OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Map Poster Maker
Make a Minimalist City Map Print and Download It as PNG
OneTask is free, with no sign-up, and built by one person.
If this tool saved you time, a coffee helps keep new ones coming.
How the Map Poster Maker works
This map poster maker turns any place into a printable poster. Drag and zoom the map until the streets you want fill the frame, type a title, choose a style and shape, and the preview updates as you go. The subtitle shows the centre coordinates unless you type your own — a date, a street, "where we met". Download poster PNG saves what you see with the caption band and a white or black border, ready to print or share.
Map poster maker: framing, text and print size
The framed street-map print — a city in fine grey lines with its name and coordinates underneath — is a popular gift and a staple of print-on-demand shops charging £30 and up. The map data behind almost all of them is OpenStreetMap, which is free, so this tool lets you make the same thing yourself from the standard OSM tiles.
Choosing the view. Zoom 12 to 14 gives the classic look: enough streets to read as a city, not so many that it turns to noise. Zoom 15 and closer works for a single neighbourhood. Water and parks read clearly in every style, so a coastline, river or harbour usually makes the strongest composition — put it a third of the way in rather than dead centre.
Styles. Monochrome converts the tiles to grey with a contrast boost so roads stand out from blocks. Dark inverts that for a black poster with white streets. Sepia is the vintage-atlas look and Colour keeps the standard OSM cartography. The style is applied to the on-screen preview and, separately, pixel by pixel to the downloaded image, so what you see is what you get.
Print size. The PNG is the size of the map on your screen, so a bigger browser window or a larger monitor gives more pixels. At around 900 by 1100 pixels it prints cleanly at A5 and acceptably at A4; for a large-format print, zoom your browser out (Ctrl or ⌘ and minus), which makes the map area larger in pixels while keeping the same framing, then download again.
Attribution. OpenStreetMap's licence requires the "© OpenStreetMap contributors" credit, so it is stamped in the bottom corner of every download. That is the only condition on using the result, personally or commercially. The tiles come from the OSM tile servers as you pan around; nothing you type is sent anywhere, and the poster is assembled in your browser.
FAQ
How do I get a bigger poster?
The PNG matches the map on screen, so enlarge the browser window or zoom the browser out with Ctrl or ⌘ and minus, which gives more pixels at the same framing. Around 900 by 1100 pixels prints well at A5; double that is comfortable at A4.
Can I remove the OpenStreetMap credit?
No. The OpenStreetMap licence requires it, and it is the only condition on printing or selling the result. It sits small in the corner and is standard on commercial map prints.
Can I sell posters made with this?
Yes. The map data is open and the tiles are used under the OpenStreetMap licence, so as long as the credit stays on the image you can print, gift or sell it.
Why does the downloaded style look slightly different from the preview?
The preview applies the style as a screen filter while the download recolours the tile pixels directly. The two are very close, but fine grey lines can come out a touch lighter or darker in the file. Check the download before ordering a print.
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