Printing your map poster, at home or at a print shop
The file MaptoWall delivers is print-ready, but the final result depends as much on paper and printer as on the file. Here is what actually makes a difference.
300 DPI, concretely
300 dots per inch on A3 is 3,508 x 4,961 pixels. That is the threshold past which the eye stops resolving dots at normal viewing distance.
Matte paper, 200-250 gsm
Heavy enough not to buckle in a frame, matte enough not to bounce reflections off fine linework.
At home: A4 only
Most home printers stop at A4. Printing A3 at home requires an A3 printer; otherwise a print shop is the route.
Print margins
Print at 100%, with no auto-scaling. Fit-to-page shrinks the poster by a few millimeters and shifts the framing.
At home or at a print shop
Home printing suits a test or an A4. A domestic inkjet renders flat areas correctly but often saturates dark backgrounds: if the chosen theme has a midnight background, print a corner as a test before committing a sheet of heavy stock.
At a print shop, ask for laser or pigment inkjet on 250 gsm matte. Hand over the PDF rather than the PNG: it holds fine linework better on output.
Checking before paying for the print
Open the file at 100% on screen and look at the thinnest streets. If they vanish on screen, they will vanish in print: go back to the framing to reduce how many streets are shown, or switch to a higher-contrast theme.
Also check that the title does not overlap a dense area of the map. It is the most common flaw, and it only shows at full size.
Frequently asked questions
Which file should go to the printer?
The PDF. It is meant for printing and preserves the exact layout. PNG suits home printing, SVG suits enlargement beyond A3.
Can it be printed larger than A3?
Yes, from the SVG, which is vector and scales without loss. The PNG and PDF are calibrated for A3 and lose sharpness beyond it.
Can the free preview be printed?
Technically yes, but it carries a watermark and a reduced resolution. It exists to validate framing and style, not to be framed.