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I want to print 3-4 copies of a map where it's more on the longer end where it can be unrolled to read and not too big that a kid can't hold out. Anyone have a recommended print size?
I also would need to be able to generate the map on the computer and be able to print it out. Anyone have a suggested program or web app?
Interested in doing an easter egg hunt with kids age 2-7 (parents will assist the younger ones).
I don't know if this helps, but looking at the Google Maps API, you could try something like this:
<html>
<head>
<meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no" />
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/api/js?sensor=false"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
function initialize() {
var latlng = new google.maps.LatLng(54,-3);
var myOptions = {
zoom: 9,
center: latlng,
mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP
};
var map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map_canvas"), myOptions);
}
</script>
</head>
<body onload="initialize()">
<div id="map_canvas" style="width:4000px; height:6000px"></div>
</body>
</html>
The key thing here is setting the width and height of map_canvas in pixels, so they exceed the size of your browser window. From here on, hopefully it's a question of getting your print settings right to print the whole image.
The Google Maps API is not intended for high-resolution printing. On the other hand Google Earth Pro boasts high-resolution printing (up to 4,800 horizontal pixels) as one of the main features.
You may want to consider using KML in order to display your markers on both Google Maps and Google Earth. The following articles may help you getting started:
- Google Maps KML Support
- KML Tutorial
- Wikipedia: Keyhole Markup Language
The following is an example KML document:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2">
<Placemark>
<name>New York City</name>
<description>New York City</description>
<Point>
<coordinates>-74.006393,40.714172,0</coordinates>
</Point>
</Placemark>
</kml>
To save and print images from Google Maps, you should use Google Map Saver.
Google Map Saver (GMS) offers you an easy and free way to download big Google Maps on your PC as JPEG, PNG-8, PNG-24, BMP or Targa files. GMS is light (only ~400 KBytes) and very easy to run since doesn’t have an installer. You can save maps up to 12000 x 12000 pixels and then print them the way you like.
A simple thing you could try is just to take a screenshot of the map, and then print it via some other program.