Single-sided when solo, so that I can view two adjacent maps simultaneously, or.

Collated, if multiple copies, so that I can easily give everyone in my group their own mapset and, either.

24-lb paper, or 30-lb for glossier and more durable prints, albeit heavier and more expensive.

I upload the files, specify the printing specs, pay online, and pick up the order a few hours later from my local branch at the corner of Baseline Road and Broadway. The best method I have found to print topographic maps is FedEx Office Print Online. Probably like you, I lack access to a high-end color printer for personal use. This can especially be a headache with large mapsets for multi-month trips. If it generates only single map files, expect the printing process to consume more time for you. Ideally, the online platform exports a single multi-page print-ready PDF. But from this angle, the map shading is inverted, so canyons look like ridges and vice versa.įormat. For example, if I’m hiking south, often I’ll want to look at the map north-to-south, so that it’s oriented with the landscape. like on a wall, computer screen, or living room floor), it makes the map difficult to read in the field when viewed from any other direction. While the shading causes topographic features to stand out better when looking at the map from its south border (e.g.

For example, I have National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps - which are available as a layer on AllTrails - that are at scales of 1:60,000, 1:80,000, and 1:100,000. Other maps are optimized for different scales.The effect will be the same if I try printing 11 x 17 images on smaller paper size.the 7.5-minute USGS maps are designed to be printed at 1:24,000. If I compress the image in order to fit more topographic information on a single page, the contour intervals and writing become illegible - in the specific case of USGS maps, beyond about 1:30,000. I use the original map’s native scale, e.g. When using smaller paper sizes like 8.5 x 11, I struggle to understand the big-picture topography and I get annoyed by how often my route cuts across pages. Tabloid sheets depict a sizeable area (about 4.5 miles tall and 3.2 miles across when printed at 1:24,000 scale with quarter-inch margins) while still being field-friendly (not too big) and a standard paper size (not requiring a super high-end printer). I prefer Tabloid (11 x 17 inches) paper over smaller sizes like Letter (8.5 x 11). But until these platforms are available deep in the backcountry on devices that don’t break or need recharging, as part of my trip planning routine I export and then print my digital maps into a field-friendly paper set.

Today we’re fortunate to have excellent online mapping platforms like CalTopo, Hillmap, GaiaGPS, and AllTrails. A custom-made mapset and databook for the Wind River High Route

Topo map software for mac