A wall map is a unique way of visualising our world on one sheet of paper and is a great focal point for any home, office or school.

Wall maps are a great way of portraying many different themes. Physical world maps, for example, can show many of the natural features of our world such as mountains, rivers, rain forests, glaciers, deserts and sea depths.

Political maps may include a list of countries with basic information such as national borders, major cities, flags and time zones.

Some wall maps also illustrate outer space, including the solar system and the Milky Way. In the UK, Ordnance Survey (OS) have recently produced a map of Mars and also a map of the Moon, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing.

Communications maps are also available and these show all major road, rail and sea connections.

OS also offer wall maps that show the various UK administrative counties and boundaries, as well as parliamentary constituencies.

As you can see, wall maps can be used for many purposes and make great educational tools.

They are especially useful for children and are widely used in schools throughout the world.

There are three main projections for wall maps of the world:

  • The Miller Projection, in which the countries keep their correct shape, but are not sized to scale, with countries near the poles appearing larger than they actually are.
  • The Eckert Projection, which allows countries to be shown at an accurate size, but their shape is distorted.
  • The Lambert Projection, which shows the accurate sizes of countries, but with a little distortion of their shape.

These projections highlight the compromises that are necessary when we attempt to illustrate our 3 dimensional world on a 2 dimensional sheet of paper.

Map of the world - wall map - laminated map
Selection of OS Wall Maps
Wall Map of UK

Wall maps can be provided with or without lamination and/or encapsulation

So, what’s the difference?

  • An encapsulated map is a map that is sealed between two sheets of plastic film. They are more rigid and heavier than laminated maps of the same size. This means that they are waterproof and are not affected by changes in humidity.
  • A laminated wall map has a thin layer of plastic film that is usually applied to the printed side only. The lamination is a gloss plastic film that enhances the look of the wall map and ensures its longevity. This means that it can be written on with suitable marker pens without any damage to the map, but unless they are laminated on both sides, they are not waterproof.

One thing to be aware of is that many people use these two terms interchangeably.

However, encapsulated maps and laminated maps are two completely separate and different products.

Our ability to offer both laminated and encapsulated maps provides further options when it comes to deciding upon the best finish for your product. We print the wall maps on our large format printing press, which means that we can print really large wall maps to suit your individual needs.

Packaging for wall maps

Wall maps are available to purchase rolled and inserted into a tube, which has historically been plastic. We take our environmental responsibilities seriously at Dennis Maps, and are working toward a more sustainable and environmentally friendly form of packaging, such as cardboard tubes.

If you’re not familiar with wall map printing, or would simply like to find out more about printing wall maps for your office, school or home, our experienced team will be happy to help you find the best solution.

Please get in touch

Wall Map - Europe and Russia map