Author Topic: Printing maps  (Read 2179 times)

robgul

  • Cycle:End-to-End webmaster
  • cyclist, Cytech accredited mechanic & woodworker
    • Cycle:End-to-End
Printing maps
« on: 18 April, 2015, 10:37:46 am »
Anyone know how to do this please?

From an online routing service (e.g. RidewithGPS) print "pages of the route" - i.e. not just the A4 size sheet that is the norm with the scale adjusted to suit the paper size.

What I'm trying to do is to take a linear route of say 100 miles - load it as a gpx to the mapping service to show my route and print it out in, ideally, A5 landscape size pages [A4 would work at an adjusted scale that I could then print at A5] at a usable scale of about 1:100 000 - so I end up with a "book" of pages that follow the route.   

I can do this in Memory Map s/w on the PC and it works a treat BUT there are no electronic maps available other than for UK, France & Belgium - I potentially need Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and more.     I really need to find something that uses Google or OSM.

The obvious option is screen grab, scroll, screen grab ....  - pasting the screen grabs to publishing s/w of some sort but that's a bit laborious.

Ideas please?

Rob

Re: Printing maps
« Reply #1 on: 18 April, 2015, 06:03:30 pm »
Hi Rob,

When I want to print a map from a mapping package, I get it to a good size on the screen and do a Ctrl + Prtscrn.

I paste the image off the clipboard onto a Word Doc as a 'Picture'. Then crop off all the boundary stuff I don't want.

Highlight the Picture and expand it by grabbing a corner.

I get a map that I can print out on a Word Doc.

Annotations can be put on the image by copying it onto a Powerpoint Presentation and then adding Text boxes and Arrows.


robgul

  • Cycle:End-to-End webmaster
  • cyclist, Cytech accredited mechanic & woodworker
    • Cycle:End-to-End
Re: Printing maps
« Reply #2 on: 18 April, 2015, 06:07:57 pm »
Hi Rob,

When I want to print a map from a mapping package, I get it to a good size on the screen and do a Ctrl + Prtscrn.

I paste the image off the clipboard onto a Word Doc as a 'Picture'. Then crop off all the boundary stuff I don't want.

Highlight the Picture and expand it by grabbing a corner.

I get a map that I can print out on a Word Doc.

Annotations can be put on the image by copying it onto a Powerpoint Presentation and then adding Text boxes and Arrows.

Yep - that's the grab, scroll, grab method I described - I'm trying for automation as I'll probably end with around 100/120 pages comprising a number of 80/100 mile days.

Rob

Re: Printing maps
« Reply #3 on: 18 April, 2015, 11:57:11 pm »
GpsPrune will print maps of a gpx (as a png), not done it for a while and took some fiddling to get scale right (on a circular course so less wasteful printwise?) uses OSM as viewing map but mapnik for background image so it should be worldwide?

TCX Convertor will preview in OSM or Google, but it's still a screenprint and stitch job though fullscreen helps with that.

RidewithGPS has paid pdf mapping I believe.

robgul

  • Cycle:End-to-End webmaster
  • cyclist, Cytech accredited mechanic & woodworker
    • Cycle:End-to-End
Re: Printing maps
« Reply #4 on: 19 April, 2015, 09:18:17 am »
GpsPrune will print maps of a gpx (as a png), not done it for a while and took some fiddling to get scale right (on a circular course so less wasteful printwise?) uses OSM as viewing map but mapnik for background image so it should be worldwide?

TCX Convertor will preview in OSM or Google, but it's still a screenprint and stitch job though fullscreen helps with that.

RidewithGPS has paid pdf mapping I believe.

I'll take a look at GpsPrune - and yes, RidewithGPS in the paid version does have a brilliant pdf map printer BUT as my OP it scales the route be it 5 or 500 miles to fit an A4 sheet - OK for 20/30 miles but not much use for longer than that.

