NOAA Certifies 11Printers for Paper Charts
Mariners and the boating public have a wider choice of options and special services when they purchase NOAA paper nautical charts, thanks to NOAA's expanded "print-on-demand" chart production and distribution system. Coast Survey has certified eleven chart printing agents who have the flexibility to offer different color palettes, various papers, a cleaner margin, and a range of services.
Under the program, NOAA's paper nautical charts are printed when the customer orders them - or "on demand." NOAA creates and maintains the charts, and corrects charts with Notices to Mariners up to the week of purchase.
"Last October, we announced that NOAA would stop using the government printing and distribution system we originally adopted in 1861," explained Rear Admiral Gerd Glang, director of NOAA's Office of Coast Survey. "We asked private companies to help us transition from the government-run system to a robust and competitive market for paper nautical charts, and we are pleased with the results."
The NOAA-certified companies are
- Bellingham Chart Printers
- East End Blueprint and Reproductive Services
- East View Geospatial
- Frugal Navigator
- Granville Printing
- Marine Press
- OceanGrafix
- Paradise Cay Publications
- The Map Shop
- Weilbach A/S
- William & Heintz Map Corporation