Large Scale Map Printing

[OldGuy]

I created a small map for my campaign and decided it was time to make a larger one (3' x 3' or thereabouts) and have it printed. Before I started I thought it would be a good idea to look into printing to find out what it would cost and what limitations (if any) the printers may have. Being in a small town with few options, I stopped by kinkos. Their best price was $7.25 per square foot plus $3.00 per square foot if I wanted to have it laminated. For 3' x 3' that comes to $65.25 ($92.25 laminated). He couldn't tell me what weight paper it was other than it was "heavier weight" but not card stock.

Never having done this before I had in my head that it would be around $20 for 3' x 3' glossy card stock. Apparently, I wasn't even close. But $65 for plain paper seems a bit high. What do you folks think?

[Steel General]

Check w/Gamerprinter to see what he charges.

[Gamerprinter]

Hey Oldguy!

Except you have to add $10 for shipping (rolled in a tube), I charge $2.99 a square foot printed onto satin gloss 190 gram photo paper, so a 3' x 3' map would cost $26.97. Lamination is $6.75 more for 3' x 3' using 5 mil lamination. I have shipped throughout US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Europe and Asia/Australia. Though overseas shipping is USPS is $16+ and takes at least 15 days, doing it faster costs way too much ($100). Also map prints are pretty light weight, so cost of shipping is more size of tube not weight. A single tube can hold many unlaminated maps or three laminated ones for same shipping cost.

GP

[OldGuy]

Wow, that's pretty amazing!

I actually wanted two copies anyway so that makes shipping (per copy) even cheaper. Plus I get to go through a CG member which makes it even better.

I will definitely go through you when I get the map ready to print.

[Alyais]

Hey Oldguy!

Except you have to add $10 for shipping (rolled in a tube), I charge $2.99 a square foot printed onto satin gloss 190 gram photo paper, so a 3' x 3' map would cost $26.97. Lamination is $6.75 more for 3' x 3' using 5 mil lamination. I have shipped throughout US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Europe and Asia/Australia. Though overseas shipping is USPS is $16+ and takes at least 15 days, doing it faster costs way too much ($100). Also map prints are pretty light weight, so cost of shipping is more size of tube not weight. A single tube can hold many unlaminated maps or three laminated ones for same shipping cost.

GP

Gamerprinter,

Can you print on fabric? Is this possible? I own and run a LARP in Savannah, Georgia and would love to give them a version of our map that is somewhat more period.

[tilt]

Gamerprinter is the man!
by the way GP, what resolution does the printer print in? - I usually work in 300 dpi A4 or A3 so it would be nice to know how big a map that would make in your photoprinter - you don't have to calculate for me, the dpi number is enough

[Gamerprinter]

That printer is set at a minimum of 600 dpi, but printers lesser dpi fine, though I can set it for high resolution mode and print 2880 x 2880 dpi. It prints in 12 colors CMYKRGB, Photo Magenta, Photo Cyan, Gray and Photo Gray - using whatever colors the file requires. Its a Canon printer IPF 8100. Though I don't carry the whole inventor of papers, I can get pretty heavy glossy stock, and up to 42 inch wide prints, but I generally carry only 36 inch wide materlal. I carry canvas and fine art paper as well.

GP

[tilt]

I remember when the printers/plotters worked with 72 dpi, so you could make a poster from a simple A4 quality... If I should make a poster in 300 dpi, its gonna be a heavy file when I work in PS

[Will Phillips]

I remember when the printers/plotters worked with 72 dpi, so you could make a poster from a simple A4 quality... If I should make a poster in 300 dpi, its gonna be a heavy file when I work in PS

I was torn between using PS and CC3 to create my large scale map but was leaning towards PS. Next I determined that a 36" x 36", 300 dpi drawing is 10,800 x 10,800 pixels. I have a pretty decent notebook with lots of memory and a kick ass video card. Still, PS was huffing and puffing enough for me to see that wasn't the way to go. (largely in part to it being v7 I'm sure).

I used my old map as a background in CC3 so I could trace polygons over the png image and get the main features copied over. Got a good start already and no more fighting huge file sizes. The resolution-independence is a nice bonus.

I work in Photoshop and have the same problems with my 30' x 40' 300dpi map and so to get around that, I cut up my development into numerous different layers - one for labels, one for landform shape, another for texture, color, borders, etc. In total, I think I have around ten separate Photoshop files that I work from to create the final map.

[Midgardsormr]

Remember to figure in expected viewing distance. If the viewer is at greater than arm's length, you can get away with less than 300 dpi. I had GP do a poster print for me at somewhere around 150 dpi, and the print turned out great.