Office of Coast Survey

The experimental BookletChart is made to help recreational boaters locate themselves on the water. It has been reduced in scale and divided into pages for convenience, but otherwise contains all the information of the full scale nautical chart. Bar scales have also been reduced in scale, and are accurate when used to measure distances in a BookletChart. Excerpts from the United States Coast Pilot are included, and chart notes are consolidated on a single page for easy reference. Emergency information for the charted area is printed on the back cover.

Print as many copies as you like. Use them at home, on-board, or attach a page or two to the Float Plan that you leave with a friend, relative or local marina before heading out on the water. In an emergency, your Float Plan gives pertinent information to enable them to contact the local marine police or Coast Guard with necessary details.

NOTE: During this experimental period, BookletCharts are not being updated every week with Notices to Mariners. Further, there are some known errors in the ones posted, e.g. the "Approximate Page Index" on the cover might not match the chart inside. You can tell us about errors you find by using the “Your Comments” link above in the main menu. Thanks for your patience.

Download and Print BookletCharts™ for Free!

A selection of experimental BookletCharts is available for free from NOAA. Download them as Adobe .PDF files and print them at home. 2-sided printing gives the best results. (See Printing Tips) Staple the pages along the left edge to make a booklet.

Then click here to tell us what you think about this experimental service! Would this be a useful product? Why or why not? How can we make it better? Is “print at home for free” a good distribution method? Should we make the entire suite of charts available?

Use the official, full scale NOAA nautical chart available from authorized NOAA nautical chart sales agents for real navigation whenever possible. BookletCharts do NOT fulfill chart carriage requirements for regulated commercial vessels under Titles 33 and 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Printing Tips

Speed – The BookletChart files are large. Broadband Internet service is required.

2-Sided Printing – Some printers will duplex (print 2-sided documents). Specify your printer using the Adobe Acrobat Reader “Print Setup” or “Print“ dialog. Then look for the “Properties”, “Layout”, settings to choose 2-sided printing. Otherwise, print the odd pages, then reinsert the pages into the paper supply tray and print the even pages to accomplish duplex printing. This is available using the Adobe Acrobat Reader “Subset” options in the “Print” dialog.

Resolution – Print the BookletCharts at “normal” or “regular” resolution – about 600 dpi. High resolution does not improve the image, but it adds significantly to the printing time.

Binding – Several staples down the left edge of the BookletChart allows it to open like a book and lie flat. Facing pages show adjacent areas of the chart making this a practical solution.

Clipping – Not all printers have been tested. Some printers may require larger margins than have been allowed for by NOAA. If it appears that part of your image is being clipped, select “Page Scaling” in the Adobe Acrobat Reader “Print” dialog, and choose “Fit to Paper.”

Troubleshooting

Problem – The small overview chart on the cover page does not display or print.

Resolution – You are using an outdated Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download the most recent version for free from Adobe.

Problem – Nothing happens when you click on a chart number.

Resolution – The chart files are quite large (5 – 10 MB). If you have a dial-up connection, the chart may be downloading, but just taking a long time. If nothing happens after 45 minutes, try again by typing the chart number yourself in the URL box of your browser rather than clicking on the chart number in the table. The complete URL would be www.NauticalCharts.gov/bookletcharts/<chart number>.pdf. Example: www.NauticalCharts.gov/bookletcharts/12221_BookletChart.pdf.

Organizational Links

BookletChart comments: BookletChart@NOAA.gov

Office of Coast Survey: www.NauticalCharts.NOAA.gov, The Nation’s Chartmaker.

National Ocean Service: www.NOS.NOAA.gov.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: www.NOAA.gov

Department of Commerce: www.Commerce.gov

Webmaster: webmaster