CardTography Mac OS
Aug 30, 2015 - Library of map styles & symbols for custom cartography and map design using Ortelius software for OS X. See more ideas about map symbols, map design, cartography. Finally a proper cartographer tool for Mac OS X For a while I've been trying to use Cartographer on Mac OS. There was a Mac port of the old linux version, but it wasn't command line oriented and i couldn't get it to generated oblique angled worlds. Ortelius for Mac OS A full-featured and affordable vector drawing application EQ Map Viewer A new cartography mapping tool was introduced with the new KioskBrowser KioskBrowser 1.0.1 offers you a fullscreen internet browser Jjfmapper JJFMapper is a cartography program for PHP.
Selecting the right font family(s) for your next map can be a daunting task. We’ve scoured hundreds of font families to find the best Mac system fonts for cartography so you don’t have to.
Mapdiva’s 16 Best macOS Fonts for Cartography
You need to make a map. You understand the overall impression of a map often stems from its typographic design. Will it look classic? Modern? Light? Dark? So, which typefaces do you choose?
At Mapdiva, we live and breath cartography, including keeping an eye on what cartographer’s around the world say are their favorite typefaces and pairings. For example, over the years on the CartoTalk forum, dozens of cartographers have chimed in to share their favorite font families for maps. Unfortunately, the CartoTalk forum is retiring, but we’ve condensed what we’ve learned and added tips to help you create a map you’ll love.
So, how does a font family make our list? It must have these hallmarks:
- It’s included with macOS, or available for download from Apple (there are many great cartographic fonts you can purchase, but our list only includes free macOS system fonts)
- It’s readable at (very) small size
- It has a slightly narrow habit and/or condensed variety, allowing more text to fit into small spaces
- It has lots of variants (weights; widths; italic) that are clearly differentiated from each other
- It has a variety of special characters and symbols
- It pairs well with others
Why We Like Them
A typeface (also known as font family) is a group of fonts, designed to be used in combination and exhibiting similarities in design. Here’s why these typefaces are great for cartography.
SERIF
Serifs are semi-structural details on the ends of some of the strokes that make up letters and symbols (also known as Roman). In traditional cartography, serif fonts are more typically used for labeling natural features, like water bodies.
- Baskerville – Classified as a transitional typeface, it is intended as a refinement of old-style typefaces of the period. It has a classic demeanor that doesn’t have the problem of x-height and slender strokes found with many Serif font faces.
- Georgia – Has a large x-height for readability at small sizes. It also has old style figures for a classy touch. Cartographer Nick Springer says on CartoTalk, “Georgia is my favorite serif font for screen use” (Posted 06 November 2005).
- Optima – Notice that we list Optima as both Serif and Sans-serif? CartoTalk forum user, woneil, sums it up nicely, “For me, Hermann Zapf is the god of type designers and Optima is one of his finest creations. Technically it is a sans face, but his subtle letterforms actually give much of the effect of a serif face. Of course the subtleties of letterforms are lost in small sizes, but they remain beautiful and distinctive” (woneil, Posted 04 November 2005). Because of its Serif/Sans-serif flexibility, it can be a useful choice when your map will be placed among other text (such as in a book).
- Papyrus – An unusual display face that does indeed seem to have something of an “Egyptian” feel. Specialized, but quite distinctive.
- Palatino – A graceful old-style serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf, in a calligraphic style mirroring the letters formed by a broad nib pen. Solid structure designed to be legible at small sizes, though producing a wider text block than some other popular choices, such as Times. On CartoTalk, cartographer Dennis McClendon states, “I consider Palatino to have the most beautiful italics, but the roman sets a bit wide for my taste” (Posted 04 November 2005).
- Times – A dignified and classic serif typeface with a narrow habit, making it useful on complex maps where space is an issue. However, cartographer Hans van der Maarel observes on CartoTalk that it becomes difficult to distinguish individual glyphs at very small sizes (for example, 6pt) (Posted 29 January 2010).
- Times New Roman – A serif typeface designed for legibility in body text. It adds a classic demeanor with a relatively condensed appearance, a good choice where spacing for labels may be tight.
