| If what you need to do is |
How
to do it |
| Send maps as
email attachments |
Quickest,
easiest and fastest:
Use File > Save Window As .... Use BMP,TIFF or JPEG format depending on what
your recipient can read easily. Do not output them as raw WMF since most users don't
have WMF viewers.
Suggested by Claire Talltree, Sea-King Health:
One WMF option is to insert the WMF image into an MS Word document, then email the Word
document. Highest quality look and
function:
Buy Adobe Acrobat ($220-295/1-user) and make *.PDF files. With Adobe Acrobat installed,
making high-quality electronic output is as easy as printing. Adobe Acrobat Reader
software is available on the web free so recipients of your Acrobat-format (PDF) maps
don’t have to buy software.
Suggested by Claire Talltree, Sea-King Health:
Acrobat Distiller (discussed below) is sometimes bundled with PageMaker or other Adobe
software, so may not require a separate purchase. |
| Embed maps
in Word, PowerPoint or desktop publishing documents |
Quickest,
easiest and fastest: Option 1:
Arrange windows for both MapInfo and the Word processing program such that you can see
both at once. Use MapInfo's "drag and drop" tool
 (Revision 4 or higher) to drag the map window into the word
processing or other document.
SGSI Comments:
a. If your map needs a legend, use the Legends.mbx utility [incl. with MapInfo] to
"Create an Embedded Legend" before dragging the map from MapInfo to the other
program.
b. You can't drag Layout windows to MS Word etc, only Map Windows.
Option 2:
Use File > Save Window As .... Use BMP, GIF, TIFF or other bitmap format. If the
resulting image resolution is too fuzzy/grainy, define a large(r) image size. You
can make 100+mB image files this way, acheiving publication-quality resolution.
SGSI Comments:
You can make images of Layout windows, including Legend frames. So there is no need
to use the Legends.mbx if using this approach.
If you will be editing the image after producing it in MapInfo, consider File > Save
Window As ..." WMF" instead of a bitmap format. More on this below...
Highest quality look and function:
Set up Windows Control Panel > Printers for a
color postscript driver. Use File > Print ... to write out the Postscript file.
SGSI Comment: (See more below) There are different
varieties of postscript format. It may be difficult or impossible to preview the
image once it becomes a Postscript-format file. |
| Send maps to
a service bureau for printing (e.g., large formats) |
Option 1:
Buy Adobe Acrobat. Print your map to a file, via a generic color postscript printer
driver. This makes a Postscript *.ps file. Run Adobe Distiller (part of the
Adobe Acrobat package, but different than the "PDF Writer"). The result is
a high-quality PDF file that the service bureau can print from.
SGSI Comment: This seems like a roundabout way to
make a PDF file. Why not simply print directly to the PDF format? Because
printing directly (eg., from PDF Writer, creates PDF's will more quirks.Option 2:
Ask your service bureau to specify the driver for their printer/plotter. Usually
they can either send it to you or point you to a web site from which you can download it.
Print your maps to a file, using the printer driver specified by the service
bureau.
SGSI Comments:
a. It may be difficult or impossible to preview the image once it becomes a
Postscript-format file.
b. Beware of using unusual text or symbol fonts that your service bureau does
not have. |
| Prepare maps
for publication |
1. Simple maps
that will be published separately, with no editing outside of MapInfo, and not embedded in
other documents? See "Send maps to a
Service Bureau..." above. More on 4-color separations, below.
2. Simple maps that will be edited or polished in a
graphics program after being exported from MapInfo.
Export using a "vector" format such as Postscript
(EPS), DXF, MIF-MID, WMF, Pict (Mac only) or PDF. Key issue: What vector formats are
well-supported by what graphics programs? In particular, WMF is not very reliable. MIF-MID
is rarely supported. Postscript EPS is great but not all graphics programs can import it.
Etc.
Use the graphics program, with or without an add-on such as
Avenza's MaPublisher, to add special graphics touches. Some graphics programs can
directly produce "4-color separations".
