Photo maps are a fun way to display your travels and adventures. They are a simple concept - an actual map with photos in the shapes of states or countries - but the details make the difference between an art project and a beautiful piece of artwork for your wall.
This post compares three popular photo map options for quality and cost, so you can make the best choice for you.
Photo maps are designed for you to customize your photos so they fit into the shape of each US state or country (depending on which map you choose). It's a great way to show off your love for traveling on your walls. It's also a great conversation starter for houseguests and the perfect way to remember your adventures.
If you know someone who travels a lot, it's also a great gift! You can give your favorite explorers a map of their favorite country or continent, and they can fill it up as they travel.
There are several companies that make photo maps like this, so we compiled our 3 favorites. What is best depends on what you're looking for, but we've done all the research for you to pick the best picture map for you.
2022 Update: It's pretty clear that the Thunder Bunny Labs 50 States Photo Map is the best! Read the full review here.
The Highest Quality Option: Thunder Bunny Labs
Thunder Bunny Labs is one place you can get photo maps. They are probably the best option!
First, you need to prep your photos. The Thunder Bunny website has a map-making tool that will allow your photos to fit perfectly in every state.
You only need to upload your photos, adjust the size and position, and then download your image files. This also works if you need to update your photo map as you go along. As you go on trips in the future, you can use their online map-making tool to make and download image files of new photos.
Their map maker produces images in standard sizes, so you can print them anywhere (like Walgreens, Walmart, Costco, etc.). Then you just have to cut around the line! Just glue or tape the photos to the right spot on the map. Don't worry if you don't cut your photos perfectly because the map covers up the edges of each state.
And if you don't want to cut, the company just released the ability to print photo stickers instead!
The Thunder Bunny Maps are available with or without a frame. Their frames use easy-open hardware so updating your map with new photos as you travel won't be difficult. You just need to remove the back of the map before gluing or taping the photos to the background.
The cover is clear acrylic and the frames come in black, gray, or white. If you don't want to purchase their frame, the 36" x 24" maps fit in most standard frames.
There are several layers to The ThunderBunnyMaps maps. First, you have the bottom layer, which is the background that looks makes your wall look nice as you fill in your map. Then you have an inner border, which is an intricately cut board with an opening for each state.
Finally, you have the outer border that rests on top of the white border. This is the one you can customize and pick a color, like driftwood, caribbean, zucchini, sienna, white, and black.
They have a map of the United States, but they have other options as well. They have US National Parks, the seven continents, Canadian provinces, Australian states, European countries, and islands of the Caribbean.
For any sports lovers out there, they also make photo maps for ballparks, hockey arenas, basketball arenas, and football stadiums.
Their maps range from $59 to $119, depending on if you get a frame or personalization. If you don't want a frame, the maps are only about $60.
You can purchase your map through Amazon, Etsy, or the Thunder Bunny Labs website.
We did a separate full review of our Photo Map here - click to see what ours looks like!
Quick Facts About A Thunder Bunny Labs Photo Map
- Cost: between $59-$119
- Fill it with printed photos or order their stickers
- Words: you can add name personalization in several different styles (ie: Smith Family Adventures), or no personalization at all.
- Colors: you can choose from many mat colors, and 3 frame colors
- Frame options: you can purchase it with a high-quality frame, perfectly sized to fit their multiple layers.
- Options: United States, National Parks, Europe, Islands of the Caribbean, Australian States, Seven Continents, Football Stadiums, Hockey Arenas, Basketball Arenas, and Baseball Ballparks.
The Option With Stickers Instead of Cutting: Photo Maps
With Photo Maps, you don't have to have all of your pictures at once - you can add pictures to your map as you go. And you don't have to cut any of the pictures out. PhotoMaps prints out the state-sized stickers themselves.
Once you upload your photos, you can adjust them until they fit perfectly inside the shape of the state. (The Rhode Island sticker is a little tricky, but you can still fit a cute picture in it!) Then you can order your personalized state-shaped stickers straight to your door pre-cut. All you have to do is peel off your photo and stick it to your map.
The cost of the stickers varies, but they are all reasonable. Small stickers (like Maryland or Vermont) are $1.25. The majority of your stickers will be medium-sized and cost $2.50. There are 5 large stickers that you'll need on your map and those cost $5.
If you're getting the map as a gift, you can pay for sticker tokens in advance that can be used to get photo map stickers. You may also want to get sticker tokens for yourself if you want to buy them in bulk to save money. If you're only ordering a small number of stickers for yourself, then the tokens will end up costing the same, so it's not really worth it.
Shipping is free on all map purchases, and it's also free for orders of 5 or more stickers. If you are ordering less than five stickers, you'll have to pay a shipping fee.
