City Map in EPS: Vector Map for Print and Layout
EPS is a vector format for printing and print production, based on PostScript. Print shops and layout designers still ask for it because it drops into a layout as a ready-made illustration and opens in Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Inkscape and practically any prepress application. If you need a city map that will go straight into a brochure, a catalogue or a signage layout, EPS is a safe choice.
Step 1. Select the area in the map builder
Open the map builder and draw a rectangle around the part of the city you need: zoom with the mouse wheel, drag to move, then press and drag to outline the area. A smaller area exports faster and keeps more detail - a single district takes seconds, a whole city can take several minutes.
Step 2. Pick a map style and level of detail
The style sets the colours and line weights of the exported drawing. Minimal gives a clean base that is easy to restyle, blueprint gives a ready drawing look, and there are other styles such as standard and neon. The level of detail ranges from an overview (major roads only) to maximum (every building and footpath); the builder suggests a sensible level for the size of the area. You can also choose the sheet format: A4, A3 or custom.
Step 3. Choose EPS as the format
In the format list pick EPS. Keep in mind how EPS differs from its neighbours:
- EPS is best as a finished illustration for placement. For heavy editing, start from SVG, where roads, buildings, water and greenery arrive as separate named groups.
- For a print-ready document that opens on any device, PDF is often simpler.
- For CorelDRAW users the native CDR file opens with a double click and already uses CMYK colours.
Step 4. Open or place the file
In a layout application (InDesign, QuarkXPress, Scribus) use Place or Import: the map arrives as one illustration that you can scale and crop in a frame. To change the map itself, open the EPS in Illustrator, CorelDRAW or Inkscape - the paths stay vector, so you can recolour and edit them.
Step 5. Prepare colours for print
The EPS export arrives in RGB. Conversion to CMYK is a prepress step that depends on the particular print shop and paper, so do it at the end: in Illustrator via Edit > Edit Colors > Convert to CMYK, or ask the print shop to convert with their profile. Check thin lines after conversion - very light greys on a hairline stroke may disappear on uncoated paper.
Step 6. Simplify before sending
- Delete objects you do not need on the final piece (minor paths, small buildings) - a smaller EPS is processed faster by the print shop's RIP.
- Choose the level of detail for the printed size: a map on an A5 flyer needs far less detail than a wall map.
- Outline any text you add yourself before handing the file over, or send the fonts along.
When EPS is the right choice
Choose EPS when the recipient's workflow asks for it - older layout templates, sign-making software, stock illustration requirements. For your own editing, SVG or CDR is more comfortable; you can always export the finished artwork to EPS from your editor.
Credit the data
The maps are built from OpenStreetMap data, which is published under the Open Database License. When you print or publish a map, keep a short credit such as "© OpenStreetMap contributors" somewhere on the layout - in the corner of a poster or in the imprint of a brochure.