How best to print google topo maps for hiking purposes

[Eddie Powalski]

I'm just curious if there is a better way to print Google topological maps for hiking purposes?

Here's why google topo maps have an advantage:
a. Hiking maps, by their very nature, get destroyed in use, so, you want a cheap and small set of maps. b. USGS maps are too big and too expensive to be useful for rough hiking (i.e., hiking in steep hills where the map takes a beating). c. You often want to annotate the map ahead of time, with route information or whatever, which is best done on a computer that knows GPS coordinates

Now here is the "printer" problem:
A. Every time *I* print a google topological map in B&W (the only printer I have), the isocline lines come out far too light to be useful. B. I don't have a color printer (although I guess I could send it off to a printer).

QUESTION:
Is there a better way to print Google topological maps?

 

[Rod Speed]

I'm just curious if there is a better way to print
Google topological maps for hiking purposes?

Here's why google topo maps have an advantage:
a. Hiking maps, by their very nature, get destroyed
in use, so, you want a cheap and small set of maps.
b. USGS maps are too big and too expensive to be useful for rough hiking (i.e., hiking in steep hills where the map takes a beating). c. You often want to annotate the map ahead of time, with route information or whatever, which is best done on a computer that knows GPS coordinates

Now here is the "printer" problem:
A. Every time *I* print a google topological map in B&W (the only printer I have), the isocline lines come out far too light to be useful. B. I don't have a color printer (although I guess I could send it off to a printer).

Or just buy the cheapest inkjet printer you can find. Costs peanuts.

 

[Eddie Powalski]

Or just buy the cheapest inkjet printer you can find. Costs peanuts.

I swore off ink long ago, after dealing with HP Costco injets.

Never again will I own an inkjet printer (which can't easily be refilled due to shenanigans by the manufacturer).

 

[olym]

I strongly agree Eddie.
- the printer is the only cheap part, the inks are extraordinarily expensive. I stopped using printers over 5 years ago. One of the most pleasing decisions I've made

 

[Rod Speed]

Rod Speed wrote

I swore off ink long ago, after dealing with HP Costco injets.

I didn’t.

Never again will I own an inkjet printer

I own two of the same model.

(which can't easily be refilled due to
shenanigans by the manufacturer).

I got the last of the Canons that don’t have
chipped carts and when another example
showed up at a garage/yard sale got
another of those in case I need any parts.

No need to refill at all, the carts are so cheap
off ebay that I just got a box of 20 of each
color for peanuts and will likely end up tossing
the last of them because I print so rarely.