Questions people ask

Plain answers. If yours is not here, write to us.

Are these original antique maps?

No. They are new prints, and new print-ready files, of antique maps held in public archives — most from the Library of Congress. Each antique-map listing names its archive and record.

Can I get the scan for free?

Yes. The archive's own scan is free to download from the archive, and we say so. What we sell is the restoration and the print-ready files, or the finished print.

What do I get with a digital map?

JPEG files at 300 dpi in the sizes named on the listing — for the antique maps usually 8×10, 11×14, 16×20, 18×24 and 24×36 inches; for the modern overview maps and night-sky prints, three sizes in four colourways, one ZIP per colourway. Every size is a true 300 dpi unless the listing says a size is enlarged.

Where do I print a digital file?

Any print shop, online printer or a good home printer. Ask for matte paper or cotton rag. The files carry their dpi, so a shop sizes them without asking. See download help.

Who prints the posters?

A US print-on-demand partner prints, packs and ships them for us, to order; the archive search, the restoration and the print files are ours. Most posters sell directly on this site to US addresses; the same print is also on our Etsy shop, which is the checkout for any map not yet in our own and for addresses outside the US. Processing time is shown on each listing either way.

How long until a print ships?

Prints are made after you order — about 10 days for most, whether bought here or on Etsy — then the carrier's transit time. Tracking is emailed when it ships. See shipping.

Holiday order-by date (US addresses): order posters by December 3 to arrive by Christmas — 10 days in production, then 3 to 8 days in transit. Orders placed after December 3 ship in the normal time and may arrive after December 25. Digital downloads are instant, any time.

Can I return something?

Digital files cannot be returned once delivered, but a faulty file is replaced or refunded. A print that arrives damaged or wrong is reprinted or refunded on a photo. See returns and damage.

How does the custom star map work?

Two ways to get one. On StellarSkymap, our star-map engine, you give it a date and a place and watch it draw your sky live — two finished files by email in minutes. On our Etsy listing, give us a date and a place in the personalization box instead, and we calculate the real sky for that moment at those coordinates from the same star catalog and send the print-ready files by message within 24 hours. Same sky, same data, different wait.

Are the modern maps and star maps "real"?

The star maps use the HYG star catalog — real star positions for the stated date and place. The modern overview maps are drawn from OpenStreetMap and NOAA data, with the credit on the plate. Both are decorative prints and not for navigation.

Can you make a map of my town, or a different year?

Ask, on any map page's request slip. If the archive holds a rights-clean sheet we can usually restore it, and you see the real sheet before you pay anything.

Is the Etsy shop the same shop?

Yes — same maps, same people. This site carries every live Etsy listing on its own page. Etsy orders follow Etsy's policies as well as ours.