Using Google Static Maps in Your Print View

"This is just a quick thought experiment really. Yesterday I was working on a demo that made use of Google's Static Map API. I've blogged about this API for probably over a decade now and I rarely see people use it, but it's a lightweight, image only "API" for when you need simple map images without interactivity. Honestly, I see a lot of sites using the full JavaScript maps library when a simpler image would be fine."

"Honestly, I see a lot of sites using the full JavaScript maps library when a simpler image would be fine. It's also an excellent way to use maps in presentations or emails as well. It occurred to me that the static map image could be a great way use of print media queries in CSS and I thought I'd build a quick demo to show this."

Google's Static Map API serves lightweight, image-only map graphics for situations that do not require interactivity. Static maps work well in print, email, presentations, or any context where a simple visual is sufficient. CSS print media queries can be used to swap an interactive JavaScript map for a static map image during printing or when generating print-friendly output. A minimal HTML and Google Maps JavaScript example shows the interactive map placement. Media query and print support are long-established in browsers, enabling developers to tailor map delivery for different media and improve performance and simplicity for non-interactive use cases.

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