Printing a plan

To support workflows that require paper and PDF reports and maps, Esri Redistricting supports exporting the district map as a PDF file for printing to all standard paper sizes: E, B, letter, and plotter size.

Map services and shapefiles are included in the printed map.

Note:

The map services must be turned on manually in the PDF file. By default, these layers are not visible.

  1. On the FileAnalysis ribbon, click Print.

    The Plan Layout dialog box appears. A print preview is displayed on the right side of the screen.

    Note:

    At any time, you can click Cancel to exit the Plan Layout dialog box and return to the Esri Redistricting application.

  2. Choose the paper size from the drop-down menu.
  3. Choose the paper orientation.

    By default, the paper orientation is set to Portrait. Check the Landscape option to print as landscape.

  4. Check or uncheck options to include map elements on the printed map:

    Border

    The border option allows you to put a border around the printed map.

    If you opt to include the border, you will also need to decide the border margin in inches.

    North Arrow

    The north arrow shows the direction of north on the map, thereby showing how the map is oriented.

    If you opt to include the north arrow, you will also need to decide the placement of the north arrow on the map.

    Legend

    The legend contains a description of the types of features included in the map, often using graphics of symbols or features from the map.

    If you opt to include the legend, you will also need to decide the placement of the legend on the map.

    Scale Bar

    The scale bar graphically represents the scale of the map, typically marked like a ruler in units proportional to the map's scale.

    If you opt to include the scale bar, you will also need to decide the placement of the scale bar on the map.

    Ignore Unassigned District

    You can choose to include or exclude the Unassigned district on the printed map.

  5. Click a map element on the preview field to enable the map element properties.

    The map element is highlighted in red on the preview field. The selected map element's properties are displayed below the Plan Layout section.

  6. Update the map element properties as needed.

    Below is a list of map element properties you can modify:

    Map element properties

    OptionDescription

    Border

    The Border option allows you to put a border around the map element.

    Line width

    The line width defines the border thickness.

    Padding

    The Padding option allows you to determine the space between the border and the map element.

    Locked

    The Locked option allows you to lock the map element to the current map position.

    Display Labels

    The Display Labels option allows you to include the district labels on the printed map. This helps identify each district. Based on the zoom level of the map. When zoomed out from the map, not all labels will be visible on the map.

    Fill Districts

    The Fill districts option allows you to determine the appearance of districts on the printed map. Check the option to fill districts. Uncheck the option to display districts with an outline.

    Show Totals

    You can opt to show the district totals on the printed map.

    Display Basemap

    You can create a printed map that includes the basemap layer. Check the option to include the basemap.

    Shorten Name

    You can opt to shorten the district names on the printed map.

    Show Themes

    This option only appears if you have a thematic map applied. Opt to include the thematic map on the printed map.

    Note:

    The thematic map will not display on the print preview.

    Scale

    The Scale option allows you to determine the miles per inch. As you adjust the scale drop-down menu, the map size and the scale bar update dynamically.

    Show Roads

    The Show Roads option allows you to view roads on the printed map and on the print preview.

    Note:

    The Show Roads option is only available on 2010 data. Be patient, it may take a few minutes to retrieve road information from the server.

    Email the plan

    Allows you to send the plan as a PDF to specific recipients. Choose Email Settings to define the recipient(s) email address, email subject, and email message.

    The table above describes map element properties that you might find in the district map, north arrow, legend, or scale bar.

  7. Click Print.

    A File Created dialog box appears, letting you know the PDF file is created.

  8. Click OK to save the file.
    Note:

    You can click Cancel to open and view the PDF file without saving the file locally.

    Check View PDF to open the PDF report after you save the report to your local directory.

  9. Browse to the location on your local machine where you want to save the PDF file.
  10. Click Save.
  11. Open the PDF file.

    You can turn on map services in your PDF file by clicking the Layers tab.

  12. Click Print Print button in PDF.

Once you have placed the map elements at the desired location, you can click Save Save button. This will save the print settings to allow you to maintain a consistent layout each time you print this redistricting plan.