SANS-SERIF
A typeface without serifs is called sans-serif, from the French sans, meaning “without” (also known as Gothic). In traditional cartography, sans-serif fonts are more typically used for labeling man-made and cultural features, like roads and cities.
- Arial Unicode MS – Benefits from a wide variety of special characters and symbols, which makes it possible to print place names from almost any language.
- Avenir – A geometric sans-serif typeface designed by Adrian Frutiger, self-described it as his finest work. On CartoTalk, Daniel Huffman says, “I find it pretty approachable… it’s sort of like a man in a nice suit who introduces himself charmingly, then gets out of the way” (Posted 30 November 2016). Apple uses Avenir for its Maps app.
- Futura – A geometric sans-serif typeface designed by Paul Renner. It’s based on geometric shapes, especially the circle, similar in spirit to the Bauhaus design style of the period.
- Gill Sans – A typeface with a small x-height yet is still quite readable at tiny sizes. Less mechanical-looking than the Helvetica series. Found in multi weights and widths.
- Helvetica – This widely used sans-serif typeface is one of the most popular in the world. And for good reason. It has a comfortable technical feel and contains a range of usable variants beneficial in cartography.
- Helvetica Neue – A reworking of Helvetica with a more structurally unified set of heights and widths. Provides predictable results in legibility, heavier punctuation marks, and increased spacing in the numbers.
- Lucida Grande – A humanist sans-serif typeface. Includes many accented characters. Designed primarily as a screen font making it a good choice for digital maps, it also appears frequently in print.
- Optima – Notice that we list Optima as both Serif and Sans-serif? CartoTalk forum user, woneil, sums it up nicely, “For me, Hermann Zapf is the god of type designers and Optima is one of his finest creations. Technically it is a sans face, but his subtle letterforms actually give much of the effect of a serif face. Of course the subtleties of letterforms are lost in small sizes, but they remain beautiful and distinctive” (woneil, Posted 04 November 2005). Because of its Serif/Sans-serif flexibility, it can be a useful choice when your map will be placed among other text (such as in a book).
- Tahoma – A humanist sans-serif typeface great for digital maps and screen display. Tahoma is often compared with Frutiger, another humanist sans-serif typeface beloved by cartographers (but not available as a Mac system font).
- Verdana – Another humanist sans-serif typeface. Bears similarities to Frutiger, but was designed to be readable at small sizes on the low-resolution computer screens. Verdana has a large x-height (tall lower-case characters), with wider proportions and loose letter spacing. Map labels will be wider with Verdana than, for example, Tahoma.
Pairing Serif and Sans Serif
Like fine wine and cheese, cartographic fonts benefit from a good pairing. Convention says to pair a Serif type family and a Sans-serif type family on your map. While there are no hard-and-fast rules, most cartographers use a Serif for natural features, such as rivers and mountains, and Sans-serif for man-made and cultural features, such as cities and road names. Within each family, different variants, sizes, and colors are applied to distinguish between types of features.
Most professional cartographers have their favorite pairings where glyph spacing, x-heights, and overall word-form work well together. For example, here are some preferred pairings of macOS system fonts:
- Gill Sans with Times New Roman
- Helvetica Neue with Times Regular
- Optima with Baskerville
Font Schema Used in Ortelius Map Templates
Maps are multi-layered, complex compositions. As is good practice, Mapdiva has defined a hierarchy in our labeling scheme. We use different weights, colors, CAPS, and spacing. Ortelius 2 map templates pair Optima (San Serif) for man-made and cultural features with Baskerville (Serif) for natural features.
Tips for Color, Variants, and Size
Generally, we recommend using no more than two font families in a single map. Within each family, different variants, sizes, and colors are applied for different features to establish a labeling schema for features on your map.
- Size – Even for the same types of features, font size can establish a visual hierarchy to differentiate features, such as large cities (bigger text) and small cities (smaller text). You can also differentiate among features with your labeling using italic and bold weights. For example, you might want points of interest in a bold face while parks are italic.
- Color – Color can help differentiate different features, such as blue for river labels and brown for contours.
- Saturation – Color saturation can also establish a visual hierarchy to represent more important and lesser important features. For example, black will stand out the most especially when using a bold font weight. Whereas grey works well for features you’d like to keep in the background, such as roads (clhenrick, CartoTalk 01 January 2014).
