Maxbal Genealogy The Family Tree Chart Printers FAQ's
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FAQs

These are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions

1. What resolution should my images be for reasonable print quality?

The quality of a printed image is determined by the quality of the original image and the number of dots per inch (dpi) that are printed. A good rule of thumb is to size an image at 200dpi for reasonable quality resolution. Higher resolutions will produce a higher quality of print.

To work out the minimum resolution at which you should scan your photographs use the following table which gives approximate file sizes for an original 6 x 4 inch photograph.

Scaled Up By A Factor Of Minimum Scanning Resolution Resulting File Size For 6x4 Colour Photo
No increase 200dpi 3Mb
2x 400dpi 11Mb
3x 600dpi 25MB
4x 800dpi 44MB
5x 1000dpi 69MB
6x 1200dpi 100MB
7x 1400dpi 135MB
8x 1600dpi 175MB

The quality of the expanded image is very dependant on the quality of the original image. Any flaws in the original will be magnified by the same factor that image is increased and you may not get the quality expected. Do not be too ambitious in the size to which you want to increase you images.

Images should be submitted in one of the following formats: jpg, jpeg, bmp, tif, tiff, png IMPORTANT: Do not use compression techniques to reduce your picture file size as this will reduce their quality for printing. Please Note: If the total size of files exceeds 30MB we cannot accept them by email. The files should be copied to CD and sent to us by post.

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2.  I want additional information about individuals added to my family tree chart.

Standard information that is normally used in family tree charts is Birth, Christening, Marriage, Death and Burial. Any other information such as occupation, general notes etc. can be added but bear in mind when adding information the size of your chart will probably increase andd may increase the final price.

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3. Can I include siblings on my chart?

Yes - but bear in mind that including ancestor or descendant siblings can take up a lot of additional space and may increase the cost of your chart. If you include siblings for only the starting person it generally has little effect on the chart size.

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4. How big will my chart be?

We do not know the final dimensions until we have designed it as size depends on the number of generations, the amount of information you want to show for each individual and, for Ancestor Photo Charts, the printed size of the photographs. You will see a proof of your chart before printing so you make corrections, add more information if you want to make it bigger or take away some of the information if it is too big or you want to reduce it's cost.

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5. Can I supply my own background

You can supply us with your own graphic to use as a background. This can be a photograph, drawing or a tile. By "tile" we mean that the graphic is repeated over and over as many times as required to fill the background as though the whole page is made up of a single graphic. This is called seamless tiling. Generally, photographs and drawings do not tile well and they should be used as a single picture background (see FAQ 1 above about sizes).

When considering backgrounds remember that you have to live with your wall chart and sometimes lots of background colour can overwhelm the information on the chart.

The background picture file must be in one of the following formats: jpg, jpeg, bmp, tif, tiff, png

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6. What is GEDCOM

GEDCOM is an abbreviation for GEneological Data COMmunications, and is a standard format for transmitting or transferring genealogical information from one computer system or program to another. The GEDCOM specification was originally developed in 1985 and is owned and managed by the Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS Church) A GEDCOM file is an Ascii text file, usually (in MS-DOS) with the extension .GED, which preserves the relationships in a genealogy data file. Most genealogy programs have the ability to import and export data as GEDCOM files. If a genealogy program cannot do that, it is probably not worth using.

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7. How To Save Your Family Tree as a GEDCOM File

All major family tree software programs support the creation of GEDCOM files. Creating a GEDCOM file does not overwrite you existing data or change your existing file in any way. Instead, a new file is generated by a process known as "exporting." Exporting a GEDCOM file is easy to do with any family tree software by following the basic instructions below. You can also find more detailed instructions in your genealogy software's manual or help system. You should also be sure to remove private information such as birth dates and social security numbers for people in your family tree who are still living in order to protect their privacy

Generic Instructions for Creating a GEDCOM File:

* This works for most family tree software programs

  • Launch your family tree program and open your genealogy file.
  • In the top-left hand corner of your screen, click the File menu.
  • Select either Export or Save as...
  • Change the Save As Type or Destination drop-down box to GEDCOM or .GED.
  • Select the location where you'd like to save your file (make sure it's one you can easily remember)
  • Enter a filename such as 'jonesfamilytree' (the program will automatically add the .ged extension)
  • Click Save or Export.
  • Some type of confirmation box will appear stating that your export has succeeded.
  • Click OK.
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