Research on Maps

How are Maps Made?

• Maps were laboriously engraved, in reverse, usually on copper plates, and printed on hand presses. 
• The process of lithography which was invented in 1798 by Alois Senefelder, this invention revolutionised map printing and provided the means for inexpensive map reproduction.
• Even after lithographic printing in map production became common, engraving was used for many years for the finer and more limited works. As late as 1848 Peter S. Duval of Philadelphia engraved map plates of Virginia for Claudius Crozet, principal engineer to the Commonwealth.
• Another important printing process, cerography, or wax engraving, was introduced in America by Sidney Edwards Morse. This was an ingenious method of making a mould from which a printing plate was cast, resulting in a relief mould from while numerous maps could be made. 

How are Maps Folded?

• Cut folds allow for multiple sections of the map to be seen and flicked through at a time without needing to have the whole map unfolded. 
• Most navigation maps are folded to make it easier for them t be read. Most of these mean the folds are simple and allow for specific sections of the map to be seen at a time. 

How to Apply to Project?

• Think about how relief prints can be incorporated into the design. Could they be made into stamps? Would the whole map be lino printed? Test these ideas.
• The folding for the map should allow for easy navigation around the whole piece so the audience can flick through the map if they wish.