Help and frequently asked questions

Six print-ready files of your map: a PNG and a PDF at 300 DPI in each of three sizes, 12×16, 18×24 and 24×36 inches (3600×4800, 5400×7200 and 7200×10800 pixels). All three share the same 3:4 layout, so the design and text sit identically in each. There is no watermark on the paid files. They arrive by email within minutes of payment, with links you can use again later. The price is $25, once, with no subscription.

Digital files: in your inbox within minutes. You will get an email with download links for all six files as soon as payment clears; check spam or promotions if it has not arrived after a few minutes. Framed prints: printed to order and shipped free to the us and 40+ countries — usually delivered within 7–12 business days, and we email you tracking the moment it ships.

Yes. Open the Resend page, enter the email address you ordered with, and the download links are sent to that address again. There is no account to log into and no expiry on your right to re-download. If you ordered with an address you no longer have access to, contact us with your order details and we will help.

No. You design and preview without signing up, and at checkout we only ask for the email where your files or your order updates should go, plus a shipping address for framed prints. Your design is saved in your browser while you work. Everything you need later, files, receipts, tracking, comes to that email, and the Resend page brings the files back at any time.

Yes, as often as you like. Print the PNG at home on photo paper at the printer’s highest quality with scaling set to 100%, or take the PDF in the size you want to a print shop or an online photo lab; the PDF carries its exact dimensions so it prints at the right size without anyone adjusting it. The printing guide covers settings, paper choices and where to print in the US.

For the dark designs (Galaxy, Moon, Eclipse, Heart, Crimson, Navy, Noir), a matte or semi-gloss photo paper keeps the blacks deep without turning the print into a mirror under room lights. For the pale designs (Paper, Heart White, Navy Disc, Duotone, Black Disc), a smooth matte or lightly textured fine-art paper suits the quiet tone. If you must pick one finish for any design, semi-gloss, also called lustre or satin, is the safe answer. Avoid thin copier paper: dark skies go grey on it.

The files are sized for 12×16, 18×24 and 24×36 inch frames, all stock sizes in the US and sold in every large store and online. If you prefer a mat, buy a frame one size up with a mat cut to the print size, for example a 16×20 frame with a 12×16 opening. In Europe, A3 is close to 12×16 and A2 to 18×24; ask the printer to fit the image without cropping and the small margin disappears behind a mat. The sizes guide has a viewing-distance rule of thumb.

Yes. The personal-use licence covers printing the map as many times as you like, at any size, for yourself and as gifts, and using it on your own invitations, save-the-dates, thank-you cards and guest books. What it does not cover is selling the file, selling prints or products made from it, or using it as part of a service. Stationers and planners who want to use maps for clients can contact us about commercial licensing.

Your map is rendered at 300 DPI at the exact print size, printed on semi-gloss photo paper, mounted in a black wood frame with a shatter-resistant acrylic front, and shipped with the hanging hardware fitted. It comes in three sizes: 12×16 in ($69), 18×24 in ($109) and 24×36 in ($179). Shipping is included. The acrylic arrives with a protective film on both faces; peel it off before hanging.

Framed prints ship free to the US and 40+ countries; the full list is the country menu at checkout. Each print is made to order, and delivery usually takes 7 to 12 business days from the order, including production. You receive a tracking link by email the moment it ships. Orders outside the United States may be charged local import duties or taxes on delivery, which are the recipient’s responsibility. Digital files are not affected by any of this and arrive within minutes anywhere.

Yes. Enter the recipient’s name and address at checkout and the print ships to them; your email stays the one that receives the receipt and tracking. The packaging is plain, with no prices inside. If you want them to have something to open on the day itself while the frame is in transit, the gift guide covers a printable reveal card and a few other ways to bridge the gap.

Send us a photo of the damage within 14 days of delivery and we reprint and reship it free. There is nothing to return. The same applies if the print quality is not what you expected: a photo and a short note is enough. Because the acrylic front is shipped under a protective film, a haze or scuff you see on unboxing is almost always on the film, not the acrylic, so peel it before judging.

For digital files, yes: email us within 14 days with the correction, a different date or a different design, and we re-render your files free instead of you having to refund and reorder. For framed prints, contact us as soon as possible; production starts quickly, and we will catch it before printing whenever we can. Please check the date, the time zone shown in the designer and the spelling of every name in the preview before you pay.

Love it or your money back: a full refund within 14 days if you are not happy, counted from purchase for digital files and from delivery for framed prints. Email us with your order email and a short note on what went wrong and we take care of it, usually within a couple of business days. Damaged prints are reprinted free rather than refunded, unless you would rather have the refund. The full policy is on the refunds page.

Checkout is handled by Stripe, which accepts major cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Link. We never see or store your card details. Prices are in US dollars and charged in full at checkout; there is no subscription and nothing recurring. If a struck-through price is shown next to the price you pay, the struck-through figure is the regular price we intend to charge once the launch period ends.

The map is computed from the HYG star catalog, around 9,000 stars down to magnitude 6.5, which is the naked-eye limit, with all 88 constellations recognised by the International Astronomical Union. Positions are calculated for your exact coordinates and minute, with precession applied, for any date from 1900 to 2100. The accuracy page publishes the method, the limits and step-by-step instructions to check any map against free planetarium software before you buy.

No. We plot the fixed stars and the constellations only. The Moon, the planets, the Sun, comets and satellites move against the stars and are not drawn. The Moon and Eclipse designs use a photograph of a full moon or a solar corona as a design element; it does not show the real phase or a real eclipse on your date. If your memory of the night includes a very bright “star” near the Moon, it was probably Venus or Jupiter, and it will not be on the map.

Use the city and your best guess at the hour. The date and place decide which sky it is; the time rotates it slightly, and the difference between two addresses in the same town is invisible in print. The designer shows the time zone it resolved for your place and date, including historical daylight-saving rules, so you can confirm it. If you know only the date, leave the default evening time and the map is still correct for that night.

Yes, at any step. Switching between the fourteen designs keeps your date, place, words and settings, so the simplest way to choose is to enter your moment once and click through the designs while you watch the preview. Each design has its own page describing what it shows, which occasions it suits, and how it prints, and you can start the designer from any of them.

Yes. The photo add-on places your picture behind the map, with the stars drawn inside a circle, a moon, a heart or an anatomical heart over it, for $19 on top of the digital or framed price. Upload it in the Design step, pick the shape, then pan and zoom the photo into position; the preview shows exactly how it will print.