- Background – Keep in mind your text labels may be displayed on top of a background color. Experiment to see if your labels, with your choice of font and colors, maintain their readability when placed over complex backgrounds. White can be a great color choice for labels when used over darker backgrounds. When used subtly, text masks (halos) around your labels can also help. Masks are also used when a label must cross over patterned fills or features, such as dark lines.
- Text On Path – The eye reads text on a map letter-by-letter. Labels that follow natural curves, such as that of a mountain range, act as a symbol for linear features. Text that follows curves can visually hold together a label with broadly spaced glyphs, such as a country name, even when interspersed with smaller labels and symbols.
- Kerning – Take advantage of kerning to spread lettering out when labeling a large area, such as a mountain range or a country.
Our choice of macOS sytem fonts have great legibility at small sizes on maps. Keep in mind labels can be harder to read as they get smaller. Depending on the font and your layout, try not to use sizes less than 7pt, though occasionally smaller may be necessary to fit in all necessary labels.
Complete List of macOS System Fonts
Click this link to see all the fonts by included with macOS High Sierra. Additional fonts are available for download or as needed by your document or app.
Should you want to install new fonts, you can use Font Book to install and preview fonts, validate and resolve duplicate fonts, and restore the standard fonts that came with High Sierra. For more information about Font Book, choose Font Book Help from the Help menu in Font Book.
High Sierra installs fonts in these folders on your Mac:
- The Library folder in your System folder: /System/Library/Fonts (these fonts are required by your Mac and can’t be disabled in Font Book)
- The Library folder at the top level of your hard drive: /Library/Fonts
- macOS High Sierra comes with many built-in or downloadable typefaces
What Do You Use?
Do you have you own personal favorite typefaces and parings? Honorable mentions that are (or maybe aren’t) macOS system fonts? We’d love to hear about it!
NOTE:
Between mid October 2019 and mid February 2020 everyone in the Army was migrated to use their PIV Authentication certificate for Email access. You no longer use the Email certificate for Enterprise Email or any CAC enabled websites
Mac users who choose to upgrade (or already have upgraded) to Mac OS Catalina (10.15.x) or Big Sur (11.xx.x) will need to uninstall all 3rd Party CAC enablers per https://militarycac.com/macuninstall.htm AND reenable the native smart card ability (very bottom of macuninstall link above)
If you purchased your Mac with OS Catalina (10.15.x) or Big Sur (11.xx.x) already installed, you can skip the uninstall part above and follow the instructions below.
6 'high level' steps needed, follow down the page to make this a painless systematic process
1. | Is your CAC reader 'Mac friendly'? |
2. | Can your Mac 'see' the reader? |
3. | Verify which version of Mac OS you have |
4. | Figure out which CAC (ID card) you have |
5. | Install the DoD certificates |
5a. | Additional DoD certificate installation instructions for Firefox users |
6. | Decide which CAC enabler you want to use (except for 10.12-.15 & 11) |
Step 1: Is your CAC reader Mac friendly?
Visit the USB Readers page to verify the CAC reader you have is Mac friendly.
Visit the USB-C Readers page to verify the CAC reader you have is Mac friendly.
'Some, not all' CAC readers may need to have a driver installed to make it work.
NOTE: Readers such as: SCR-331 & SCR-3500A may need a firmware update (NO OTHER Readers need firmware updates).
Information about these specific readers are in Step 2
Step 2: Can your Mac 'see' the reader?
Plug the CAC reader into an open USB port before proceeding, give it a few moments to install
Step 2a: Click the Apple Icon in the upper left corner of the desktop, select 'About This Mac'
Step 2b: Click 'System Report...' (button)
Step 2c: Verify the CAC reader shows in Hardware, USB, under USB Device Tree. Different readers will show differently, most readers have no problem in this step. See Step 2c1 for specific reader issues.
Step 2c1: Verify firmware version on your SCR-331, SCR-3310 v2.0, GSR-202, 202V, 203, or SCR-3500a reader. If you have a reader other than these 6, Proceed directly to step 3
Step 2c1a-SCR-331 reader
If your reader does not look like this, go to the next step.
