idea ArcGIS Online Print Templates in ArcGIS Online Ideas

ArcGIS Online Print Templates

Joshua-Young — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 17:15:31 GMT

Organizations that rely on ArcGIS Online for their GIS need the ability to design simple print templates in the browser and make those templates available to the default print service.

Support for print templates as items in ArcGIS Online
Support for the default print service to be pointed to print templates to build a list of templates available. I think this should be a parameter list so that things like the Print Widget can be used to populate the list.
Support for standard ArcGIS Online security/sharing so that print templates can be secured if needed
A new WYSIWYG layout editor app in ArcGIS Online (not looking for ArcGIS Pro here just basic elements). Allow users to define:
1. the map frame
2. text boxes
3. images (PNG, JPEG, SVG, etc.)
4. legend (needs better options for handling overflow of legend items than the way it works now)
5. scale bar
6. north arrow
7. simple graphics (points, lines, and polygons)
8. page orientation
9. page size
10. support for Shared Theme

I know the trend in GIS is to go all digital, but in my opinion there are still many users that need access to printable maps that quickly convey a story to the person looking at it.

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

JoabelBarbieri — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 22:05:56 GMT

We definitely need an option to publish our own templates on AGOL just like we can do in the ArcGIS enterprise Portal

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

PaulDoherty2 — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 18:53:52 GMT

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

JamesShreeve — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 07:39:15 GMT

Completely agree. Fully understand GIS is going more digital but that can't be at the detriment of other forms, I work in Local Government and administer our ArcGIS account - the biggest 'flaw' for users is that the map file (PDF etc.) is not formatted in a corporate style. 'Physical' maps are still very important and are used daily for site visits, sharing with the public and adding into reports just to name a few. I think an enhancement to the print widget to allow organisations to store print templates as items (or something similar) is a must. I know this can be done using ArcGIS enterprise but that isn't an option for a small organisation like ourselves.

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

WA_Holmes — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 11:50:07 GMT

I would say that this issue is the main thing that's holding back our corporate use of ArcGIS Online. As the GIS Officer I've tried migrating our desktop systems into Online and tried to create as many self-service apps as possible, but the output people generally want is a PDF that is branded and inserted into contracts, tenancy agreements or planning applications. What has actually happened is I've increased the number of people wanting to print maps that are now coming to me because I'm the only person using ArcGIS Pro. It doesn't matter whether the map physically gets printed to paper, we need the ability to publish official looking documents in our house style.

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

mspinelli_sfd — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 15:56:48 GMT

PDF maps are essential in emergency response. We continue to develop and grow our AGOL, but leadership and crews need the ability to print directly from a web map/app in a manner that is branded and meets district standards.

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

greg_price — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 00:29:37 GMT

Being able to Print with proper branding, disclaimers (title blocks) is an essential and often legal requirement for Councils.

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

MatthewMalone — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 17:23:24 GMT

As an AGO user since the beginning, the lack of ability to use your own custom print templates is very, very frustrating. When we had ArcGIS Server in-house during the .NET days, the ability to point to our own MXD-based templates from the print task was a godsend in terms of map quality. In local government, the need to print out maps is absolutely essential. That means we need logos, legends, marginalia, to look and feel like they're directly from our organization.

I certainly hope that the experts with AGO can figure out a way for us to create/run a print task with our own templates as an item. It's a long time coming in my opinion.

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

SamJakson — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 09:49:19 GMT

bump, the default ESRI print service template doesn't even have a north arrow! It's simply not good enough and using custom ones should be basic functionality AGOK provides.

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

AndyGarwood — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 14:02:47 GMT

We are so close to a complete cloud set up, only the ability to use our own print templates is holding us back, they are still needed I am afraid and will continue to be for some time

I now have to install an enterprise set up on Azure servers (at a cost) to host 2 print templates - crazy.... and something extra for ESRI to support as well

If I could host print templates in AGOL then I would have no on prem set up - this is basic out of the box functionality, I was so shocked to find missing from a world leading GIS provider

Come on ESRI! pleeease 😄

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

mattmerc — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 22:57:48 GMT

Yes! What @AndyGarwood said. I literally would need to stand up a server just to serve a custom print template that is the same thing as the default except with a north arrow added. Otherwise the client will open in PPT and put in their own North arrow and wonder why a map has no north arrow..... This is confusing because there are no north arrow in the standard layout for web app builder but it is right there in standard layout created with the print button for the Map viewer. May this has been solved for experience builder?

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

JoabelBarbieri — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 18:36:13 GMT

@mattmerc I was able to enable the north arrow on my ExB map...:

that said, we need ESRI to allow us to use our own PAGX templates in AGOL, without the need to spam up an arc server just to do that...and advanced as server basic doesn't allow for printing services

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

mattmerc — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 20:53:30 GMT

Thanks @JoabelBarbieri . I ended up going to experience builder also to get the north arrow and it allowed for the rotation of the maps which is nice too. Ran into an issue where the print widget does not obey the same symbol rotation reference as the ExB map. Map shows correct geographic direction rotation, print widget draws them with arithemetic (I think). Driving my client nuts as the print is literally the last step and they spent much time fixing the directions using the ExB app. Getting there!

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

LouieRowley1 — Mon, 06 May 2024 20:29:43 GMT

Must have please. We have a need to get our tech staff out of the middle of correlating information and the pdf to house the data. A Web App does not solve that problem.

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

NikSandsTP — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 06:16:09 GMT

Looks like this is available in AGOL now. I can get my uploaded .pagx layout to be available for printing in Map Viewer, but I can't find any way to use it from the Print widget in Experience Builder.

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

AndyGarwood — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 06:48:23 GMT

not sure why this isn't coming from ESRI but the templates are available as beta, but only for professional and professional plus users (which 200+ of my users are not)

There is also a credit cost for each print

Customize your print layout experience in ArcGIS Online (esri.com)

Once we get through the beta hopefully creators will be able to use it - comment on the blog with any functionality you feel is needed

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

NikSandsTP — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 22:11:22 GMT

I didn't notice the 'Professional' requirement! That makes it kind of pointless. Obviously, the 'Professional' users can just do it in ArcGIS Pro where they created the layouts in the first place!

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

SamJakson — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 08:07:15 GMT

A credit cost for each print ha. At this rate, ESRI will be charging us a credit per mouse click soon!

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

JonathanMcD — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 13:39:18 GMT

So annoying, given how poor AGOL templates are, that the new custom template capability is only available to those with a Professional user..... We're an Esri Enterprise organisation with AGOL and Portal, but I can't, for our 200 users in AGOL, give them a decent print template .... still.

Re: ArcGIS Online Print Templates

NikSandsTP — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 22:18:46 GMT

...Customize your print layout experience in ArcGIS Online (esri.com)
...comment on the blog with any functionality you feel is needed

Four weeks of comments, and no responses from ESRI. It appears they are ignoring the comments for now. 😞