Adding a map to a book -- need advice

[starrigger]

If the map were of my own creation, I might add the title text to the image. But this is a lovely map created quite a few years ago for the book's hardcover edition, and the artist is being kind enough to allow me to use it. I'm trying to do my best not to screw it up.

(Actually, my biggest concern right now is whether she can find the original. If not, I might have to sacrifice a hardcover to get a good scan. It spans two full pages of a hardback.)

[itimpi]

Originally Posted by starrigger

Oh--can anyone comment on the question of what the viewing experience would be like for someone reading on a tablet (or any device that automatically changes orientation when you turn it) if the map is embedded in the book in a sideways orientation?

I suspect the answer is, not good. Which might be an argument for splitting the map, after all.

I must admit that when reading on my iPad I set the Orientation lock on so that it does NOT change orientation unexpectedly. I like to be able to move around without the screen rotating on me. Therefore I personally woud prefer the suggestion of the the longest side being vertical so that I can get the best view of the map on the screen. Whether I am a typical reader in respect to the way I handle orientation I am not certain, but that is my personal view.

BTW. Love your books - I have read all of them.

[starrigger]

Originally Posted by itimpi

I must admit that when reading on my iPad I set the Orientation lock on so that it does NOT change orientation unexpectedly. I like to be able to move around without the screen rotating on me. Therefore I personally woud prefer the suggestion of the the longest side being vertical so that I can get the best view of the map on the screen. Whether I am a typical reader in respect to the way I handle orientation I am not certain, but that is my personal view.

BTW. Love your books - I have read all of them.

Thanks for the input. I now have a test version with the whole map vertical (sideways), and the two halves in portrait mode, labeled as "detail." I'm trying to line up some testers on different devices to let me know how it looks. (If you read Dragon Rigger in paper, the map in question was in that book. It's not in the current ebook, however.)

And thanks for the kind words about my books! That's great to hear!

[dwig]

Originally Posted by starrigger

My concern about splitting the map wasn't technical, it was about the user experience of trying to mentally combine the two. ...

On thing that I find helpful is having the split map sections contain some duplicate material. That way, landmarks near the boundary edge on one map also appear on the next to provide reference points for orientating yourself on the next map.

[starrigger]

Originally Posted by dwig

On thing that I find helpful is having the split map sections contain some duplicate material. That way, landmarks near the boundary edge on one map also appear on the next to provide reference points for orientating yourself on the next map.

That's exactly how I did it! Great minds...

[Freeshadow]

I think putting it in sideways would be not a bad idea at all, so the problem you 'd be left with would be how to prevent autorotation on devices where portrait and landscape settings are activated automatically in dependance of how the device is held.
Here emerges the question to MR experts I think:

1.) the portrait and landscape settings are RS sided so the RS knows the mode the book is being displayed in.
2.) AFAIR there is some CSS setting about that - could CSS this be used to prevent the auto-rotation of the map jpeg? i.e. declaring "this has always to be displayed in landcape mode" so that owners of sensor-controlled devices could turn them and look at the map w/o said map peing turned again too?

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

how to prevent autorotation on devices where portrait and landscape settings are activated automatically in dependance of how the device is held.

As itimpi stated above devices that have autorotation also have a way to lock the page so it doesn't rotate.

[starrigger]

I've pretty much concluded that if I have one whole map in landscape mode, and two half-maps in portrait mode, I'll have the bases covered about as well as they can be on current devices.

What I'm wondering now is what's the best dpi setting for the images to look good on a reader. 72? 96? I did my initial tests with 300, but that's overkill, and probably doesn't actually help the image to look any better on the screen.

[Freeshadow]

@dwanthny
the gag 'd be to get things running without manual overrides.
I tought actually about a setting that says: "display this bit always in $_mode" regardless which mode has been chosen to read the rest of the book.