The print command can be used to convert an online, digital version of a map to either a .pdf version or a paper version.

There are a few ways to access the printing capabilities from SAM IS.

In the upper right corner of the menu bar, look for the printer icon near the Settings and Map Legend icons

Basic Printing Options

From here, you have three options you can change in the basic settings:
 

Map Title: This will print/display at the top center of the map, so choose text accordingly.

Layout: this determines both the size and orientation of the printed page. There are several choices in both Imperial and metric units, covering most printing needs.

Format: The default is Adobe’s Portable Document Format (.pdf), but other image options are available as well (for example, if you need to embed into a presentation or document). Printing to .pdf is also a pre-cursor step to printing to paper, if that’s your final desired output.

If no other changes are required, you can select Print. Otherwise, select Advanced to further configure your print.

Advanced Printing Options

Map scale/extent:

Preserve or Force scale: Here you can choose to maintain a fix on the map scale (e.g., 1:100, 1:000) or the map extent (e.g., the edges/confines of the printable area). Click to adjust the toggle so the circle is adjacent to your choice

If instead you wish to force a particular scale, toggle this selection and enter a value. If you are unsure, click ‘current’ to see what the currently zoomed scale it.  The nomenclature is ___.

Layout metadata:

Author: complete this box if you’d like to assign attribution (e.g., name, organization) to the map.

Copyright: complete this box if this map is subject to copyright protections.

Include legend: toggle this box ON if you would like to include a map legend below the map; off omits the map legend.

MAP_ONLY size: Enter a fixed width and height (in pixels) for the map size.

Print Quality (dpi): This setting determines how crisp and legible the map is. A higher dpi (dots per inch) yields a crisper map, particularly useful for large maps with fine streetwork and labeling detail. However, this also greatly increases the file size, so select accordingly.

A good practice is to create a low, medium, and high resolution print (as an image), and view each one separately. After understanding which settings yield which results, you can go back in and make a final selection.

Pro Tip: When creating your low, medium, and high-resolution files, name them with something like that in the filename. This way, when you download them, it’s easy to tell them apart. You can always rename the file later if you like, or re-export another once you’ve narrowed down your resolution range.

Another way to print is from the reports within the application itself. From the Query tab, select one of the available reports (e.g., ROAD PROGRAM). 

Make any edits or selections, and click ‘Run Report’

With the report displayed on the screen, you have three options:

Print: this opens the road program as an HTML table in a new browser tab, and the default system print dialog box appears

CSV: This prompts you to save the results into a comma-separated-value (.csv) file for use in popular spreadsheet applications or other presentation software

PDF (with options): This is where, similar to above, you can configure the size of the .pdf for printing to paper (or plotting).

Once your size is selected, press the PDF button. SAM IS generates the .pdf in the background, and then prompts you to open it or save it (recommended).