Frequently Asked Questions

The AI understands natural language. You can say 'the hospital where I was born,' 'Grandma's house in Ohio,' or just list cities. It figures out the geography and creates a clean label for each place.

Quick Create is fastest — paste a list of places and you see the map in seconds. Story Mode is a guided conversation: you tell our AI storyteller about the journey, and the map builds itself as you answer follow-up questions. Use Story Mode when the narrative matters; use Quick Create when you just want the map.

Up to 25 locations render cleanly on a single map. Most maps use 5–12. After about 20, label density starts to suffer on smaller prints.

Yes. Each pin has an optional year field. You can also toggle the year display on or off globally in the customization panel.

Yes. The map handles any place on Earth — US addresses, small European villages, South American cities, coordinates anywhere. Native labels render in English.

Yes. Every map has a private shareable link. Come back any time to customize title, subtitle, colors, fonts, markers, route line, or add and remove locations. Changes save automatically as you work.

Your draft is auto-saved in your browser for 7 days. If you enter an email when prompted, the map is also saved to our database with a permanent shareable link.

Digital download ($39 — PNG + PDF at 300 DPI), poster print ($59 at 18×24, $79 at 24×36), gallery-wrapped canvas ($109 at 18×24, $139 at 24×36), or framed print in a black wood frame ($139 at 18×24, $179 at 24×36).

Posters and framed prints use 189 gsm acid-free matte paper with pigment-based archival inks for sharp detail and no glare. Canvas prints are printed on 370 gsm poly-cotton blend canvas with the same pigment inks, then gallery-wrapped around a 1.25-inch-deep solid wood stretcher with sealed corners. Framed prints add a white archival mat, solid black wood frame, and protective clear glass. All prints are 300 DPI, full color, indoor-display archival-grade.

DPI is print resolution — 300 dots per inch is the standard for gallery-quality prints. It means you can blow the file up to 24×36 without losing sharpness. Most screen images are 72 DPI, which looks blurry when printed at that size.

What you see on screen during customization is exactly what gets printed — the preview is a 1-to-1 render. If you notice a typo or mistake after ordering, email hello@mapsofus.com within 24 hours and we'll catch it before it goes to production.

No. Your download is a clean PNG + PDF bundle with no watermarks, no logos, no metadata attached.

Digital: instant. Posters: 5–7 business days. Canvas and framed prints: 7–10 business days. These windows include print production (48–72 hours) plus ground shipping.

Yes. We ship to the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, and Belgium. Additional countries on request.

You'll get a shipping-confirmation email with a tracking number as soon as your order leaves the print facility. You can also check status on your order page (linked from the receipt).

Take a photo of the damage and email hello@mapsofus.com within 7 days. We'll reprint and ship the replacement at no cost — no need to return the damaged one.

Yes — enter the recipient's address at checkout as the shipping address. The packing slip never shows prices.

Yes. Add premium gift wrap for $5 at checkout. Available on all physical products.

Yes. Add up to 300 characters of gift-note text at checkout — it's included in the package, handwritten-style.

Not yet — gift cards are on the roadmap. In the meantime, the digital download ($39) is the gift-cardiest option: it arrives by email instantly and the recipient can print it later if they want.

Every order is covered by our 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not happy with the result, we'll reprint it, redesign it, or refund it — your choice, no questions asked.

We do. For damaged items and defects, we replace without requiring the original. For general dissatisfaction, email us at hello@mapsofus.com and we'll send a prepaid return label if a physical return is needed.

Refunds go back to your original payment method within 3–5 business days of approval. You'll get an email confirmation when we issue it.

Orders can be cancelled free of charge before they enter production (typically the first 24 hours). Email hello@mapsofus.com with your order number. Once printing starts, we can still refund, but we can't stop the print run.

No. You can create, customize, and order a map without logging in. Your email is collected at checkout so we can send your order confirmation and tracking.

Yes. Your map is private by default. Only people with your unique share link can view it. We never publish maps publicly or sell your data.

All major credit and debit cards via Stripe. We're also rolling out installments (Afterpay / Klarna) for orders over $100.