Making a vintage 70s street map with the Retro 70s Map preset

Difficulty: Easy. Time: under an hour of design time, then your printer's run. Best method: full-colour / UV print (it's a warm-palette poster design). A laser version works as a single engraved tonal tile.

This is a poster-first preset with a retro soul. The Retro 70s Map draws the Amsterdam street network in a 1970s palette - burnt-orange motorways, mustard primaries, brown secondaries and a warm tan street mesh, with avocado-green water on a warm cream base. Everything is solid colour fill, so the whole design rides on that cosy, slightly faded palette. It's made for full-colour and UV prints, framed posters and warm-toned gift items rather than for cutting into layers.

Amsterdam is a great match: its tight ring of canals and dense old-town streets give the warm palette a rich, woven texture, and the avocado-green canals read as a distinctive shape that anchors the whole frame.

Open the Retro 70s Map preset

What You'll Need

UV print / sublimation

The exported high-res PNG (4096 px)
UV flatbed printer, or a sublimation setup with a coated blank (wood, hardboard, aluminium)
Warm-toned wood or cream blanks complement the palette especially well

Poster / paper print

The exported high-res PNG sent to a photo lab or printed on matte or textured art paper
A frame; warm wood or brass framing leans into the 70s mood

Laser (optional, single tile)

A warm-toned wood or coated tile that engraves with contrast
Any diode or CO2 laser
Note: the warm palette won't survive a laser - use it for a monochrome engraved version

Step 1 - Start from the preset

Open the Retro 70s Map preset. It opens on Amsterdam at zoom 13 in a square (1:1) frame, which captures the canal ring and old town - the densest, most characterful part of the city. Pan so the canals fill the frame; their avocado-green shape is what gives the design its anchor. Zoom in to 13.5 for a tighter weave of streets, or out to 12.5 to take in more of the surrounding city.

Step 2 - Tune the layers

The preset is a single layer group, "Retro city", and every feature is Solid fill - there are no cut or score layers, so the warm palette is your only dial:

Land - Solid fill, warm cream #F7E7C2. The aged-paper base that gives the whole map its 70s warmth. Push it toward parchment for a more vintage feel.
Water - Solid fill, avocado green #8FA03E. The canals and harbour become a distinctive olive shape - one of the boldest blocks of colour.
Park / landuse - Solid fill, soft avocado #C2CE7A. Green spaces echo the water in a lighter tone.
Motorway - Solid fill, burnt orange #C4451C, the thickest line (width 8). The headline colour.
Primary roads - Solid fill, mustard #E6A52E (width 5). The classic 70s gold.
Secondary roads - Solid fill, warm brown #A85A22 (width 3). The grounding mid-tone.
Streets - Solid fill, tan #C98A4A (width 1.5). The fine warm mesh that fills the frame; ease it back if the old town gets too dense.

The palette is balanced to stay warm and harmonious. If you recolour one road, keep it in the orange-mustard-brown family so the whole map holds its vintage feel rather than turning bright.

Step 3 - Export

UV / sublimation: export the high-res PNG (4096 px). Keep the Background toggle on so the cream base prints as a solid field, or turn it off for a transparent background to let a natural wood blank become the "paper".
Poster: same high-res PNG, sized to your paper. The square 1:1 frame suits a 12x12 or 20x20 print.
Laser (optional): export the per-layer SVG ZIP, ignore the colours, and engrave the road network as a single tonal pass.

Choose Your Build Method

UV print / sublimation

Export the high-res PNG. Turn the Background off and print onto a natural wood blank to let the grain show through as the "paper" - a perfect match for the warm palette - or leave it on for a full cream field.
For sublimation, mirror the image and press onto a wood, hardboard, or aluminium blank per its spec. Warm-toned blanks deepen the vintage feel.
On a UV flatbed, print straight onto wood, acrylic, or hardboard. A white underbase keeps the mustard and orange opaque on darker stock.
A matte or satin finish suits the faded-poster look better than high gloss.

Poster / paper print

Send the high-res PNG to a photo lab or print on matte or lightly textured art paper - texture sells the vintage feel.
Frame in warm wood or brass to complete the 70s mood.
The 1:1 square crop is set for you - keep it square, or re-export after switching the aspect ratio for a portrait travel-poster format.

Make It Yours

Old European cities suit this best: Amsterdam, Vienna, Bruges, Lisbon - tight historic street grids give the warm mesh its richness.
Print on natural wood with the background off so the grain becomes the paper - the single most 70s-feeling variant.
Warm the Land base toward parchment #EFD9A8 for an even more aged, sun-faded look.
Recolour the water from avocado to a teal-green #5C8A6A for a slightly cooler retro variant.
Add the city name and coordinates in a chunky 70s typeface under the map for a complete travel-poster look.
Print large (20x20 square) framed in warm wood as a statement piece, or small as a set of warm-toned coasters.
Turn down the Streets layer for a bolder, more graphic version that leans on the burnt-orange and mustard arteries.

Open the Retro 70s Map preset

Monthly Updates