I’m a big fan of unfurling DnD maps in front of my players. There’s something about the grid, the curiosity, seeing the whole dang thing in one place. “But then they have the whole layout!” Sure, but also, you think questgivers never have the layout of the temple, ship, or haunted house they’re sending adventurers to?
Regardless, sometimes it’s nice to have a physical print of the map you’re tossing at your players. Most of you probably don’t have a printer at home that can print a massive 36 x 48 inch map in one go, so what is one to do? We’ve got you covered with a few different ways to enhance your in-person games without breaking the bank.
Note: this post will not cover maps you can load onto a monitor, TV, etc.; we’ll only be covering physical printed maps.
If you are just looking for a place to find maps for DnD, check out our guide here: The Ultimate List For Free DnD Maps.
1. DnD Maps at Staples (Best Method)
This sounded insane to me the first time I heard it, so bear with me. You can get a 48×36 map from staples for roughly $10. That’s it! For less than a pizza, you can slowly rack up more rolled-up maps than you know what to do with. This has been my main method in the Ghosts of Saltmarsh campaign I run, and I have also used it at GenCon several times.
How you do it.
- Find yer map. I typically use Dyson’s Logos maps because they have extremely high resolution available, has black and white option, and are overall super cool. One tip from printing previously, look for a map where you can print in a size that makes the grid roughly 1 inch x 1 inch. Most minis are 28mm, juuust over 1 inch, so 1×1 grid capability will be helpful.
- Download the map.
- Head to staples.com directly to their Blueprints printing section.
- Start project, upload your map, and adjust your layout.
- I’ve typically seen price range from ~$3.00 to $12.00 depending on size you’re looking for. Remember, one square on the map should be roughly one inch, so if you only have 24 squares wide and 36 squares high, the 24″x36″ is perfect.
- Next is ink choice. If you’re using a black and white map, print it in black and white. Cost is impacted here, with color being higher in price.
- I typically skip over add-ons, but you COULD add lamination so you can draw on the map, but that’s going to jack your cost way up (~$30-40 extra).
- And that’s it, 36″ x 48″ physical map for $9.00!
- You can get it delivered, but I always go pick it up to save further on costs. A fun side effect of picking it up is sometimes the individual printing it also plays D&D, and you can nerd out with them (my experience 90% of the time).
There you have it. Pretty simple and honestly a no-brainer if you need maps on the cheap. I would advise you to measure your table prior to printing because I’ve definitely printed a map the entire width of the table before. While fun, it does make it a bit hard on the players.
2. One-inch Graph Paper
Just a regular ol PDF that when printed gives you a nice 7×10 grid on a standard sheet of paper, each square is 1 inch. No additional explanation needed, just print it off, and you’ve got an easy grid that you can draw on and add terrain to.
Those are our main methods for printing maps on the cheap. We’ll keep an eye out for more, but if you come across any, definitely let us know! Just reach out on Instagram or at dumbestdnd@gmail.com
