns a long string. For example,
    title = sprintf( "%s  m %g  n %g  X %.3g",
                    __file__, m, n, X )
    print( title )
    ...
    pl.title( title )
Module globals:
_fmt = "%.3g"  # default for extra args
_squeeze = np.squeeze  # (n,1) (1,n) -> (n,) print in 1 line not n
See also:
http://docs.scipy.org/doc/numpy/reference/generated/numpy.set_printoptions.html
http://docs.python.org/2.7/library/stdtypes.html#string-formatting
'''
# http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2891790/pretty-printing-of-numpy-array
#...............................................................................
from __future__ import division, print_function
import re
import numpy as np
__version__ = "2014-02-03 feb denis"
_splitformat = re.compile( r'''(
    %
    (?<! %% )  # not %%
    -? [ \d . ]*  # optional width.precision
    \w
    )''', re.X )
    # ... %3.0f  ... %g  ... %-10s ...
    # -> ['...' '%3.0f' '...' '%g' '...' '%-10s' '...']
    # odd len, first or last may be ""
_fmt = "%.3g"  # default for extra args
_squeeze = np.squeeze  # (n,1) (1,n) -> (n,) print in 1 line not n
#...............................................................................
def printf( format, *args, **kwargs ):
    print( sprintf( format, *args ), **kwargs )  # end= file=
printf.__doc__ = __doc__
def sprintf( format, *args ):
    """ sprintf( "text %.3g text %4.1f ... %s ... ", numpy arrays or ... )
        %[defg] array -> np.array2string( formatter= )
    """
    args = list(args)
    if not isinstance( format, basestring ):
        args = [format] + args
        format = ""
    tf = _splitformat.split( format )  # [ text %e text %f ... ]
    nfmt = len(tf) // 2
    nargs = len(args)
    if nargs < nfmt:
        args += (nfmt - nargs) * ["?arg?"]
    elif nargs > nfmt:
        tf += (nargs - nfmt) * [_fmt, " "]  # default _fmt
    for j, arg in enumerate( args ):
        fmt = tf[ 2*j + 1 ]
        if arg is None \
        or isinstance( arg, basestring ) \
        or (hasattr( arg, "__iter__" ) and len(arg) == 0):
            tf[ 2*j + 1 ] = "%s"  # %f -> %s, not error
            continue
        args[j], isarray = _tonumpyarray(arg)
        if isarray  and fmt[-1] in "defgEFG":
            tf[ 2*j + 1 ] = "%s"
            fmtfunc = (lambda x: fmt % x)
            formatter = dict( float_kind=fmtfunc, int=fmtfunc )
            args[j] = np.array2string( args[j], formatter=formatter )
    try:
        return "".join(tf) % tuple(args)
    except TypeError:  # shouldn't happen
        print( "error: tf %s  types %s" % (tf, map( type, args )))
        raise
def _tonumpyarray( a ):
    """ a, isarray = _tonumpyarray( a )
        ->  scalar, False
            np.asanyarray(a), float or int
            a, False
    """
    a = getattr( a, "value", a )  # cvxpy
    if np.isscalar(a):
        return a, False
    if hasattr( a, "__iter__" )  and len(a) == 0:
        return a, False
    try:
        # map .value ?
        a = np.asanyarray( a )
    except ValueError:
        return a, False
    if hasattr( a, "dtype" )  and a.dtype.kind in "fi":  # complex ?
        if callable( _squeeze ):
            a = _squeeze( a )  # np.squeeze
        return a, True
    else:
        return a, False
#...............................................................................
if __name__ == "__main__":
    import sys
    n = 5
    seed = 0
        # run this.py n= ...  in sh or ipython
    for arg in sys.argv[1:]:
        exec( arg )
    np.set_printoptions( 1, threshold=4, edgeitems=2, linewidth=80, suppress=True )
    np.random.seed(seed)
    A = np.random.exponential( size=(n,n) ) ** 10
    x = A[0]
    printf( "x: %.3g  \nA: %.1f  \ns: %s  \nB: %s ",
                x,         A,         "str",   A )
    printf( "x %%d: %d", x )
    printf( "x %%.0f: %.0f", x )
    printf( "x %%.1e: %.1e", x )
    printf( "x %%g: %g", x )
    printf( "x %%s uses np printoptions: %s", x )
    printf( "x with default _fmt: ", x )
    printf( "no args" )
    printf( "too few args: %g %g", x )
    printf( x )
    printf( x, x )
    printf( None )
    printf( "[]:", [] )
    printf( "[3]:", [3] )
    printf( np.array( [] ))
    printf( [[]] )  # squeeze