Map Question

Me | 9/12/15 | PaulR

[Paul R.]

Question: Does anyone here know of an online map source who provides maps that are better suited for printing on modest price (or even B&W) printers, than the usual Google, Bing, etc., maps?

Anyone who's ever printed out a map from the above sources knows what I mean. The printed maps are just too "washed out" or faded looking.

I can capture maps from the above and copy them into an image or photo viewer like IrfanView to improve them somewhat, but even then, results are poor, and often one ends up using lots of toner for bodies of water, national forests, etc., while the road images are still "light" and indistinct. Since other images print decently, and I've been through this with multiple printers over the years, I know this problem is "not just the printer", although better printers do help a little.

The best alternative I've found is a site called "stamen" that offers a variety of "toner" maps, though even those sometimes have to be zoomed in more than one might want to get a dark (for printing) line for some roads, or have road names show up. And, "directions" are not provided. (I often end up adding text to the stamen map images, then printing. That is time consuming, of course.)

Another possible, oddly, is the USGS website that displays recent earthquakes(!). Zoomed in, and with the "terrain" image properly enhanced, it's not too bad, tho' again no "directions" function is offered. (I assume USGS figures most people are not in need of directions to the latest fault that has let go!) Mostly, desired road names do seem to show up at reasonable zoom levels. But, again, here, having to mess with enhancing images is a time waster...

There may be a better zoomable maps option on the USGS website - one would think so - but, I have not stumbled into it.

SURELY, in 2015, one would think something better is out there? (No, don't tell me to get a GPS - the little screens are too distracting, for one thing, they break too easily when dropped, and sometimes they can lead one astray. Maybe I'm just old fashioned - I want a PRINTED map.)

Anyone?

[Oratam]

I miss Hagstrom maps.

[mad_as_he$$]

delorme.com

If you get their Topo s/w you can for 429/year download any map you want. You can control area, detail and size.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I use an app called GaiaGPS. It allows you to add any map from any source you want and view the maps as layers. You can turn any layer map on or off easily. GaiaGPS is picking up a lot of users who drive professionally on road whether main interstates or back roads.

I used to user maps, too. I thought I was the last holdout on that, but I now use my iPhone 6 Plus with the large screen for all my navigation. You say you are using the maps for driving, so you could get an iPad with built-in GPS and use any map you want. Maybe even consider the newest iPad Pro.

I don’t have a problem with contrast, but the scaling of some text bugs me. It stays small no matter how much you zoom in, so it stays hard to read.

[mad_as_he$$]

$29/year.

Freeping while the coffee brews.

[kingu]

Did you try out http://ttp.aaa.com/TripTik/ ? Used to get these done over at AAA, they’d come as a flip book for directions with each turn nicely detailed with good maps.

[razorback-bert]

Yes, me too, I have a large collection 0f USGS, service station and tourists maps.

[ConstantSkeptic]

I know you’re talking about printed out maps, so this is a bit outside what you’re talking about, but let me share something that works for my husband and me.

Yesterday we wanted to drive through a populated lake area about ½ hour away, so my husband printed out a few maps showing the roads and generally plotted where he wanted to go.

I’m the navigator when we drive. I have a Google Nexus 7 tablet. It’s wi-fi only, but it has built in GPS. (The Nexus 7 has been discontinued, but there are other tablets with GPS.) Before we left, I downloaded area maps from Google Maps. Once we got near the lake area with all the side roads going near the lake, I brought up Google Maps and my GPS could pinpoint exactly where we were. My Nexus won’t give me directions when I’m offline, but it does show me the context of where we are much better than our small screen Garmin. You can also save locations which will then appear on your Google Maps even when you’re offline. That’s great if you’re trying to find something in a strange area.

Anyway, just something to consider.

[Paul R.]

I’ve been away from an Internet connection for a couple days. I’ll try to respond to some of your posts when I get a chance, and I have several links to check out, I see.

As a general comment, some of the sources suggested provide good print quality, but don’t have options to create routes (eg., the “directions” function in some others.) But, still, most of the suggestions may still prove useful in one way or another, and I have several more that you good people have provided, to check out (probably this next weekend?)

Thanks to all for the ideas and suggestions (except for the one person who seems to think my time, toner, etc., for me to customize and then print out customized maps, is “free”!)