Photo Maps has several different maps available: the US states, Canadian provinces and territories, European countries, and more. They are all 24 x 36.
You can use your own frame, but they also have a hanging mechanism available. It's not a full frame as much as an art hanging frame. The top and bottom bars of their wooden frame are held together by magnets. You basically just have to sandwich the map between the magnetic wooden bars. If you need to pull the map out later to add a new photo sticker, it's super easy to get out!
You can purchase your map through Amazon, Etsy, or the PhotoMaps website.
Quick Facts About PhotoMaps
- Cost: The maps are $39 by themselves and $59 with the frame.
- Fill it with custom stickers you buy from them.
- Color: It comes in light gray or dark blue colors.
- Words: The maps all have the words "50 states adventures" across the top. Unfortunately, you cannot personalize the words or font, nor can the words be removed.
- Frame options: a wooden magnetic hanger "frame"
- Options: USA, European countries, North America, Puerto Rico, South America, Canadian provinces & territories, Asia, Africa, Australian states, World Countries
A Durable Plastic Option: USAPM
USAPM is a sticker photo map of the US that is available through Etsy. They don't have options for other countries or continents, but that's not surprising considering the name of the company.
They also have small photo maps of just single states, which is cool if you want a personalized photo of your home state!
Their US photo maps consist of two layers: a white paper background and a flexible but durable plastic outline map to go on top.
The plastic outline maps are available in either gray or blue. Also, because the map is made of plastic, you can write something on it with a dry-erase marker, erasing and rewriting messages as often as you want.
USAPM maps don't come with a frame but they will fit any standard 24 x 36 frame, so you can choose your own. When you order your map, you'll also get a set of glue dots that you'll use to attach your pictures to the map. Note that tape will damage the paper map, so make sure you use the glue dots.
Like other retailers, USAPM has a custom sizing website to help you prepare your photos to print. You can upload your photos, rotate and resize your photo so it fits within the border of the state, and then you download it back to your computer!
Once your state photos are downloaded, you can have them printed at your favorite local print shop or online service. Then you just have to cut out your travel photos and stick them to the map background with the glue dots or double-sided tape.
Their maps are usually $70, but often on sale.
You can purchase your map through Amazon, Etsy, or the USA Photo Map website.
Quick Facts About USAPM
- Cost: The maps are $70
- Fill it with photos you make in their software and print anywhere.
- Color: It comes in light gray or dark gray colors.
- Words: The maps all have the words "50 states adventures" across the top. Unfortunately, you cannot personalize the words or font, nor can the words be removed.
- Frame options: none.
- Options: USA only.
How Much Does It Cost To Print Photos To Fill The USA?
Even if you get can always print your own photos to fill your photo map. Of course, this cost is spread out over a few years, since you probably haven't been to every state yet.
The grand majority of the states fit individually on regular 4x6" prints. And of course, you can combine smaller states onto a 4x6 print if the timing of your travels works out.
We did the math for which states need larger prints.
If you print on your own you'll likely need:
3 8x10" prints (for Alaska, California, and Texas)
8 5x7" prints (for medium-size states)
up to 39 4x6" prints (for small states; some states can be combined on one print)
Thunder Bunny Labs makes it super easy to print at Walgreens, since their system is connected to the Walgreens lab.
If you print at Walgreens, you can expect to spend:
3 x $3.99 = 11.97 (for large states on a 8x10)
8 x $2.99 = 23.92 (for medium-size states on a 5x7)
up to 39 x $0.35 = 13.65 (for small states on 4x6 print)
a total of $49.54 to print at Walgreens.
If you print at an online printer like Mpix, you can expect to spend:
3 x $2.99 = 8.97 (for large states on a 8x10)
8 x $1.49 = 11.92 (for medium-size states on a 5x7)
up to 39 x $0.33 = 12.87 (for small states on 4x6 print)
a total of $33.97 to print at Mpix.
What Photo Map Is Cheapest?
Well, that depends on a couple of factors.
Are you just buying the map itself, or are you getting a frame? (I wouldn't skimp on this: you're probably going to want to have this on the wall for years.)
Do you want it personalized?
What about shipping?
Here's a sample breakdown for a United States Map, and the associated costs.
Total cost for PhotoMaps product:
The cheapest map is $39, although these go on sale on Etsy periodically.
Then, you pay for the Photo Map Stickers, which come in different sizes You'll need 10 stickers at $1.25 each, 35 at 2.50 each, and 5 and $5 each. That comes to a total of $125 for stickers alone!
However, that cost is spread out across the years that you have the map - because you're not going to purchase all of them at once. You can also plan on ordering them in sets of 5+ stickers to avoid a $3.75 shipping fee on less than 5 stickers.