SGSI Comment: There are also special purpose map publishing software programs that
are used by "professional" map publishing companies. These include PCI Carto’s Ace, Intergraph’s MapFinisher,
and specially-customized versions of Arc/Info. Expect to pay $10-50,000 per
license. |
| Advantages of using a
Graphics Program |
MapInfo
is not a high-end graphics program or a digital pre-press program. Some graphic touches
are possible only by "finishing" the map in special-purpose graphics programs
such as Illustrator (Adobe), Freehand (Macromedia), PhotoShop (Adobe), Canvas (Deneba),
Corel Draw (Corel) or other software. MaPublisher is a $495 add-on for Freehand or
Illustrator that simplifies the importing of MapInfo MIF/MID's and adds some GIS-y
effects.
Here are examples of graphics "touches" that are difficult if not impossible
with MapInfo alone. |
| WYSIWYG |
Graphics programs
are better at this, in general. |
| Gradiated fills |
Allow, for example,
ocean color to be deep blue immediately adjacent to shore, but fade to very light blue as
distance from shore increases. You can "fake" some of these effects in
MapInfo 5 and 5.5 or with Vertical Mapper using the "Grid" feature. |
| Curved text |
Cause, for example,
the text label "Woodinville-Fall City Road" to curve in parallel with the curve
of the road line. |
| Fractional text
fonts |
Specify precise font
sizes such as "5.5 pt" or other fractional point sizes. MapInfo, as of Rev 5.5,
does not support this. |
| Large amounts of
text |
Insert large text
blocks. E.g., Street "indexes"; ie., lists of all unique street names and
the map row/col of the street location on the map. Freehand and some other graphics
programs can allow text to "flow" into and around specified polygonal shapes. |
| Anti-alias,
dithering, and similar effects |
Alters the edge of
text letter, line or other object to make it easier for the human eye to understand. |
| Richer variety of
fill patterns, point symbols, & line styles |
Yes it is possible
to make custom symbols with MapInfo. Various separate or add-on programs let you make
custom line and fills. But graphics programs still have something to add here. |
| "True"
24-bit color |
Graphics programs
are set up by default for 24-bit color (graphics card and graphics RAM permitting).
They also often have features for color matching screen color with the (likely) printed
color. |
| Color separations |
With MapInfo alone,
you can make simple "single color" separations (as discussed below).
"Real" color separation software can take a complex color and separate it into
the distinct CYMK (Cyan, Yellow, Magenta) color components, for example. Some
graphics programs can do this.
SGSI Comment: If all you need are color
separations, this is not sufficient reason--on its own--to go through the work of
converting your map to a graphics format. A professional printer can take a
Postscript file (and often a PDF file) and prepare the color separations for you. |
| 3D,
"Shininess" and lighting effects. |
This is a broad
range of features, many of which are not offered by standard graphics programs. Can give a
map personality |
| |
| Limitations
of Using Graphics Programs |
|
| One way street |
You can transfer
your GIS data to the graphics program, but not re-import your graphics-polished work back
into MapInfo. Thus, your changes/edits in the graphics program must be done over
again if your source map data changes. [MaPublisher can export map objects (but not
curved text) back to MapInfo MIF/MID format.] |
| Your MapInfo tools
are not available |
MapInfo tools for
changing map projection, thematic mapping, and automatic legend-building are not part of
the standard graphics program. [MaPublisher does include limited versions of these
tools.] |
| Typically
information is transferred on layer at a time |
The
one-layer-at-a-time method can take time and effort. |
| Export to graphics
program will not be 100% accurate |
Expect at least
minor glitches in exporting and re-importing the map data. |
| The Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Option |
|
Acrobat
(Adobe Systems)
 |
$220-295/1-user
. There's a emerging consensus among users, that Adobe
Acrobat is the preferred method for transferring and electronically publishing MapInfo and
similar maps. It is not a graphics or touch-up program; rather, a way to output your
MapInfo map "as-is" in electronic and transportable form. But you may see
differences in PDF output vis a vis maps printed directly to paper from MapInfo. The
following are some differences and related issues reported by users: some
"pro" and some "con". These are not confirmed by SGSI. More
information about Adobe Acrobat. Download free Acrobat Reader
software.
