How to Print out Census 2000 Maps in PDF Format

The Census Bureau has made Census 2000 maps available in PDF format. However, the original size of these maps is about 36" x 33". This guide outlines techniques for printing out a subset of these maps on the size paper of your choice in order to (try to) meet your needs in terms of the map extent, the display resolution, and the map size. (Read through the definitions to familiarize yourself with these concepts.) These techniques will be useful to those who do not have a plotter capable of printing out 36" x 33" maps or for those who do not want to use the plotter.

You can download or purchase Census 2000 maps in PDF format via the Census Bureau's Product Catalog.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is required for these techniques. If you are not familiar with Adobe Acrobat Reader, first read through and practice the simple techniques described in the Census Bureau's Printing From the PDF Map Files. Then try out the more advanced techniques described below. Get a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Contents

I. How to print out a subset of a map -- with the map extent and display resolution that you want

II. How to print out an entire map -- with the map extent and display resolution that you want (across more than one sheet of paper)

III. How to print out a subset of a map -- with the map extent that you want (on a single sheet of paper)

IV. How to print out a subset of a map -- with the display resolution and map size that you want

Some definitions

• Map size
• Map extent
• Display resolution
• Examples: Map A, Map B, Map C

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I. How to print out a subset of a map -- with the map extent and display resolution that you want.

This technique allows you to fix the map extent and display resolution. The map size will be determined by MSPaint.

Software needed: Adobe Acrobat Reader, MSPaint. (Get a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. MSPaint is usually installed when Windows is installed.)

1. Start with the map open in Reader.
2. Zoom in or out using the zoom in tool, the zoom tools on the "View" menu, or the magnification button until you see on the screen the map extent that you would like to print. The amount of detail that you want to see on the map, such as street names, will limit how much you should zoom out. If you want to print out the map on the fewest number of sheets of paper possible, this will limit how much you should zoom in.
3. Use the "Graphics Select Tool" within Reader to select the map extent that you would like to print. (Access the "Graphics Select Tool" by clicking and holding the "T" icon and dragging down until you see the other options, including the "Graphics Select Tool". Drag until you choose the "Graphics Select Tool" on the right.)
   
4. Zoom in or out until you find the display resolution that you want.
5. Choose "Edit"/"Copy". This will copy the selected area, retaining both the map extent selected and the current display resolution.
6. Paste into MSPaint. If asked whether you would like the bitmap enlarged, choose "Yes".
7. Use "Print Preview" to view the result. If you are unhappy with the map extent, the display resolution, or the number of pages that will be printed out, start over.
8. Use MSPaint to print the map. Based on my testing, if the pasted map is too large to fit onto one page, MSPaint will print out the map across two or more pages.

This technique is modified from Census Bureau's Printing From the PDF Map Files in order to provide more control over the display resolution.

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II. How to print out an entire map -- with the map extent and display resolution that you want (across more than one sheet of paper).

Software needed: Adobe Acrobat Reader, MSPaint. (Get a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. MSPaint is usually installed when Windows is installed.)

Use the technique described under "How to print out a subset of a map -- with the map extent and display resolution that you want", except in Step 3 select the entire map. (Note: selecting and printing the entire map may put a strain on your computer.) After printing, cut the margins off and tape the pieces of paper together.

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III. How to print out a subset of a map -- with the map extent that you want (on a single sheet of paper).

This technique allows you to choose the map extent and to fix the map size to fit on a single sheet of paper. The display resolution may be reduced (i.e. zoomed out) automatically by Microsoft Word in order to fit the map onto a single sheet.

Software needed: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Word. (Get a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

1. Within Microsoft Word, first set the page margins and layout.
2. Then use the technique described under "How to print out a subset of a map -- with the map extent and display resolution that you want", except in steps 6 and 8 use Microsoft Word rather than MSPaint.

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IV. How to print out a subset of a map -- with the display resolution and map size that you want.

This technique allows you to choose the display resolution and fix the map size, allowing the map extent to be determined by MSPaint.

Software needed: Adobe Acrobat Reader, MSPaint. (Get a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. MSPaint is usually installed when Windows is installed.)

Use the technique described under "How to print out a subset of a map -- with the map extent and display resolution that you want", except substitute the following steps for the paste step in step 6.

1. Within MSPaint, choose "Image"/"Attributes" and set the map size as desired.
2. Paste into MSPaint. If asked whether you would like the bitmap enlarged, choose "No".
3. An outline of the original map extent will be displayed. You can click and drag on this original map extent to choose the part of the map to be displayed.

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Some definitions
 
Map size

The physical dimensions of a map.

Map extent

The area on the ground that the map represents.

Display resolution

Think of the display resolution as being how much one zooms in or out on a map in order to make it "look right". To look right, to the degree desired, the map shouldn't be too crowded and the text and symbols should be legible and not overlap.

Modified from Scale, Accuracy, and Resolution in a GIS.

Keep in mind that you can determine two out of the three parameters (map extent, display resolution, map size), but you cannot determine all three of them at once. For instance, in techniques I and II, you can choose the map extent and the display resolution, but you cannot then choose the map size too.

Technique	Map extent	Display resolution	Map size
I. (subset of map) II. (entire map)	you choose	you choose	software determines
III.	you choose	software determines	you choose
IV.	software determines	you choose	you choose

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Examples

1. Map A and Map C have the same map extent. Map C has a larger display resolution than Map A. Thus, Map C has a larger map size than Map A. The display resolution of Map A would be adequate if you do not care about seeing the street names clearly; that of Map C would be better if you do.
2. Map B and Map C have the same display resolution. Map C has a larger map extent than Map B. Thus, Map C has a larger map size than Map B. The map extent of Map B would be adequate if you only want to see census tract 52.02; that of Map C would be better if you want to see the nearby census tracts too.

Map A	Map B

   

Map C

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Back to Census Maps and TIGER/Line Data, A Guide to the Decennial Census with a focus on 1990 and 2000 census data

Barbara Levergood, Former Electronic Documents Librarian

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