MAPublisher Reviews

It is the best tool available for importing and working with GIS data in a CAD software like Adobe Illustrator. The other GIS software like ESRI, MapInfo, QGIS are great in data manipulation, but MAPublisher is the tool for making great maps.

It is really expensive to use MAPublisher. They have recently increased the annual maintenance costs which pinches especially to a freelancer who has to compete with people using pirated software and quoting really low rates.

I don't know why Avenza does not reduce its pricing, or why can't it tie up with Adobe to be available on Creative Cloud itself as an additional software. They are in business for three decades and still working the same old-fashioned way.

As I said it is fantastic for importing GIS data in Adobe Illustrator and its LabelPro engine is great at placing conflict-proof labeling though for very large and complex maps the labeling engine does take a lot of time, sometimes 6 to 7 hours.

The ability to quickly manipulate data and use the full power of Adobe's graphic tools, and export into industry-standard PDF and EPS files; the same cannot be said for PDF exports from GIS packages. The print-ready files retain full editability. I use it every day, and it makes my workflow possible.

The only downside is the price. It's not cheap. And the additional cost of a floating license is a bother when I'm traveling. There are some obvious defaults not enabled (when you import Lat-long data, you have to specify separately that it's in WGS84 projection, and the default markers are all in rich black rather than 100K), but these are minor annoyances.

I am a professional cartographer, and MaPublisher in Adobe Illustrator is my workhorse tool and has been for about 15 years. It's really transformed how I make static maps: instead of building a base laboriously and manually updating it, I am able to place updated geodata into existing files and either replace data or update it by reference. It's a huge time saver. And it gives me a lot more opportunity to experiment graphically with data and layout, with the full power of Adobe's industry-standard tools.