In the 'Hardware' drop down, click 'USB.' On the right side of the screen under 'USB Device Tree' the window will display all hardware plugged into the USB ports on your Mac. Look for “SCRx31 USB Smart Card Reader.” If the Smart Card reader is present, look at 'Version' in the lower right corner of this box: If you have a number below 5.25, you need to update your firmware to 5.25. If you are already at 5.25, your reader is installed on your system, and no further hardware changes are required. You can now Quit System Profiler and continue to Step 3.
Step 2c1b-SCR-3310 v2.0 reader
If your reader does not look like this, go to the next step.
In the 'Hardware' drop down, click 'USB.' On the right side of the screen under 'USB Device Tree' the window will display all hardware plugged into the USB ports on your Mac. Look for “SCR3310 v2.0 USB Smart Card Reader.” If the Smart Card reader is present, look at 'Version' in the lower right corner of this box: If you have a number below 6.02, it will not read the 'G+D FIPS 201 SCE 7.0' CAC on Mac OS 11.xx.x or 10.15.7. I contacted HID (the company that makes these readers) on 14 DEC 2020 to find a way to update the firmware to 6.02. They said there is not firmware update for the reader. If your reader is older, you may need a new one. Please look at: https://militarycac.com/usbreaders.htm to find a compatible one. If you are already at version 6.02, your reader should work fine on your Mac and no further hardware changes are required. You can now Quit System Profiler and continue to Step 3.
Step 2c1c-SCR-3500A reader
If you have the SCR3500A P/N:905430-1 CAC reader,you may need to install this driver, as the one that installs automatically will not work on most Macs. Hold the control key [on your keyboard] when clicking the .pkg file [with your mouse], select [the word] Open
Step 3: Verify which version of MacOS you have?
(You need to know this information for step 6)
Step 3a: Click the Apple Icon in the upper left corner of your desktop and select 'About This Mac'
Step 3b: Look below Mac OS X for: Example: Version 10.X.X, or 11.X
Step 4: Figure out which CAC (ID Card) you have
(You need to know this information for step 6)
Look at the top back of your ID card for these card types. If you have any version other than the seven shown below, you need to visit an ID card office and have it replaced. All CACs [other than these six] were supposed to be replaced prior to 1 October 2012.
Find out how to flip card over video
Step 5: Install the DoD certificates (for Safari and Chrome Users)
Go to Keychain Access
Click: Go (top of screen), Utilities, double click Keychain Access.app
Cartography Mac Os Download
(You can also type: keychain access using Spotlight (this is my preferred method))
Select login (under Keychains),and All Items (under Category).
Download the 5 files via links below (you may need to <ctrl> click, select Download Linked File As... on each link) Save to your downloads folder
Please know... IF You have any DoD certificates already located in your keychain access, you will need to delete them prior to running the AllCerts.p7b file below.
https://militarycac.com/maccerts/AllCerts.p7b,
https://militarycac.com/maccerts/RootCert2.cer,
https://militarycac.com/maccerts/RootCert3.cer,
https://militarycac.com/maccerts/RootCert4.cer, and
Double click each of the files to install certificates into the login section of keychain
Select the Kind column, verify the arrow is pointing up, scroll down to certificate, look for all of the following certificates:
DOD EMAIL CA-33 through DOD EMAIL CA-34,
DOD EMAIL CA-39 through DOD EMAIL CA-44,
DOD EMAIL CA-49 through DOD EMAIL CA-52,
DOD EMAIL CA-59,
DOD ID CA-33 through DOD ID CA-34,
DOD ID CA-39 through DOD ID CA-44,
DOD ID CA-49 through DOD ID CA-52,
DOD ID CA-59
DOD ID SW CA-35 through DOD ID SW CA-38,
DOD ID SW CA-45 through DOD ID SW CA-48,
DoD Root CA 2 through DoD Root CA 5,
DOD SW CA-53 through DOD SW CA-58, and
DOD SW CA-60 through DOD SW CA-61
NOTE: If you are missing any of the above certificates, you have 2 choices,
1. Delete all of them, and re-run the 5 files above, or
2. Download the allcerts.zip file and install each of the certificates you are missing individually.
Errors:
Error 100001 Solution
Error 100013 Solution
You may notice some of the certificates will have a red circle with a white X . This means your computer does not trust those certificates
You need to manually trust the DoD Root CA 2, 3, 4, & 5 certificates
Double click each of the DoD Root CA certificates, select the triangle next to Trust, in the When using this certificate: select Always Trust, repeat until all 4 do not have the red circle with a white X.
