I like Google Maps. Well, more that that, I like maps in general — I did win a geography bee in elementary school, after all. But as far as the combination of the internet and maps, I prefer the Google Maps service to any other.

I like it so much I’ll balk when a website offers something from Mapquest or Bing. Mapquest?! What is this, 1998? And Bing? Come on, a cheap knock-off.

I haven’t given this preference much serious thought, but I did (sub)consciously justify it with the superior UI design of Google Maps, the backing of the (mostly) benevolent internet-overlord Google, and my long-standing complete satisfaction with the product.

Then a blogger at 41latitude.com did give the issue some serious thought and he explains his take on Google Maps and label readability.

Why Do Google Maps’s City Labels Seem Much More “Readable” Than Those of Its Competitors?

The author gives an impressive analysis of the online mapping competitors and explains just how the labels of Google Maps “pop” so well. I favor GMaps for additions reasons, such as overall design, user friendliness, and information presented, but a further examination of these issues will have to wait for a future blog post.

I came across this blog post thanks to a Reddit thread.  It’s an interesting look at what happens when someone orders the same business card from five different online printers.

http://p.printingchoice.com/battle-of-the-business-cards/

Here are the results, distilled into an infographic:

I have experience with Overnight Prints for my business cards that I ordered a few years ago.  I was pretty happy with their service and product quality.  But it’s always handy to have comparisons like this, and I’ll keep this website — printingchoice.com — in mind for my next print job.