----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I need to prepare a series of maps illustrating the growth of Cleveland for a book and I am looking for tips on how to make them easily understood by the general readership. However, the page size only permits maps of about 14.5 cm by 21 cm and I am concerned that squeezing an entire county into that frame will result in a scale too small to permit the comprehension of essential details. Showing a network of railroad lines in 1890, for instance, would be enhanced by providing referencing landmarks, political boundaries, etc (perhaps in half-tones), but such orienting details may make the maps too cluttered. No doubt it is the resolution of such problems that marks great cartography and can only be acquired by practice and genius. Lacking both, what might I consider to solve the problem today? Has anyone wrestled with this problem recently? I'd appreciate any tips! Also, I understand that some have imported TIGER files or MapExpert files into programs like CorelDraw to produce publication-quality maps, rather than create them on paper. Given the simplicity of the maps I expect to create (black on white line drawings), perhaps that is more than I need and perhaps I could just run off some maps at the university GIS lab using some available electronic county map files and the output functions of, say, MapInfo to get a final product. I'd love to hear from anyone trying to generate publication-quality maps on some sort of software program, or anyone with ideas on how to make small scale maps easier to comprehend. Bill Barrow [log in to unmask]