File formats for maps for books

File formats

If you don’t know a lot about computers, you probably don’t know much about file formats. In this computerized world, file formats are what get you where you want to go -- especially if your need is graphics. If Mac, PC, Windows and Linux were not enough to know, there are:

.doc, .tif, .gif, .cdr, .ai, .dwg, .dxf, .pdf, .jpg, .eps, .xls, .dos, .sys, .bat, .pm_, .txt, .dbf, .qbw – and probably dozens – if not hundreds – more.

Doesn’t anybody around here speak English anymore?

Today, these are some of the terms that make the world go ‘round. If you’re an author (and your language is limited to .doc), you need to be at least familiar with the most common graphics file formats and what those file extensions stand for.

(If you’re computer-savvy, you can skip this part.)

.doc is Document. (You DO know that, don’t you?)
.pdf is Portable Document Format.
.tif is Tag Image File (format) (also .tiff).
.gif is Graphics Interchange Format (or Graphics Information Format).
.jpg is (JPEG) Joint Photographic Experts Group.
.bmp is Bitmap Image (Basic Multilingual Plane).
.eps is Encapsulated Postscript.

Why is this important to you?

Because your publisher needs to know the FILE FORMAT of your maps. The publisher needs to know if his system is compatible with your graphics file’s format. If it isn’t, or if he can’t CONVERT it to his system, you may be whistling Dixie.

If this were a perfect world . . . oh, never mind.

I create all maps in AutoCAD, a very good CAD program. Don’t let that confuse you if you’ve never heard of it. AutoCAD is the leading program used by architects, engineers and most other technical disciplines, even a few mapmakers (like me). The program is exceptionally precise – much more so than programs such as Corel, Illustrator and Quark that are better known in the publishing world.

AutoCAD is a vector graphics program, a virtual necessity for mapmaking. Vector is an alternative to raster graphics, used by photo images.

Can we leave it at that? I thought you’d agree.

The file format preferred by most publishers today is an . . .

Adobe.pdf file

A .pdf file can be read by an Adobe Reader (free download on Adobe.com) or it can be used for printing by several media. It is the format of choice of publishers partly because of its convertibility to other file formats.

My normal delivery system is a .pdf file on a CDRom disk. But I can also deliver .tif, .gif, .jpg or .bmp.

There is no extra charge for converting a .pdf to your choice of file.

You’ll have to tell me up front which format you’ll need.

Ask your publisher.