Author Archives: OCAD Team

How to add logos in OCAD

In OCAD you can add raster logos in the Layout menu or you can import a vector PDF file.

Add raster logos

Raster logos can now be embedded directly in the OCAD file instead of just linking to the original file.

Embed: By embedding the raster images directly in the OCAD file, the file size increases accordingly. However, when passing on OCAD files, it is no longer necessary to ensure that the layout images are also supplied and saved in the correct folder.
Link: If your map contains layout images and you pass your file forward to another person, you need to ensure that the layout images are also supplied and saved in the correct folder, as they are not part of the OCAD file.

You can also select a linked image in the Layout object list and the Convert button becomes active. Press the Convert button and the selected image will be embedded.

In the best case the images are available as .png or.jpg files. Supported image files are also .bmp and .gif. Tiff files can be linked, but not embedded.

If there are only few and distinct colors with no color gradient, e.g. OCAD logo, the .png file is the best choice. Please note that PNG transparency is not supported. Save the logo as .jpg file if there are color gradients, e.g. IOF World Cup logo.

The color model for layout images in OCAD is RGB. If you add raster logos, that are saved as CMKY logos, OCAD will convert the colors.

Make sure the raster images are not unnecessarily too large (e.g. some MB size). In this case, resampling before adding is recommended (e.g. in Paint or IrfanView).

More about the Layout menu.

Add vector logos

It is also possible to import logos in vector PDF format. In this case OCAD creates Image objects, which have the correct CMYK color values and can be scaled arbitrarily.

Check readability of orienteering maps directly

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The abundance of very precise data partly leads to the fact that orienteering maps become more detailed, whereby the readability of the maps may suffer.

In OCAD, it is now possible to check directly during drawing whether the drawn line or area object corresponds to the minimum dimension of the IOF. In the lower left corner of the screen, an indication appears whether the object has already fulfilled the minimum dimension or not. If this is the case, the indication appears green. If not, the indication appears red. In this case, an additional percentage indication shows by how much the object is too small.

Go to the OCAD Preferences > Drawing and Editing > Legibility to activate this function.

Of course, there are always justified reasons to ignore the minimum dimensions. Nevertheless, this tool sensitizes you to draw objects large enough or to omit them for the sake of readability.

Together with the already available legibility halo, which reminds the user to leave enough space between adjacent objects, OCAD offers best support directly during drawing for well readable orienteering maps .

Reminder: Another tool to check the readability of orienteering maps is the Check Legibility function. This function also veryfies minimum distances between objects, minimum length of line objects or minimum size of area objects according to ISOM 2017. This tool can also be used by Event Advisers and Map Consultants that need to check a map.

OCAD at INTERGEO 2022 in Essen

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In two weeks we will be at the INTERGEO 2022 in Essen from 18.10.2022 to 20.10.2022.

We are looking forward to many visitors at our booth F3.051 in hall 3.

Write an email to info@ocad.com if you need a free entry ticket for INTERGEO. We would be happy to get in touch with you.

How to Print Maps

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On the subject of map printing, we repeatedly receive support requests such as:

Why do the colors of the printed map look different than on the screen?
Why is the export area slightly different from the print area?
How should we print maps?

High time for a blog entry!

Why do the colors of the printed map look different than on the screen?

OCAD works with CMYK colors. But what you see on your computer screen are RGB-colors from the Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI). When you print maps directly out of OCAD, OCAD converts the CMYK values first in RGB values and sends the data to the printer and your printer driver converts the data back to CMYK values. Also, each printer driver may handle the conversion in a different way.

This way it may come to changes in the color values. Therefore, we recommend you to always create a PDF first out of OCAD and print this PDF afterwards.

Why is the export area slightly different from the print area?

When exporting a PDF in A4 Portrait format, the size is always 210 x 297 mm.
However, your home printer will not be able to print the full size, as he needs some ’empty borders’ to guide the paper through the printer. How much this is exactly differs from printer to printer. Typically this is 2 – 5 mm.

Because of that, export area and printing area of the same format can differ, as you can see in the picture below.

Blue: A4 Landscape Export Extent | Grey: A4 Landscape Print Extent

Side note: In professional printing, maps are printed on ‘oversize’ paper, which is slightly bigger than A4/A3 format and so-called bleed and trim marks are added. After the printing, the maps are cut to the exact size.

How should we print maps?

When printing maps at home, make sure that your layout is a bit smaller that the A4 default sizes.
For professional printing, this is not necessary,see side note above.
In OCAD, go to menu File > Export to export your map or your orienteering course as a PDF.
You need to be in Normal mode (Menu View > Normal mode) to export PDF files.
Open the PDF with Adobe Acrobat Reader, as the Acrobat Reader supports the printing process very well.
When printing the PDF, choose ‘Actual size’ and not ‘Fit’.
The option ‘Fit (to paper)’ would scale the map and result in wrong map scale.
Print the PDF.

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