Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Joe Asks. . .
What Options Are There for Printing Maps?
At some point you're going to want to print from your OSGIS ap-
plication. If you're using QGIS, you can use the map composer
to create a map complete with legend, scale bar, and annota-
tions. You can export from the map composer to a PNG or SVG
for printing or further processing in a graphics application.
∗
GRASS provides the
ps.map
module to produce high-quality
PostScript output suitable for printing. A text file containing
mapping instructions is used as input to
ps.map
. There are a
lot of instruction keywords that can be used in creating your
map. For help getting started with
ps.map
, see the GRASS man-
ual page. You can find examples of
ps.map
scripts on the GRASS
wiki.
†
If you are using GMT to create maps, the output is already suit-
able for printing or inclusion in other documents. If you are using
one of the other OSGIS applications, check the manual for infor-
mation on creating hard-copy output.
∗.
The current version of the map composer has a number of issues that limit
the quality of the output. These issues are being addressed, and let's hope the
composer will improve in the next release.
†.
There are advanced uses for many of the modules in the toolbox that are
beyond the scope of our discussion. If you are already an advanced GIS
user, you are probably picturing them right now. If you are a casual
or intermediate user, you may find that the QGIS-GRASS integration
provides access to a rich set of tools for performing data import and
conversion. Be careful, though—once you start down that path, you
may end up as an advanced user with more ideas than time.
The QGIS-GRASS tools lower the barrier of entry into the world of geo-
processing with GRASS. As you progress in your GIS journey, you'll
likely find yourself using the GRASS shell to get at even more power
and options.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search