Tech Forum

The lds maps tool changed recently (within the last few months) such that the print function has lost most of the capabilities. It no longer gives you an option to zoom and adjust the size, labels, etc. My ward just went from two to six missionaries and they NEED maps. I know this topic has come up before, but not since the maps function was updated. I need a very very detailed map and I don't think the screen print function will do. I want to be able to save it to PDF (or similar format) and take it to Kinkos to print. Please help if you have suggestions. Thank you!

Have you tried downloading the map from cdol.lds.org ?

If you search for your unit - you can download a PDF file showing the boundary.

As a Ward Mission Leader, I don't think I have access to cdol (just tried but was denied). I asked the clerks to try but they said they couldn't see where within cdol they could download the map.

Once a clerk is signed into CDOL with their ward selected there is a menu line at the top of the page. The second item, the one they should click, is titled "Unit Boundary Forms/Maps". Clicking that link pops up a dialogue with two sections. One is titled "Poster Size" with two options; "Unit Boundary Map" and "Detail 1". The ones for my ward are 5.1 MB and 5.4 MB in size respectively. The second section is titled "Google File (KMZ). It has a KMZ file titled "Ward Boundaries".

It is true that the ability to print large-format maps with member names no longer exists on the LDS maps website. (It never did work for geographically large wards, but more compact units reported that it was useful.)

There are workarounds using offline applications. I described my experience doing that in this thread last year.

I would have to agree. This removal seems a bit unnecessary. In multiple past wards I have printed out the giant list of ward members with a poster sized PDF, and found it very useful. I shared this with missionaries in our ward, and my wife has been RS president twice now. She loves the large sized *paper* map. This is a bit disappointing...

Does anyone know how to print that huge pdf on separate 8.5x11 sheets so Missionaries can have it in their binders? Kind of like a Thomas Guide? Alternatively I guess we could print the huge one then cut it into pieces, but it would be nice to print it right in the clerk's office.

That one is fairly easy but it is fairly time consuming.

Step 1 is to get the information. You do that using a screen capture program in your browser. I am running Firefox and have been using an add on called Nimbus for screen capture and have been really happy with it. But there are many addon programs for browsers to do screen capture so pick what works for you. You will want to be at a computer running a good screen resolution. Then in some sort of grid fashion without changing the map zoom collect the individual pictures of the map. You will also want to go as full screen for the map as possible. That means clicking the stuff in the lower right to minimize it, clicking the names list on the left hand edge of the screen off so the picture runs full screen width and it may mean taking the browser to full screen mode. Hint here if you stay above the scale on all the pictures till the bottom one and then include it you can have the scale with your map easily

Step 2. Then load those pictures into photo editing software and use the panorama function to stitch them into a single picture. Crop the rough edges(I couldn't drag the screen in a perfectly straight line to save me) and add map titles, compass rose, and any other information needed. Then save the picture as a pdf.

Step 3. Using adobe reader open the pdf and print it. Adobe has some really nice page spanning functions letting you print pictures on multiple pages and tape them together. Or town is fairly long and narrow and oriented vertically on the screen and it took 6 to 8 pictures in a single column to get enough resolution when stitched together into a single pdf and blown up for printing. If it had been the other direction then it would have required a grid. We then printed it on a printer capable of doing 11 x 17 pages and taped 2 of them together to make the fold out map for the emergency planning notebook. Be aware taping multiple pages together neatly is time consuming so ideally you want access to a large format printer so you can do it as close to a single page print as possible.

You may need to play with your zoom level on the map to find the best compromise between number of individual pictures and final map resolution.

jirp wrote:Be aware taping multiple pages together neatly is time consuming so ideally you want access to a large format printer so you can do it as close to a single page print as possible.

It might be worth exploring the service options at the local office super store or FedEx(Kinko's).

russellhltn wrote:

jirp wrote:Be aware taping multiple pages together neatly is time consuming so ideally you want access to a large format printer so you can do it as close to a single page print as possible.

It might be worth exploring the service options at the local office super store or FedEx(Kinko's).

I will if it works out. But remember where I live.(said with a smile) The nearest such place is probably a 2 1/2 hour drive from here.