Battle Map Questions

[Angel of Adventure]

Overall, my group has really enjoyed the battle maps. I've put them together by printing them off, cutting the white borders away, taping them together, and overlaying them w/contact paper. Labor intesive, yes, but definately good for gaming.

My questions are as follows:

1) Is there any way to get rid of the white border around each map piece? (The PDF makes it seem like it comes to the edge of the paper, but I've always got a border when I print.)

2) Do you sell full sized battle maps?

3) Is it OK to post my previous maps for sale on Enworld? (I've only made one copy of each and, though I really like them, they are piling up and I'd rather see them in the hands of other gamers.)

4) When will the next battle maps be available? Last time I checkeed, you had full sized maps up to Adventure 4.

Thanks,

AoA

 

[Morrus]

1) I'm pretty sure that's all in the printer settings and such. Hopefully someone who has done it can let us know how that works!

2) We don't, sorry - we have no way of producing or distributing them.

3) Printouts of maps, you mean? I guess it's OK; I'm not sure it's any wasier to buy 'em off you than for people to print them out themselves. Please make sure you're just selling on the maps, though, and no other material, and don't make a business out of it!

4) I'll dig around and see if we have any for #5 (I didn't realise they weren't up there until you mentioned it), and see what we can do for #6.

 

[Angel of Adventure]

No, I won't make a business of it, and please believe me, it is a pain in the rear to put these things together they way I've done it. I could make it easier by not putting the contact paper on, but that allows me to use my markers on the maps for cool effects!

Keep the battle maps coming, and it would also be cool if you could include a file that would print the map out in one piece if you had a large enough printer. I'm not sure what that format is called, but it is a worthwhile pain to put these together, and I'd just buy them if they were available.

Later,

AoA

 

[Morrus]

Keep the battle maps coming, and it would also be cool if you could include a file that would print the map out in one piece if you had a large enough printer.

Some of them are several feet wide!

 

[Marius Delphus]

Addressing your original post, AoA:

(1) There are a number of issues, some technical, some practical, that would have to be overcome both on our (the PDF-making) end and on your (the customer's) end. For one thing, we'd need to produce different versions of the maps for people whose printers do have the capability to print edge-to-edge (aka borderless, aka full-bleed) and for people whose printers do not (most printers do not have the capability). We'd also, then, need to produce additional versions of the maps for people who print on US Letter paper and people who print on A4 paper.

While we fully understand that cutting four sides off nearly 100 sheets of paper (using the adventure 4 maps for example) is time-consuming and, yes, labor-intensive, we just haven't come up with a better way of producing these maps that we can (a) distribute for free and (b) offer to everyone. Personally, I suggest getting your players to pitch in. I also recommend a decent sheet trimmer with a rotary blade.

(4) The non-appearance of battle maps for adventures 5 and 6 is an oversight on my part and will be rectified within a few days. I apologize for this, and I offer thanks for bringing it to our attention.

Addressing your second post:

While there are in fact large-format printers in this world that can accommodate a 5 by 6 foot image (taking as an example the first map from adventure 4, and rounding up a smidgen), we are inclined to assume they are either (a) prohibitively expensive*, (b) unavailable to most of our customers, or (c) both.

* I'm led to understand you could easily wind up paying exorbitant amounts for a single printout this size; more to MUCH more than the cost of the 12-adventure subscription. (The only online quote I could get for something 4½ by 6 feet was $193, one copy printed and shipped. I called my local Kinko's and they can do 3½ feet by 5 feet for $122. That's before tax. You'd need two sheets at Kinko's to get the first map from the adventure 4 package. And you'd probably still have to trim, because I would guess their large-format printers aren't full-bleed.)

That said, you have two options for reproducing the full-size graphic.

Option the First: Load up a graphics program, set up a really big canvas, and start copying and pasting the scaled-up tiles from the BattleMaps PDF until you have assembled the whole thing.

Option the Second: Measure the size of a square in the Maps PDF, determine what scaling percentage is needed to turn that measurement into one inch, and print from Acrobat (Reader) at that magnification OR load up that graphics program, copy and paste the full map, and scale it up using that percentage. Alternately, you can derive the correct percentage by counting the squares along one side of the map and determining the scaling factor to get that side of the map up to the same number of inches.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Or.. best option EVAR!!!


Gamer-Printshop will print battlemaps out either as a pile of full color 8 by 11 cardstock for you to tape together {Really pretty, but a bit pricey... I think I burnt $80 on the Adventure #2 maps...}

or... poster-sheet with laminate for about $5 a map {give or take}

I have recently received Adventure #3 in this format and they are nice.


[plug]They also have 'Endless Terrain BattleMaps' that are just kick-ass... I am getting quite a collection of those and my players like em as well.[/plug]

 

[gamerprinter]

New prices for color printing from Gamer Printshop

In an effort to make large format color map printing more affordable, I have lowered my print prices to $2.99 a square foot, which means a 24 x 36 color print is $17.94.

Of course its highly recommended that color prints are laminated for durabitity, spills and markup purposes which adds about $5.00 to that.

As mentioned above, I can also print to B/W large format for a cheaper alternative, which is $ .50 per square foot, or 24 x 36 for $3.00 - still should be laminated though.

I can print to 110 cardstock in letter or tabloid sized sheets - call me an idiot, but I trim off the white borders for you, before I ship, so all you have to do is lay them out and tape them down.

For examples of my maps, over 20 will be on display at Booth 1829 at Gencon Indy - I'll be there! One map at Profantasy's booth, and all the maps used in Goodman Games Dungeon Crawl Classic - hope to see you there!

PS: I know these maps are considerably more expensive than the downloadable maps and the campaign setting, but there's a huge difference between printing your own maps and getting them done professionally for you.

 

[gamerprinter]

I did this one as two maps

:
While there are in fact large-format printers in this world that can accommodate a 5 by 6 foot image (taking as an example the first map from adventure 4, and rounding up a smidgen), we are inclined to assume they are either (a) prohibitively expensive*, (b) unavailable to most of our customers, or (c) both.

When I printed this map for Primitive Screwhead, I did it as two maps, one that was 36 x 72 and one that was the remainder 24 inch or so x 72.

This way, it was somewhat more affordable than getting this map as a single piece, and not too inconvenient to require two maps for one area. Its a good work-around.