Set the rc parameters using the rc function.
import pylab as p
p.rc(('xtick.major','xtick.minor','ytick.major','ytick.minor'), pad=10)
p.plot([1,2,3])
If you only want to change one of the tick labels, say, the x major ticks, use
p.rc(’xtick.major), pad=10)
When you’re done and want to reset the rc settings, use
p.rcdefaults()
See matplotlibrc for more settings you can change via the rc command.