Create a Print Layout

To create a new print layout, click File | New in Print Designer and select a layout. The layouts fall into two categories:

Preconfigured layouts: VertiGIS Studio Print Designer offers a variety of preconfigured layouts that you can brand and adapt as needed.
Blank Page layout: The Blank Page layout is a general purpose layout that is suitable for creating any print layout.

You can also base a new print layout on an existing layout by saving a copy of the existing layout under a new name. This is useful if the layout or configuration will be largely the same in the two layouts. See Brand Print Layouts for a time-saving strategy that bases new layouts on copies.

Preconfigured Layouts

The Get Started tutorial shows you how to create a print layout based on a preconfigured layout, modify the layout, share it, configure an application to host it, and run the print.

VertiGIS Studio Print Designer offers a variety of preconfigured layouts that are based on standard paper sizes, including ISO and ANSI sizes. For example, Print Designer has an A4 Landscape, ANSI E Landscape, and 11 x 17 Landscape layout, among others.

The preconfigured layouts do not require any modification. You can open a preconfigured layout, save it, host it, and run it to print the host application's map. In practice, you will adapt the layout to your needs by branding it and making whatever other modifications you want. In particular, you may want to:

Modify the Logo: Replace the default logo with your organization's logo. Resize and reposition the logo control and surrounding controls as needed to fit your logo. For instructions, see Step 2: Brand the print layout in the Get Started tutorial.
Add Map Info Controls: The preconfigured layouts have a single Map Info control that shows the map's attribution. To show additional types of information, add and configure additional Map Info controls.

All the preconfigured layouts use the same layout, shown in the screen capture below.

Layout of the preconfigured layouts, shown in Print Designer

The preconfigured layouts use Panel controls to organize related controls into units. For example, the logo, title, and the vertical line that separates them are in the control called TopPanel; the Legend control and its title are in LegendPanel; and so on. Everything is contained within MainPanel. When you move or copy a panel, the contained controls are moved or copied with the panel. This allows you to move or copy the related controls as a unit if you want to modify the layout.

Print Layout Explorer shows the print layout's structure in a hierarchy, so you can see the panels and the controls that they contain at a glance.

Selecting an item in the hierarchy also selects it on the design surface and in the Properties panel . It is sometimes easiest to select a Panel control in Print Layout Explorer.

Once you have modified the print layout to your satisfaction, save the layout. You can now share the layout, configure an application to host it, and run the print.

Blank Page Layout

To create a print layout from scratch, use the Blank Page layout. The Blank Page layout has three bands and no controls. It is initially configured for 8.5" x 11" paper in portrait orientation.

Blank Page layout open in Print Designer

To create a print layout based on the Blank Page layout:

In Print Designer, click File | New and double-click Blank Page.
Configure layout-wide settings like paper size, page orientation, and margins.
If you want, add bands such as the Report Header or Report Footer.
Design the layout by adding and configuring controls like the Map, Overview Map, and Legend.
Click Preview to generate the print using a sample map service.

To preview a print, your browser must allow pop-ups from apps.vertigisstudio.com (cloud Printing) or from your domain (on-premises Printing).
Refine the layout and re-preview the print until you are satisfied with the layout.
Press Ctrl+S to save the print layout.

You can now share the print layout, configure an application to host it, and run the print.