| What you need to
do |
Recommended ways to do it |
| 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. Highest quality
look and function: Buy Adobe Acrobat ($295/1-user) and make *.PDF files. Use File
> Print ... defining Adobe Acrobat as the printer. Adobe Acrobat Reader software is
available on the web free so recipients don’t have to buy software. |
| Maps embedded in
word processing or desktop publishing documents |
Quickest, easiest and fastest:
Use MapInfo's "drag and drop" tool
 (Revision 4 or higher) to drag the map window into the word
processing or other document. Note: If you need your map to include 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.
Alternatively: Use File > Save Window As .... Use
BMP or TIFF format. For standard format reports and similar documents, this works fine.
When using this command, be careful to define a large(r) image size (not the defaults) if
you want to get higher resolution.
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.
Issue (see more below): Varieties of postscript formats and difficult/impossible to
preview the image. |
| Maps for
publication: |
1. Simple maps that will be
published with no (or very minor) editing outside of MapInfo.? See above options.
2. Simple maps that will be edited or polished in a
graphics programafter importing from MapInfo.
Export to graphics program into Postscript (EPS), DXF,
MIF-Mid, WMF, Pict (Mac only) or other vector format. 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.
3. More complex maps especially those requiring
"cartographic" features (blending line intersections, careful control of draw
order, automated map indexes and/or legends).
Export via MIF-MID or other vector format to special
purpose map publishing software programs such as Avenza's MaPublisher (for Adobe
Illustrator or MacroMedia Freehand), PCI Carto’s Ace or Intergraph’s MapFinisher. |
| 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. |
| Curved text |
Cause, for example, the text
label "Woodinville-Fall City Road" to curve in parallel with the curve of the
road line. |
| 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 (provided your computer video system can support it) and often
have features for color matching screen color with the (likely) printed color. |
| Color separations |
MapInfo can make simple
"single color" separations (as discussed below). "Real" color
separation software can take a complex color and separate it into the separate CYMK (Cyan,
Yellow, Magenta) color components, for example. |
| 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 |
| 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 4.1 export formats:
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 ...
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. Canvas (Deneba Software) can import DXF
(vector) format files. Illustrator (Adobe) can import WMF and Postscript EPS
format files. We have particularly good success with Illustrator Rev. 7 and WMF
files. Corel Draw can import WMF (but don't try this with Corel Rev. 3).
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.
Note: MapInfo has steadily improved the quality of
its Export functions over recent revisions. The menu option may stay the same, but
the functionality and quality of image output (e.g., for WMF format) has improved. |
| Making map layers |
Make the layers in
MapInfo, via before exporting to the separate software program. Use:
Map > Layer Control |
| Talk to your
graphics shop |
You may be the only
one involved, but commonly there is a graphic designer, publication designer, or other
"graphics person" involved. They do not know what you can do and cannot do with
MapInfo. They don’t know what to ask you for. You don’t automatically know what
will make life easier for them. Show them sample MapInfo printed maps. Questions to ask:
- Are they using a Mac?
- What graphics program do they use? (Corel, PhotoShop,
Illustrator, etc.)
- What graphics formats can they accept? What do they prefer?
(TIFF, DXF, EPS, etc.)
- How much editing do they plan on? Changing the size of the
graphic? Adding text etc?
- Do they need a "4 color process" look or would 4
solid colors be fine?
|
| Set up your MapInfo
system |
Want
"true" 24-bit color for bit map formats? You will need to adjust settings in
your Win95 or NT registry:
For 32-bit MapInfo running on Win95, WinNT add the named
values to the following Registry key: [example entries]
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
-Software
---MapInfo
----MapInfo
-----Common
UseTrueColor
Notes:
a. If there is not an entry in the registry for "UseTrueColor" you will
need to add it via the
menu: Edit > New > DWord After adding it, [right-mouse=click] on
"UseTrueColor" to "Modify" the data value. Change the value to
"1" for TrueColor. Then re-start the system.
b. These entries do not apply to 16-bit Windows 3.x users. These entries also will
disable transparent raster settings. You may need to check with MapInfo Tech Support for
details.
Want to export in Postscript/EPS format? You need to
install and setup a color Postscript driver via your "Control Panel". Often a
color Postscript driver is installed by default when you first install Windows95. |
| Test with simple
files first, before making the final map. |
Export a simple map
layout from MapInfo. Make sure your graphics program or graphics consultants can read it.
Unfortunately there are many flavors of Postscript, DXF, JPEG etc. Do not rely on the
documentation's claim that the graphics program can ingest a specific format. If the program can import a small file, try a quick large complex
one too. For example, make a full-county street map, with census block groups in the
background. Can the graphics program import it, too?
Testing will also help you iron out any PC-to-Mac or other
media and format problems. You don't want these to crop up at the last minute, right? |
| Clip or trim your
map layers, if necessary |
If exporting map
layers as MIF or DXF format, you will be exporting an entire file (or selected sub-set of
it). You may find it easier to use MapInfo object editing features (Object > Erase
Outside ... etc.) to discard parts of the map layer that will not show on the final map.
Consider the cookies.mbx [available of www.mapinfo.com] as a possible ally here, too.
Graphics programs have "crop" features, too
(usually). So this can happen in the graphics phase if need be. |
| Use simple clean
line and fill styles |
Select simple solid
color fills, rather than hatched patterns or complex colors. This will help you avoid
problems related to color dithering, etc. Similarly, pick continuous simple line styles,
not dotted or dashed lines. Usually a dotted line will be exported as a series of
separated line snippets -- even if you use a vector format like WMF or DXF. |
| 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 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. 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
This problem may not be solvable and is one reason to test first, before investing a lot
of time in the project. |
| 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. |
Acrobat
(Adobe Systems)
 |
$295/1-user Limited ability to "find" text in the map. Limited
"redlining" feature. In general, maps made with Acrobat are not editable.
More information about Adobe
Acrobat:
Download free Acrobat
Reader software.
Sample map in Acrobat PDF format.
Schlosser Geographic Systems Inc (SGSI) does not sell Adobe Acrobat. |
MaPublisher
(Avenza Software)
 |
$695/1-user. MaPublisher
is an add-in "filter" that runs on top of Adobe Illustrator (Mac/Windows) or
Macromedia Freehand (Windows). Add’s links to map data attributes (for labeling
purposes); can re-project data; has tools for joining lines. For most graphics effects, it
relies of the tools of the main graphics program. 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! |
Ace
(PCI Carto)
 |
$2495/$4995/1-user depending on
version. No graphics or other software required. Implements extensive features suitable
for "high-end" published maps. Unix version available, too (higher price).
SGSI has been a PCI and "Ace" reseller since
1995. Please contact us if you are interested in PCI
Ace or other PCI products.
More information about PCI and
Ace software.
Please mention that you heard of the product from SGSI.
Thanks! |
Map Finisher
(Intergraph)
 |
$15,000/1-user. This cost
includes MicroStation, MGE-GIS, and the Map Finisher module. Like Ace, Map Finisher offers
a very extensive set of features. It is used by serious publishers of paper charts and
maps. SGSI has been an Intergraph reseller since
1996. Please contact us if you are interested in
Intergraph products.
More
information about Intergraph's Map Finisher software.
More information about
Intergraph GIS software.
Please mention that you heard of the product from SGSI.
Thanks! |