1. Decide your map area

What geographic area do you want to show on your map? Tell us as exactly as possible. You could say something like: “All of the state of Illinois”. Or maybe: “North to Maple St, east to Oak St, south to Cedar St, and west to Pine St”. Another way to do it is to set your internet browser to the exact area you want on Google Maps or Bing, and hit the Print Screen key on your keyboard. (It looks like “Prnt Scrn” or “Prt Sc”.)

2. Decide your size

Will this map be printed? If so, decide on a size in inches (such as “8 inches wide by 10 inches high”) or centimetres, or specify by page size (such as “half a letter size page” or “full A4 page”). If it’s a map that will appear on your web page, decide on a pixel dimension (such as “500 pixels wide by 300 pixels high”).

3. Decide your content

What do you want to show on this map? And how much detail? For instance, you may want to show an entire city, but only the main streets. Or you may want to map only a neighbourhood, but show every street and every school. Be as specific as you can — but remember: the smaller your map size, the less detail you can show.

4. Decide your graphic style

This is the fun part. You may already know exactly what kind of “look and feel” you want for your map. You may have some existing graphics or even a style manual that you will need the map to match. Or go to our pick a style page and browse through the different styles there.

5. Tell us about it

Once you’ve got a good idea what you’re looking for, tell us about it! Provide some contact information and Submit this form and we will get back to you as soon as possible

6. We give you a quotation

We’ll give you a quotation based on our understanding of what you want, and we’ll specify when you can expect the first draft. Our quotations start at USD$ 300.00.

7. Place your order

We won’t do anything until you place your order by return email.

8. We send you the First Draft

That’s right — you don’t have to pay without seeing what you’re getting!

9. You approve the draft

Let us know that everything is OK. If you need to make some changes, let us know, and we’ll tell you if the kind of changes you want will entail an extra charge. (They usually don’t.)

10. Payment and delivery.

you can pay by cheque or credit card. Once you’ve paid, we deliver your map as a digital file, by email or ftp.