Even if you are not a paper lover, there are still many browsers that swear by paper charts, at least as a complement to electronic tools. Consequently, some shed a tear when they learned that the American administration would soon stop making printed charts.
However, the files remain available on his site. And even when the raster charts will be abandoned in favour of vector charts, NOAA will launch an online service that allows users to select the area of their choice and export it as a PDF.
Where to find the files?
The easiest way is to follow the guide: the administration has edited a page called "How do I get NOAA nautical charts? "which I don't think needs to be translated. This page gives access to the "NOAA PDF nautical charts", but also to the "booklets" which are brochures containing the same charts in cut-out form (in US format, i.e. 215.9 x 279.4 mm, and not A4), the coastal pilots, a mine of information updated every year, or the collection of historical charts: amateurs will get lost for hours through publications and charts dating back to the 16th century (it's real life...).
If you choose NOAA PDF nautical charts, you will be directed to a chart locator or to the complete chart catalogue. In the chart locator, under the "Paper Charts" tab, you can locate and download the current paper charts in PDF format: after selecting the chart of your choice, it will appear in the right-hand column, along with all available formats: you just have to click on PDF to download it. Other tabs refer to downloadable vector charts in S-57 format and coastal pilots.
How to print them?
There is now a plethora of online printers that make it possible to print large-format posters at low cost (usually between 10 and 20 euros including delivery). You will have to pay attention to the size of your PDF: indeed, the cards are very large, sometimes even larger than an A0 format (841 x 1189 mm.). And be careful never to reduce or enlarge the PDF, as the scale would no longer conform. A little tip to find out the dimensions of the PDF: in Acrobat Reader, drag the mouse in the lower left corner of the file viewing window.
If the card is larger than A0, choose a printer that offers posters in custom sizes, such as Helloprint. At these sizes, the quality can be quite variable from one provider to another. Start with a test to see the result: it is usually in the texts that you can see a sometimes annoying impasto. You will need to edit the PDF with an editor such as Adobe Acrobat to add a margin all around it, known as "bleed" (2 to 3 mm depending on the printer).
If you don't go beyond the A0 format, you will have many more choices and a more convincing result in general. For your convenience, select a provider that provides an online editor like Easyprint, choose the product "poster" and the A0 format and import the PDF without changing its dimensions.
One last piece of advice: as far as paper is concerned, the ideal is to choose a poster paper (usually blue-backed) that is more resistant to humidity. Otherwise, select a so-called "offset" paper (uncoated) on which you can write in pencil. Some also offer "waterproof" papers, which are actually a mix of paper and synthetic fibres, but it's a budget killer.
Once all the parameters have been selected, all you have to do is confirm the order and wait patiently for your cards to be delivered in a tube within a few days.