You can also buy sticker tokens, which act like credits to pay for all your stickers upfront and then print them as you go. This is a cheaper option, as you only need to purchase 50 tokens at $99 total, saving $26 off the buying individually option.
Check here for a sale on PhotoMaps.
$39 map (occasionally 20% off sales on these)
$20 wooden hanging bar (optional)
$125 in stickers over time, or $99 for stickers upfront.
Free shipping (if you're purchasing through Amazon or Etsy)
=$138-$184 total
Total Cost for Thunder Bunny Labs product:
Getting a map from Thunder Bunnys is slightly more expensive upfront, but also higher quality. It also has more options to upgrade to a more expensive map and frame.
How much the photos cost overall depends on what printshop you use. But the good thing about Thunder Bunny Labs is that the print software automatically tries to fit multiple states on one print, to save on costs.
Check here for a sale on a Thunder Bunny Photo Map.
$69 map
$20 personalization (optional)
$60 wooden frame (optional)
~$30-35 in photos, depending on where you print
Free shipping (if you're purchasing through Amazon or Etsy)
=$99-$184 total
Total cost for USAPM Labs map:
The map from USA PM is the cheapest, but also the simplest. It doesn't have any personalization options, nor a frame. You'll probably choose to buy a frame on your own, so take that into consideration.
USAPM does have software to help you make a map, but it isn't as advanced as the other map maker from ThunderBunnyLabs (for example, it can't combine photos for a collage). More importantly, it can't combine states on a single print, which ultimately saves you money in print costs.
Check here for sales on the USAPM map.
$70 map
~$30-35 in photos, depending on where you print
Free shipping (if you're purchasing through Amazon or Etsy)
=$100-$135 total (totally unframed)
Which software is easiest to use?
All three options have proprietary software to help you print photos that are exactly the size you need.
We tried them all, and there were similarities between all of them. Each one gives you the ability to upload an image, and crop/size it to the state. Then when you download the picture, you have a perfectly shaped state, with your image in it.
Aside from that base feature, there were varying levels of usability.
Thunder Bunny software was the best overall.
We definitely preferred Thunder Bunny Labs overall for ease of use, tools, and the ability to save your progress.
Since you use an account with Thunder Bunny Labs, you can upload pictures and then come back later to work on your map. This means you can preview your map progress online, and make decisions about which photos to use based on what looks cohesive together.
In general, the cropping and adjusting tools made sense, although the rotate tool was a bit fiddly. This mapmaker lets you upload multiple photos in the same state to make a collage.
Thunder Bunny Labs is also directly connected to Walgreens, which makes it's super easy to print your images as a batch. This saves time and eliminates a step in the printing process.
However, you aren't forced to use Walgreens either. You can download your files and use them on any printer you'd like. The system automatically combines smaller states on one 4x6, which will help save on printing costs.
PhotoMaps software is just as good!
The software for PhotoMaps is actually nearly identical to that of Thunder Bunny - you can resize, rotate, and crop. You can also create collages, which USAPM doesn't allow.
It also lets you preview the whole map and the images you've already chosen, which is my favorite feature.
Once you upload your photos, you order them through the PhotoMaps store and they are printed as stickers.
USAPM has fewer tools but touts its security.
USAPM has a custom sizing website to help you prepare your photos to print. You can upload your photos, rotate and resize your photo so it fits within the border of the state, and then you download it back to your computer!
And you don't have to worry about security with their website: they use a secure connection and then are automatically deleted from the server. They don't store or even see your photos.
Although the USAPM site is technically more secure since they don't store your photos, this wasn't a dealbreaker for me. I preferred being able to plan the entire map on the Thunder Bunny site, but this might not matter to you.
Technically, using USAPM also adds extra steps, since you have to download your completed state photos and then re-upload them to your printer of choice. If you have a lot of files to print at once, that can take a while.
RECAP
Photo maps are a wonderfully unique way to remember your adventures. If you're looking for a fun, customized way to decorate your home, these companies all offer high-quality options.
If you want just a US map, all three companies can provide one. We think that the Thunder Bunny Labs map is the highest quality, and that's what we went with for our own map. There are additional options as well if your family really loves traveling.
The stickers through Photo Maps are nice because you don't have to worry about cutting all sorts of little shapes and sizes - they do it for you! It can also be convenient if you don't want to go to a print shop regularly to print out your new photos.
However, you might like being able to just download your new images for free and print them whenever you'd like. Just consider what is most conducive to you and the time you have, and then you can get whichever works best for you!
Photo maps are great for anyone who loves exploring - whether it's your own country or those around the world. If you don't have any room on your own wall, it would make an amazing gift!
Do you have a photo map at home? Which map would you want - a 50 states map or one of the different countries around the world?
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