Waterproof Maps

Anonymous

I've got a digital mapping system, based on OS Landrangers, installed on my PC - one on which you can highlight your route, print out a route profile, etc. It's a very useful piece of software, not least because it means not having to carry large numbers of maps on longish trips. However, on a previous trip, while changing the map printout over to the next page in the pouring rain, the map got wet and the ink ran. I could still read things without too much problem but it got me thinking: what's the best way of overcoming this? Waterproof paper? Waterproof spray on solution? Plastic laminates?

andymiller

Toughprint paper from Memory Map:

http://www.memory-map.co.uk/acatalog/ac ... paper.html

cycladelic

When I print a map that I am going to use for a few days, I laminate it.

If you fold the A4 in half, it's obviously smaller and double-sided.

Anonymous

Thanks. I guess it's going to be a case of trying them both out and seeing how I get on with them. The waterproof paper appeals more, though the cost doesn't!

Anonymous

I bought some of the Toughprint waterproof paper yesterday to test out. Initial results look promising. The print image is crisp and the paper itself is pretty resilient to rough handling. I screwed a sheet up and while it certainly shows signs of being screwed up, it's still useable - certainly a lot more so than conventional paper would be. It's also rip proof, though it stretches when you try to tear it, rather like thick polythene does. I tested its waterproof qualities and by and large am impressed. The ink dries virtually immediately following printing, though the black ink tended to take longer. When I wet my finger and wiped it across the image immediately after printing, the black was the only colour to smudge. However, it did not run, as is the case on conventional paper, and was still easy to read. I found that there was even less of a tendency for the black to smudge if I left it a while to really dry or permeate the paper. Even then, there is a little smudging, though it's nowhere near bad enough to render the image useless. Splashes of water produced similar results. I ended by wiping the image with a damp dishcloth. Again this smudged the black ink a little but not the others. Any wording on the map was still readable without having to squint or study it. All in all good results. For information, I'm using a Canon ink jet printer with Canon ink.