How to Print a Travel Map Poster: Size, Resolution, Paper

A travel map poster is mostly flat colour and fine lines, which is the easiest kind of image to print well and the easiest to spoil with a low-resolution file. Three decisions cover almost everything: which file, which size, which paper.

PDF or PNG?

Print from the PDF whenever the printer accepts one. WorldTripMap’s PDFs are vector files. Coastlines, borders and lettering are stored as shapes rather than pixels, so they stay sharp at any size, and the lettering is converted to outlines, so the print shop does not need your fonts.

Use the PNG when a service only takes images, which is common for photo kiosks and some online frame shops. A PNG has a fixed number of pixels, so check it is large enough for the size you want.

Match the shape to the frame

Paper and frames come in a few proportions. A file prints cleanly, with nothing cropped, on any size that shares its proportions.

In North America, 18 × 24 in and 16 × 20 in frames are the easiest to find. In most other countries, choose an A size. If you already own a frame, measure the opening and pick the shape that matches before you design anything.

How many pixels do you need?

For a print you will look at up close, aim for 300 pixels per inch. For a poster on a wall, viewed from a step or two back, 200 pixels per inch is hard to tell apart from 300, and 150 is acceptable for large sizes.

Multiply each side in inches by the resolution to get the pixels you need.

WorldTripMap’s largest upright PNG is 3,456 × 4,608 pixels. That is 288 pixels per inch at 12 × 16 in and 192 per inch at 18 × 24 in: fine on a wall, a little soft under your nose. For 18 × 24 in and larger, the PDF is the better file because it has no pixel limit.

Bleed: when to tick the box

Print shops print on oversized sheets and trim them. Bleed is extra background beyond the edge, so a cut that lands a hair off does not leave a white sliver.

• Sending the PDF to a print shop that trims? Tick Add 3 mm bleed. The file then records where the sheet should be cut (a TrimBox), which the shop’s software reads.
• Printing at home, at a photo kiosk, or ordering a framed print? Leave it off. Those services expect a file at exactly the final size.

If a shop asks for a different bleed, or for CMYK colour, ask whether they can convert a standard sRGB PDF. Most can and do it routinely.

Paper

• Matte, 170 to 230 gsm, suits map posters best. It has no glare under glass, and fine lettering stays crisp.
• Satin or lustre gives darker colours more depth. It is a good match for the Midnight Atlas design.
• Gloss shows fingerprints and reflects windows. Avoid it behind glass.
• Textured fine-art paper flatters the Travel Journal design but softens very small type.

Dark designs print darker

A screen is lit from behind and paper is not, so deep navy almost always prints darker than it looks. Two habits help: turn your screen brightness down to about half before you judge the colours, and if the poster is a gift, order one small print first. It costs little and removes the guesswork.

Printing at home

Most home printers cannot print to the very edge of the paper. Either choose borderless in the print dialog, or print at fit to page and trim the white margin with a ruler and a sharp blade. Set the quality to best or photo, and tell the printer which paper is loaded, because that setting controls how much ink goes down.

The short version

1. Pick the poster shape that matches your frame.
2. Download the PDF. Add bleed only for a shop that trims.
3. If you need a PNG, check the pixel table above.
4. Choose matte paper unless you have a reason not to.
5. For anything important, print a small proof first.

No map to print yet? How to make a map of places you’ve visited takes about as long as reading this page. And if a plain list on paper is all you want, the countries checklist prints on one sheet.