Sample MapInfo map in Acrobat PDF format (Made with Acrobat Rev
3).
Schlosser Geographic Systems Inc (SGSI) does not sell Adobe Acrobat. It is
sold by most computer retailers. |
| Raster image
backgrounds (e.g., color aerial photos and scanned maps) |
Clearer and with
truer colors than direct from MapInfo. |
| Text labels |
May look slightly
"softer" when printed from PDF's.
Tiny changes in text positions. |
| Printing speed |
Printing a complex
map from a PDF file, is reported to be much faster than printing the same map directly
from MapInfo. |
| Complex line work |
Can result in
"stray lines" in maps with complex contours or similar complex lines. [This
problem is gone or reduced in Revision 4 of Adobe Acrobat] |
| Print quality |
Set the resolution
to 600 dpi when making the PDF file, for clearest results. |
| Map scale |
Beware of printing
PDF files with the "Shrink to fit" option. Your printed map scale will
change. |
| Documenting your
work |
PDF's are widely
used as a way to document MapInfo workspaces or other project work. They are
certainly a lot easier to email around than workspaces. |
| Symbols or fonts
change |
Upgrade to Adobe
Acrobat 4. It it still happens, output a Postscript file first, then use Distiller
to convert it to a better PDF. Some minor changes may be inevitable no matter what. |
| Tips for Printing
(from Adobe) |
A 52-page manual for
going to press using PDF's. [In PDF format, of course.]
http://www.adobe.com/print/postscript/pdfs/highres_book.pdf |
| The Avenza MaPublisher Option |
MaPublisher
is a software add-on (aka "plug-in" or "Xtra") for Illustrator
and Freehand. $695/1-user (price updated 10/21/00). MaPublisher
offers some GIS-related features. The list below highlights MaPublisher
features and adds a few issues reported by users (not independently verified by SGSI). |
MaPublisher
(Avenza Software)
 |
SGSI is an Avenza MaPublisher
distributor. Please contact us if you are interested
in MaPublisher.
More information about MaPublisher and Avenza
Software.
If you contact Avenza directly please mention that you heard of the product from SGSI.
Thanks! |
| Access to graphic
features |
This is a key reason
why people use MaPublisher. Once in Freehand or Illustrator,
you can use the normal Freehand & Illustrator graphics tools. |
| Imports MIF/MID format |
Export your MapInfo
map data, layer-by-layer, then re-import into Illustrator (or Freehand).
This means you will be re-building your Layout's in the graphics program, along with all
thematic map features. |
| Attribute-driven
legends, thematic maps, and labels |
Great to have the
features, as they do not normally exist in either Freehand or Illustrator.
MaPublisher features and interface will seem limited after experiencing MapInfo.
|
| Select map features
based on attributes |
Select all the street
lines coded (in the MapInfo MIF/MID data file) as "arterials". You can
then save these lines as a separate graphics layer, with optional distinct line styles.
Noted by Rich Murphy, GIS Consultant: The features saved as separate
layers, once saved, lose their attributes. |
| Selected Import/Export Issues |
|
| Transfer the map as
"vector" rather than "raster" data |
With
"vector" graphics files you can edit single map objects (text, lines, polygons,
etc.). Don’t want the highway line there? Select the whole line by clicking on it;
then, delete or move it. Can’t do this with a "raster" or bit-map layer.
With "raster" or bit-mapped graphics, you edit
single pixels or groups of adjacent pixels that have the same color. Example: In Photoshop
or Paint, you can fill a closed area with a new color (paint bucket tool). If the area
wasn’t quite closed, the fill spills out and fills in everything. Miss-spelled a
word? You have to erase the offending letters by clicking on each pixel or find another
way to select all the pixels that form the letters. You can’t simply edit the
spelling as you would in MapInfo or a word processor.
