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Writing a book? Teaching a class? Giving a presentation? If you need custom maps for your work, we think we can help.

First, cartography is not a matter of creating a single base map and then making several maps from it by switching out labels or cropping it to different shapes. Rather, at RiddleMaps each map is a separate creation made from scratch (unless, that is, you truly are using the same identical map more than once and placing different information on it). The reason we do this is each map has different extent and dimensions, and that means we must select the right map projection and resolution for that map.

To help us help you, here are some things to think about for your project.

(1) What area do you want your map to show? This is called the map extent. We can add or change many things during the process of making the map, but the extent is one thing we should try to get right at the start. Changing the map extent usually requires starting all over from scratch. You can draw a rectangle in Google Earth of the area you want included in the map, and then save the kmz/kml file to send to us.

(2) Will the map be used in printed materials or digital media? This determines what resolution and type size will be used.

(3) What are the dimensions of the map? We want to make sure your map fits on the page or presentation slide without any pixelation or illegible type.

(4) What places, features, events, etc. do you want represented on the map?

(5) What map elements do you want to include, e.g. north arrow, map scale, map title, graticule, legend, locator inset map, etc.?

(6) What kinds of colors, symbols, type fonts, etc. does your project require? (For suggestions, see samples of our digital and print maps. We can also provide one-on-one assistance if required.)