Rob

Psychler

  • Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........
  • 33.2 miles from Steeple Bumpstead
Re: Printing maps
« Reply #5 on: 19 April, 2015, 01:11:32 pm »
I'm far from tech savvy but I recently started using Quo [http://www.mapyx.com/]

I have only used it once so far [for a 50 mile ride around Buckingham] and so I'm not sure if they're any good for your uses tho' but it might be worth you having a look.
I'm gonna limp to the pub and drink 'til the rest of me is as numb as my arse.

mcshroom

  • Mushroom
Re: Printing maps
« Reply #6 on: 19 April, 2015, 01:24:14 pm »
Mapyx Quo is free for the software, and uses OSM maps as well as their own, so should cover the whole area. It can print a set of pages as you describe.

My warning would be that scrolling the OSM maps is slow IME as it seems to download tiles as you scroll
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

robgul

  • Cycle:End-to-End webmaster
  • cyclist, Cytech accredited mechanic & woodworker
    • Cycle:End-to-End
Re: Printing maps
« Reply #7 on: 19 April, 2015, 02:02:35 pm »
...  I should have made it more obvious - I'm looking for the printing facility for countries other than the UK and France - both of which work a treat using Memory Map on the PC with mapping that I have purchased (1-50 & 1-25 OS + the free OS streets file, the A-Z of London and IGN France at 1-100)

It's the rest of Europe where there doesn't seem to be any alternative electronic mapping other than Google or OSM that sits under the various online routing stuff.

Rob

mcshroom

  • Mushroom
Re: Printing maps
« Reply #8 on: 19 April, 2015, 02:07:42 pm »
That's where the OSM maps in Quo would work. For example I've just zoomed in onto Prague on Quo with the OSM maps without any issue other than a slight buffering as it downloaded the tiles when I moved in/zoomed.
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

Vince

  • Can't climb; won't climb
Re: Printing maps
« Reply #9 on: 22 April, 2015, 08:57:09 am »
A plug for Richard Fairhurst's website http://cycle.travel/.

The capability to print routes as PDF seems very good. I recently printed the route from Kings Cross to Paddington and rather than reduce the scale or extend onto two pages, the last section is in a smaller map on the same page.
216km from Marsh Gibbon

Re: Printing maps
« Reply #10 on: 22 April, 2015, 10:44:44 am »
Thats impressive!
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Re: Printing maps
« Reply #11 on: 22 April, 2015, 01:30:23 pm »
I always promote this routeplanner and I'm deeply ashamed I didn't know all the features  :-[

Psychler

  • Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........
  • 33.2 miles from Steeple Bumpstead
Re: Printing maps
« Reply #12 on: 22 April, 2015, 01:35:18 pm »
Just having a play with cycle.travel - is there any way of uploading gpx files to it?
I'm gonna limp to the pub and drink 'til the rest of me is as numb as my arse.

Richard Fairhurst

  • on the trail of the little blue stickers
Re: Printing maps
« Reply #13 on: 23 April, 2015, 01:45:10 pm »
There isn't yet, I'm afraid - because the route-planner presents the draggable via points along the way, it wouldn't know where these should be on a GPX you've uploaded. Though I'd like to work out a way of fixing that one day...!
cycle.travel - maps and route-planner

Psychler

  • Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........
  • 33.2 miles from Steeple Bumpstead
Re: Printing maps
« Reply #14 on: 23 April, 2015, 02:57:12 pm »
There isn't yet, I'm afraid - because the route-planner presents the draggable via points along the way, it wouldn't know where these should be on a GPX you've uploaded. Though I'd like to work out a way of fixing that one day...!

Ahh! that explains it.  Thanks for the info, Richard
I'm gonna limp to the pub and drink 'til the rest of me is as numb as my arse.

Re: Printing maps
« Reply #15 on: 23 April, 2015, 03:07:26 pm »
Have circulated Richard's site to my sustrans chums who seem to like it so far. Can you drag to offroad routes? Oops wrong thread.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain