Asked and answered

Drawn. A pen plotter moves a real pen across the sheet, one line at a time. Nothing is printed: the ink sits on the paper the way handwriting does.

From OpenStreetMap data: real roads, rivers, railways, parks and buildings, credited on every piece. A route map adds your own recorded track on top.

Almost. Each sheet is drawn individually with a real pen, so the ink varies very slightly from one to the next.

No. They are drawings for the wall, not survey maps. Place and event names identify the subject and do not imply endorsement.

A GPX file of the activity: the standard export format from GPS watches and tracking apps. The file needs a track or route with at least 2 points covering at least 100 metres, and can be up to 10 MB or 500,000 points. Waypoint-only files, KML, FIT and TCX files are not accepted; export the same activity as GPX instead. One file makes one drawing.

Strava: open the activity on the Strava website, use the three-dot menu and choose Export GPX. Garmin Connect: open the activity on the Garmin Connect website, use the gear icon and choose Export to GPX. Komoot: open the tour and choose Export GPX from its menu. Apple Fitness: the Fitness app has no GPX export of its own, so use an app such as HealthFit to export an Apple Watch workout as GPX. AllTrails: open the recorded activity or route, choose Download route and pick the GPX format. Whatever the app, look for Export, Download or GPX on the activity page. If you get stuck, email the studio and we will help.

The preview shows the layout: sheet size, where the route sits, your wording and the elevation profile. The final drawing is made from your full file at full detail and emailed to you as a proof. Nothing is drawn until you approve it.

A small graph of height against distance drawn under the route, from the data in your file. You can switch it off, and it is greyed out if your file has no height data.

Yes. Choose the route with the streets and water around it, or the route alone on clean paper. Start and finish markers can be switched off too.

Yes. It is stored privately and only used for your drawing. The studio downloads it with your order; the copy on the site is removed automatically after 90 days.

Search the place, drag and zoom to frame it, choose A4 or A3 and a frame, add your wording. You can edit the design from the basket until you check out. After payment the studio emails a full proof for your approval before it is drawn.

Yes. You pay for the design saved in your basket, then approve the full proof before it is drawn. If the map data cannot support the design and no alternative suits you, you are refunded.

Almost anywhere. Remote areas with little mapped detail make sparse drawings, which you will see on the proof.

The preview shows the layout and pen weights. The final piece is drawn at full detail, and you approve it as a proof first.

The title and subtitle on every custom map, plus a name, degree, honours and year on a graduation map. It is drawn in the same pen as the map and shown on the proof.

Before checkout, edit it from the basket. After payment, ask for a correction on the proof; that is free. After you approve the proof, get in touch straight away: once it has been drawn, a change means a new drawing at an agreed price.

A4 (210 × 297 mm) for £110 or A3 (297 × 420 mm) for £130, for every kind of map. Frames are extra. Other sizes are not sold on the site.

Every piece is drawn on the same heavy, smooth 250 gsm board. It is chosen for how it takes ink from a pen: a fine nib glides across it without snagging, and it sits flat in a frame.

Oak or black ash, at £45 on an A4 sheet and £60 on an A3 sheet. Both are glazed and ready to hang. Or choose the unframed sheet; it ships flat and board-backed.

Payment is handled by Shopify. The payment methods available for your order are shown at checkout. The studio never receives your full card number. Your receipt is emailed after payment.

Tax information will be confirmed before online ordering opens.

Unframed sheets ship flat in a board-backed envelope. Framed pieces are glazed, corner-protected and boxed. Everything is tracked from dispatch.

UK: free unframed, £12 framed. Europe and international rates are on the delivery page. Everything is tracked and the charge is shown before you pay. Import charges outside the UK are not included.

Collection maps can be returned for any reason within 14 days of delivery. Custom and route maps are made to your specification and cannot be returned for change of mind, though you can ask for changes before approving the proof. Anything faulty or damaged is redrawn or refunded. Full wording is on the delivery page.

Collection map: contact the studio straight away and it can be stopped or changed if not yet dispatched. Custom or route map: ask for corrections on the proof; small ones are free, bigger ones are priced and agreed first.

Nothing is charged and your basket stays in your browser until you come back.

No. Logos, crests and event branding are not reproduced without a licence. Names and geography identify the subject.