Designing a map poster: 7 things to check before ordering

Streets, neighborhoods, and venues can share names across different cities. A familiar-looking title on the poster does not prove that the map shows the right location. Look for nearby streets, rivers, or parks you recognize as well.

Open “1. Place”, search with the city and a precise address or place name where possible, and select the matching suggestion. Check its position on the map. If you want different wording, edit it later under “4. Text”; changing that text does not move the map.

• ✓Check: the map shows the right city and the right surroundings.
• ✓For a gift: compare the location with a reliable address or a memory you share.

The right location can still get lost in the wrong crop. A wide view may make individual streets too small; a close view may lose the river bend, park, or city outline that makes the place recognizable. Decide whether the poster is about one address or the shape of a whole city.

Move and zoom the map in the preview until your focal point and enough of its surroundings are visible. Check the edges: is an important detail cut off? Is something meaningful behind the text area? Review the crop again whenever you change the print size.

• ✓Check: the part of the map that matters to you remains clearly recognizable.
• ✓Action: compare a slightly closer crop with a slightly wider one before deciding.

It is easy to skim past a mistake in a familiar name. Read the title and second line separately. Check accents, hyphens, the order of names, and each digit in the date. Copied text needs the same final look as words you typed yourself.

Open “4. Text” and read “Title” and “Second line” character by character. Compare them with the preview and, later, the text in the order summary. If you prefer no wording, switch off “Text on the poster”. This also hides GPS coordinates. When poster text is on, you can show or hide the coordinates separately.

• ✓Check: the spelling and date are exactly what you intend.
• ✓For a gift: compare names and the occasion’s date with an invitation or another reliable reference.

Meaningful words need to be readable within the full design. Long lines are fitted at a smaller size. Text and map colors that look too similar can also make the wording hard to see. The preview lets you assess them together; screen brightness and display settings can affect how colors appear.

Try the design choices under “2. Style” and fonts under “4. Text”. Read both lines in the full preview. If a line looks too small, shorten it or redistribute the information between the title and second line. Then check the map again so the text does not cover a detail that matters.

• ✓Check: both lines stand out from the background and can be read without guessing.
• ✓Action: judge the whole poster, not just an input field or one enlarged detail.

Choose the print size for the place where the poster will hang. Measure the available space and compare it with A4 (21 × 29.7 cm), 30 × 40 cm, and 50 × 70 cm. A paper template with the same dimensions can help you picture the result. The on-screen preview does not show the poster at its actual size on your wall.

Select your print size under “3. Size”. Recheck the crop and text afterward, because the formats have different aspect ratios. If you plan to use a frame you already own, compare the frame’s required picture size with your chosen print dimensions, rather than measuring only its outer edges.

• ✓Check: your selected print dimensions fit the wall space or the frame you already have.
• ✓Action: confirm the size once more in the order summary.

Mapelina offers smooth 200 gsm “Standard matte” and lightly textured 310 gsm “Premium matte”. The gsm figure describes the paper’s weight per unit of area. An on-screen preview cannot reliably convey how paper feels; it mainly shows your map and design.

Open the paper selection under “3. Size” and check the selected option and displayed price. Classic framed posters use 200 gsm Standard matte. If you change from an unframed Premium matte poster to a frame, the paper selection switches to Standard matte accordingly.

• ✓Check: the selected paper and price match the order you want.
• ✓Action: check the paper description again after changing your frame choice.

Under “3. Size”, choose the actual delivery country and your preferred currency first. Then check “No frame” or an available frame color: Black, Natural, or White. Frame availability depends on the delivery country; only unframed posters are currently available for the US and Canada. Review the frame and paper selections after changing countries.

Under “4. Text”, go to “Review order”. Read through the location, text, size, paper, frame, and delivery country, and check the total. Use “Edit” beside an item to return to its settings. Open the poster preview from the summary as well to see the finished design as a whole.

Confirm the delivery country and currency only when both are correct. Address and payment details follow at checkout. Check the recipient, email, delivery address, and amount once more before completing payment. For a gift needed by a particular date, also review the current delivery information; an estimate is not a promise of arrival on a specific day.

• ✓Check: the full summary matches the poster you want to order.
• ✓Action: correct any remaining mistakes before paying, rather than relying on a later change.