I am new to MapPoint and have created a push pin map successfully (with imported data), however I need to format the "ballons" so they don't cover other pin points. Basically, I need to label the pins and the ballons are way to big. Is there another way to do this? Any help is appreciated!

I have 2 suggestions: 1) decrease the map's font size using the "View" menu option, and 2) change the position of the balloon. To change the position, right-click on a selected pushpin and select "Orientation". You can position the balloon at any corner of the pushpin.


Even with these suggestions, there is no guarantee that you will be able to a) show all of your pushpins, and b) see all of the balloons at the same time. This depends on the zoom level and the density of pushpins. For example, I can guarantee that if you have 1 pushpin that is 100 miles from a cluster of 10-12 other pushpinsthat are within a circle a mile in diameter, there is virtually no way that you will be able to see all the balloons of the cluster.


Another, more way-out idea would be to bag the balloons altogether, and display the data you want in text boxes. This would be a major pain if you had a lot of pushpins, since the text wouldn't be permanently tied to its correspondin pushpin. The only real advantage is flexibility. You could put in any text you want and place it anywhere you want. Personally, though, I wouldn't do this unless I had a very specific need.


- Walt Cygan

Is there a way to put different info in each the pushpin? I want to put radio call letters in a pushpin to show where the station is located. The balloons are too big.

Also, can I change the point size of the county names without zooming in or out from the map?

HI JLF Map,

1. Yes! You can use custom symbols. How many different call letter combinations would you have? If there are a ton or they may change periodically, you could get a program which generate graphic images based on your parameters to use as the custom symbols, I did this on a project last year.

2. With all versions of MapPoint, you can change the Map Font Size in the menu, this will change the font for all words on the map. Also, see the new "Map Settings" options in MapPoint 2010. There you have more control over labels and map features than was possible with previous versions of MapPoint.

Hope this helps.
Eric

1) Is there a way to have a specific data column attached to the pushpin, so it will show up whenever selected? I work with almost 1,000 radio stations.

2)under map settings & font size, I'm at the smallest size allowed. Is there anyway to make it smaller?

1) You can use the Show Name Only option, this shows just the name of the pushpin in a single line balloon, rather than the full balloon information.

2) Not really, but you could eliminate them altogether using the Map Settings options in MapPoint 2010.