# Making a personal route keepsake with the Route Map preset

> your own GPX route as a bold line over a muted street map

Your marathon. The first century ride. The proposal hike. This preset draws *your* GPX track as a bold red line over a soft, muted street map with a dark slate backplate: the route is the hero, the map is context. It ships preloaded with a sample hiking loop in the Middlesex Fells so you can see the styling immediately, then you replace it with your own recorded route. Perfect race-finisher gift, and one of the most personal things you can put on a wall.

## What you need

### Print (recommended)

- The exported 4096 px PNG and a photo print service (or your own printer), frame of choice, or a UV flatbed onto white [acrylic](https://yxecreations.com/pages/acrylic-sheets) or metal sheet for a premium finish
- Your GPX file: export it from Strava, Garmin Connect, Komoot, AllTrails ("Export GPX")

### Laser engrave

- 3 mm [Baltic birch](https://yxecreations.com/collections/laser-grade-plywood), bamboo board, or slate coaster/plaque; laser engraver

## 1. Start from the preset



Open [the Route Map preset](/map-designer?preset=route-map). It loads on the Middlesex Fells reservation north of Boston at zoom 13.4, with the red sample loop already drawn.

Now make it yours: use **Add layer → Route** and upload your own `.gpx` file, then delete or hide the sample Route layer (or simply restyle the sample if you just want to explore). Re-search the map location to your route's area and let the route sit in frame.

Framing tips:

- Frame the *route*, not the city: zoom until the track fills roughly the middle 60 to 70% of the square.
- Loops look great centered; point-to-point routes (marathons!) read best running diagonally corner to corner.
- Leave one quiet corner of map for a future title/date engraving or caption.

## 2. Tune the layers



Three layer groups:

**Route**: your GPX track, styled `#E63946` red at width 5. Both color and width are adjustable: width 5 is right for a 250 to 300 mm print; thicken to 6 to 7 if the route is long and zoomed out, or for engraving (the route should be the boldest mark on the piece). Color-shift to match the race's branding or the recipient's favorite color: everything else in the palette was kept muted so almost any strong color works here.

**Streets** (Solid mode, the quiet backdrop: parchment land (`#F4F1EA`), soft blue water, sage parks, and three road tiers in warm greys) secondary (width 2), neighborhood streets (1), and **paths** (width 1, `#BBB5A6`). The paths feature matters for trail routes: your GPX line will visibly follow the actual mapped trail. For urban races, paths can be hidden to declutter. Keep the streets muted: if you brighten them, the route stops popping.

**Backplate**: solid dark slate (`#2F4F4F`) behind everything. In prints it peeks through as the border frame surround; in layered laser builds it's the physical bottom layer; tweak it toward black for framing against dark walls.

## 3. Export



In the export modal:

- **Print:** **high-res PNG (4096 px)**, Background toggle on. At 300 mm that's well over 300 DPI.
- **Laser engrave:** per-layer SVGs, or the combined SVG; the colors become engrave-depth hints (route darkest).
- **Layered build:** toggle layers and export the Streets SVG (engrave file), Route SVG (cut file for an inlay/overlay), and use the backplate as the cut base.
- **Hanger hole** if the piece will hang from cord or leather lace: top-center suits the square format.
- **Small-polygon cleanup** on; water inversion off (the soft blue water is part of the look).

## UV & Sublimation Printing

### Framed print / UV print



1. Export the PNG and order (or print) at 250 to 300 mm square on matte photo paper: matte suits the muted palette.
2. Add a caption in any editor before printing if you like: race name, date, distance, finishing time under the map.
3. UV variant: print directly on white acrylic or metal sheet and add [anodized standoff spacers](https://yxecreations.com/products/4-pack-anodized-standoff-spacers) at the corners (enable **Corner holes** at export) for a gallery float mount.

## Laser Cutting & Engraving

### Laser engrave on wood



1. Export the combined art; in your laser software, map the route to your deepest/darkest engrave and the streets to a light pass (grayscale power mapping does this automatically from the PNG).
2. Engrave on bamboo or birch at 200 to 300 mm; run a test strip first so the muted streets stay subtle and the route burns bold.
3. Cut the square perimeter; optionally paint-fill the engraved route line red with a fine brush or paint pen before de-masking for a color pop on wood.
4. Finish with oil or matte spray; engrave name/date/distance in the quiet corner you saved.

### Layered build with the backplate



1. Cut the backplate square from dark-stained 3 mm ply or slate-grey acrylic.
2. Engrave the Streets layer onto a parchment-toned ply square cut slightly smaller, glued centered on the backplate so the dark rim frames it.
3. Cut the Route from red acrylic at width 6 to 7 (thin GPX ribbons are fragile (thicker is safer) and glue it on top following the engraved trail beneath) [3M tape](https://yxecreations.com/collections/3m-tape) 467 or 468 makes a clean no-mess bond on acrylic.

## Make it yours

- Finisher's gift: route + "Boston Marathon · 26.2 mi · 3:42:11" engraved under the map; instant ugly-cry gift.
- Proposal hike: route in red, a small engraved heart at the summit point where you asked.
- Yearly tradition: same trail, one plaque per year, route color shifting through a gradient on the shelf.
- Multi-route piece: upload several GPX files as separate Route layers in different colors; every ride of a cycling tour on one map.
- Medal hanger: stretch the layout, mount the print/engraving above a rail of laser-cut hooks.
- Dark mode: backplate and land near-black, streets dark grey, route in neon orange; export the PNG with background on for a striking poster.
- Coaster set: four crops of one long route (start, two highlights, finish) as a slate coaster series.

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Open the tool: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/route-map
Read online: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/route-map