In this lesson we will demonstrate 3 options for printing US Topos.
We will now cover three print scenarios. Reader and Acrobat will print just those layers that
are turned on in the display, so this is a useful feature for printing customized maps.
Printing the entire map sheet requires a large-format plotter. The new geospatial PDF maps are 24x29
inches for all 50 states and Alaska maps can have a page size of up to 29 inches by 33.5
inches. First, let’s print the entire US Topo map
at 1:24,000-scale. Open the print dialog box and select a large-format
plotter. Select ‘Properties/Page Setup”’ button.
Define the paper page size. ANSI D is an appropriate size for most US Topo maps.
Select “OK” to return to the print dialog box.
In the ‘Pages to Print’ section select the ‘All’ button.
In the ‘Page Sizing and Handling’ section select ‘Actual Size’ to print at map scale.
‘Fit’ will shrink or enlarge the map to fit the paper size, which changes the scale
of the plot. Click print to print the map.
A second option is to print a portion of the map at 1:24,000 on a smaller piece of paper.
To print at this map scale, set magnification in Adobe Reader to 100%. Select the layers
you want printed and pan the map fragment to the area you want to print in the Adobe
Reader window. Open the print dialog box and select a printer.
Select the ‘Properties/Page Setup”’ button. Define the paper page size and desired
page orientation. Select ‘OK’ to return to the print dialog box.
Expand the ‘More Options’ section under ‘Pages to Print’ and select the ‘Current
view’ button. Select ‘Actual Size’ to print to scale.
Selecting ‘Fit’ will shrink or enlarge the map to fill the paper in at least one
of the dimensions, and therefore will change the scale of the printed map.
Click print to print the map The final option is to print the entire map
in pieces, typically on nine sheets of 8.5x11 paper, though other paper sizes can be used.
Open the print dialog box and select a printer. Select the ‘Properties/Page Setup”’
button. Define the paper page size and desired page orientation. Select ‘OK’ to return
to the print dialog box. In the Pages to Print section select the ‘All’
button. In the ‘Page Sizing & Handling’ section
of the print dialog box: Select ‘Poster.’
Set the ‘Tile Scale’ to 100% to print at map scale, 1:24,000.
Set desired ‘Overlap. A slight overlap facilitates assembly of the maps. For a 8 ½ inch by 11
inch page size and a portrait orientation, a value of 0.25 inch for overlap produces
9 tiles for a US Topo at map scale of 1:24,000 for most printers. You may need to adjust
this value in some cases to produce 9 tiles. Click print to print the maps.