What Resolution do You All Make World Maps In?

[The King of Nipples]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but, what resolution do you guys make world maps In?

[Gidde]

I'm more paper-based than digital, so I like world maps *huge* lol. Currently the biggest paper I have is 30" x 22" - at 300dpi that works out to 9000x6600 (which my computer can't handle).

I find a good working resolution for a digital map of whatever scale is in the 4800x3300 range, give or take for the height-width ratio of the projection you're using for your world.

[Kellerica]

300dpi, every time. I always aim for print-ready even if I almost never actually end up printing any out. The size and dimensions differ a bit with each project, usually the width/length are somewhere between 20-70cm. I've rarely had the need to work with any larger than that.

Back when I started, I used work with much larger files, insanely large, something like 100-150cm and 600dpi. It took me almost a year and a half of novice map-making attempts before I realized that in no reality would I actually need for the map to be that huge. I honestly can't say why I even thought that they needed to be this size, but I eventually did see the error of my ways (and my PC thanks me for it).

[kacey]

I always use the size I’m going to print at, which is usually 13 by 19 inches (I think that’s about 5700 pixels across the top) 300dpi because that’s the biggest size my printer can handle. Sometimes I go bigger if I’m planning to cut out smaller sections later on.... But I never manage to finish those projects, so like Kelleri I’ve learned to be a little kinder to my computer and stick to the size that doesn’t give me unbearable lag and still prints nicely... The size you use really depends on what you plan to do with the map once it’s finished and how much detail you want to put in while keeping in consideration the limitations of you’re computer and the time you want to spend on it.

[Redrobes]

It depends on what you want to do with the final. If its for print then use 300dpi as a guide. If its for a poster then 200 or 150dpi is acceptable.

Also, my usual advice is to map the original artwork at twice the final and keep working on the larger original size but keep scaling down that original to the final print. Theres a technical reason for it but it rarely crops up as a real issue.