If you zoom-in on a raster image, the lines start looking
jagged and you can see a grid of individual pixels. With a vector file, line smoothness
does not change as you zoom in and out, although the width of lines will change.
Of course, if your maps do not need to be edited at all in
the graphics program, a bit map image may be just fine. |
| MapInfo’s
Export formats |
MapInfo can export
maps in different formats. But can your graphics program import those formats? You have to
find a match. MapInfo export formats (Revision
4.1+):
Raster (bitmapped) formats:
BMP, TIFF, PhotoShop 3, JPEG, GIF, PNG (portable network graphics)? Export via:
File > Save Window As ...
Vector formats:
a. WMF (Windows metafile), PICT (MapInfo Mac only)? Export via:
File > Save Window As ...,
b. DXF and MapInfo MIF? Export via:
Table > Export ... or
Tools > Universal Translator...
c. Postscript? Export via:
Print ... [to a file, eg., Mapname.eps]
Before "printing," use
Windows > Control Panel > Printers to select a color postscript driver
(e.g., Tektronix Phaser, HP750 Postscript, or QMS Colorscript). Re-direct output to a file
rather than a printer device.
Use the "Encapsulated Postscript" option if available for your driver.
Need a new Postscript driver? Get one free at:
www.adobe.com
|
| Graphics Programs
Import formats |
"Raster"-oriented
graphics programs (e.g., PhotoShop, Paint, Paintbrush) typically import raster
formats, but not vector formats. If they do import WMF or other vector format, they are
likely to convert those wonderfully-editable objects to "dumb" uneditable bit
maps. "Vector"-oriented graphics
programs (Illustrator, Freehand, Corel, Canvas) maintain the integrity and
editability of lines, points, and regions. Here is an incomplete list:
- Canvas (Deneba Software) can import DXF (vector) format
files.
- Illustrator (Adobe) can import:
-- MIF/MID (if you have MaPublisher);
-- WMF;
-- Postscript EPS format; and
-- Acrobat PDF files.
- Corel Draw can import WMF (but don't try this with
Corel Rev. 3 as Rev 3 does a lousy job of the import).
- Freehand (Macromedia) can import:
-- MIF/MID (if you have MaPublisher);
-- WMF. Some users say it doesn't do this as well as Corel 8, for example.
- MS Word can import WMF, but users report
"rogue line"s in the image in Word.
This list in not comprehensive. Please share your
experience with the rest of us.
Warning: Graphics programs may officially be able to read
or import a given format, such as WMF or PICT, but may fail to import that format if the
files are large. |
| Making map layers |
In most cases,
you'll make the layers in MapInfo, via before exporting to the separate software program.
Exceptions will be cases where you export a Layout.
Use:
Map > Layer Control |
| Troubleshooting |
|
| Need higher
resolution BMP’s or TIFF’s |
The MapInfo File
> Save Window As ... dialog proposes an image that is the same size as
the window on screen. Change the default size to be bigger. Make a Layout window and draw a **large** map frame on it. Use File > Save
Window As ... to save this layout window as a TIFF or other format graphics file. |
| The DXF file
includes the whole map layer not just the area shown in the Layout window |
Before exporting,
select the area of interest and export the "Selection" not the entire map layer. |
| The DXF or MIF/MID
data, once imported into the graphics program, looks different than it did in MapInfo
(more squished) |
This is a map
projection issue. You could probably "stretch" it in the graphics program, but
we do not recommend this. A better choice is to re-project the map layers in MapInfo (use
File > Save Copy As > Projection ] to a more aesthetic projection (eg. State
Plane). Do this before exporting the map layers to the graphics program. Recall that MapInfo can re-project "on the fly" showing
map layers that have different projections and coordinates and that would normally not
overlay. But when you export the data, you are exporting the actual coordinates and your
graphics program won’t cause these map layers to overlay correctly.