You may be prompted to enter computer password when you close the window
Once you select Always Trust, your icon will have a light blue circle with a white + on it.
The 'bad certs' that have caused problems for Windows users may show up in the keychain access section on some Macs. These need to be deleted / moved to trash.
The DoD Root CA 2 & 3 you are removing has a light blue frame, leave the yellow frame version. The icons may or may not have a red circle with the white x
or | DoD Interoperability Root CA 1 or CA 2 | certificate | |
DoD Root CA 2 or 3 (light blue frame ONLY) | certificate | ||
or | Federal Bridge CA 2016 or 2013 | certificate | |
or | Federal Common Policy CA | certificate | |
or | or | SHA-1 Federal Root CA G2 | certificate |
or | US DoD CCEB Interoperability Root CA 1 | certificate |
If you have tried accessing CAC enabled sites prior to following these instructions, please go through this page before proceeding
Clearing the keychain (opens a new page)
Please come back to this page to continue installation instructions.
Step 5a: DoD certificate installation instructions for Firefox users
NOTE: Firefox will not work on Catalina (10.15.x), or last 4 versions of Mac OS if using the native Apple smartcard ability
Download AllCerts.zip, [remember where you save it].
double click the allcerts.zip file (it'll automatically extract into a new folder)
Option 1 to install the certificates (semi automated):
From inside the AllCerts extracted folder, select all of the certificates
<control> click (or Right click) the selected certificates, select Open With, Other...
In the Enable (selection box), change to All Applications
Select Firefox, then Open
You will see several dozen browser tabs open up, let it open as many as it wants..
You will eventually start seeing either of the 2 messages shown next
If the certificate is not already in Firefox, a window will pop up stating 'You have been asked to trust a new Certificate Authority (CA).'
Check all three boxes to allow the certificate to: identify websites, identify email users, and identify software developers
or
'Alert This certificate is already installed as a certificate authority.' Click OK
Once you've added all of the certificates...
• Click Firefox (word) (upper left of your screen)
• Preferences
• Advanced (tab)
• Press Network under the Advanced Tab
• In the Cached Web Content section, click Clear Now (button).
• Quit Firefox and restart it
Option 2 to install the certificates (very tedious manual):
Cartography Mac Os 11
Click Firefox (word) (upper left of your screen)
Preferences
Advanced (tab on left side of screen)
Certificates (tab)
View Certificates (button)
Authorities (tab)
Cartography Mac Os X
Import (button)
Browse to the DoD certificates (AllCerts) extracted folder you downloaded and extracted above.
Note: You have to do this step for every single certificate
Note2: If the certificate is already in Firefox, a window will pop up stating: 'Alert This certificate is already installed as a certificate authority (CA).' Click OK
Note3: If the certificate is not already in Firefox, a window will pop up stating 'You have been asked to trust a new Certificate Authority (CA).'
Check all three boxes to allow the certificate to: identify websites, identify email users, and identify software developers
Cartography Mac Os Catalina
Once you've added all of the certificates...
• Click Firefox (word) (upper left of your screen)
• Preferences
• Advanced (tab)
• Press Network under the Advanced Tab
• In the Cached Web Content section, click Clear Now (button).
• Quit Firefox and restart it
Step 6: Decide which CAC enabler you can / want to use
Only for Mac El Capitan (10.11.x or older)
After installing the CAC enabler, restart the computer and go to a CAC enabled website
NOTE: Mac OS Sierra (10.12.x), High Sierra (10.13.x), Mojave (10.14.x), Catalina (10.15.x), and Big Sur (11.1) computers no longer need a CAC Enabler.
Try to access the CAC enabled site you need to access now
Mac support provided by: Michael Danberry
CardTography Mac OS