Many folks don’t realize it, but standard MapInfo
Latitude-longitude maps look less squished that they ordinarily would. This is because
MapInfo automatically re-projects the Latitude-longitude map data for display [unless you
have a raster image as a map backdrop layer.] |
| The WMF data, once
imported into the graphics program looks different (Text and/or other objects overlap,
etc.) |
Although WMF is a
vector format, zooming in and out can scale up or down the width of line work. For
example, let’s say you save a map as a WMF, then try to print the WMF on a full
8-1/2" by 11" page (e.g., from within MS Word). Word will import
the WMF then scale it up to fill the page. This scales up the width of the lines on the
map, making them look "fatter" than they would look if printed from MapInfo
directly. For this reason, if the map is to be output to a WMF, consider making your MapInfo
lines narrower than usual. Beware specifically of
strange results when using WMF’s imported into CorelDraw3. |
| Graphics program
cannot read the postscript file made by MapInfo |
This is probably a
problem of miss-matched flavors of Postscript. Beware, an "encapsulated
postscript" or EPS file is slightly different than a postscript print file that is
re-directed to a file instead of the printer. If one doesn’t work, try the other.
Change from to/from EPS via your Printer setup dialog.
You can also try different settings with your printer drivers and/or check the Adobe or
Microsoft web sites for updated postscript drivers. www.adobe.com
www.lexmark.com is also said to have
downloadable good Postscript drivers.
This problem may not be solvable and is one reason to test first, before investing a lot
of time in the project. |
| WMF output is
distorted or misplaced |
Try Layout >
View Actual Size ... before File > Save Window As .. This
sometimes (not always) helps. |
| Postscript file is
readable but cannot be previewed. |
Postscript is a
printer language, not a true graphic format. Unless the Postscript file has been
constructed with a thumbnail preview option, you will not be able to preview it before
printing. |
| Postscript file
prints OK, but only in black & white. No color. |
Probably a driver
problem. Be sure you are using a **color** postscript driver when making the file in
MapInfo. Tektronix Phaser, QMS Colorscript, and HP750C-Postscript drivers should give you
color. |
| There are quirks in
symbols, region fill patterns and other graphics in a PDF-file |
This is a known
problem with PDF's created via PDF Writer, at least for Acrobat Rev 3. For best
results, print first to a Postscript file (*.ps), then use Adobe Distiller (part of the
Adobe Acrobat software bundle) to convert the *.ps file to a higher quality *.pdf. |
| Rasterizing programs (RIP's) |
Software
to efficiently and accurately change convert the map output from one format (eg., MapInfo
format or Postscript format) to the raster format required by your printer/plotter.
Avoid printer "out of memory" errors. Think of a RIP as a pre-processing
program for your plotter/printer. |
| ProPress |
ProPress (MapInfo
Corporation):
- $995/user.
- Released by MapInfo in mid-1999.
- Installed and used like a printer driver.
- Allows "true" WYSIWYG preview.
- Allows for rotating, tiling, scaling, and multi-copy control.
- Uses technology licensed from others.
- Try http://www.mapinfo.com/software/propress/index.html
|
| Image Alchemy |
Image Alchemy
(Handmade Software):
- $495/user.
- The classic program of it's genre. Available since at
least 1992.
- Print to a file using a standard HPGL2 file or Postscript
printer driver. Then use Image Alchemy to create a second, "rasterized"
print image file that is sent to the printer/plotter.
- Not commonly used by MapInfo users, but is compatible.
- Commonly used by ESRI Arc/Info users who have performance or
other trouble printing to HP or other plotters. Also includes lots of
format-to-format conversion utilities.
- Try http://www.handmadesw.com
|
| ArcPress |
ArcPress (ESRI):
- $1000?/user.
- ESRI's in-house answer to performance or other trouble
printing to HP or other plotters. Uses technology licensed from others. Only
works with ESRI products.
|
