How to Find and Format Coordinates for a Print

The short answer

Decimal degrees and degrees, minutes and seconds describe the same point. Decimal degrees, such as 51.5074, -0.1278, is easier to enter and check; degrees, minutes and seconds, such as 51°30'27"N 0°07'40"W, looks more traditional on a wall. For a print, the choice is aesthetic rather than technical. Find the point, keep latitude first, check the signs or compass letters, and use the format you prefer.

The location is chosen in the online designer before ordering, so coordinates are useful when you already know the exact place you want shown. A short line of text and optionally a date can be printed beneath the map. If you want to see the finished product, start with the Custom City Map or browse coordinates prints.

The two formats, side by side

Here is the same example throughout this guide: a point in central London, written as decimal degrees and as degrees, minutes and seconds.

Neither format is more accurate simply because it looks more complicated. They are two interchangeable ways to write latitude and longitude. Decimal degrees uses a sign to show direction; degrees, minutes and seconds uses N, S, E and W.

How to find the coordinates of an address

Most mapping tools will show the latitude and longitude for a point once you have identified it on the map. For an address, search for the address in your chosen mapping tool, confirm that the map is centred on the right building or property, and read the coordinate pair shown for that point. Many tools will also provide the numbers for a point placed on the map rather than for a searched address.

Google provides Google Maps' own instructions for getting the coordinates of a place, including how to read the latitude and longitude of a point from a mapping tool. If you cannot see the numbers in the tool you use, search that tool's own help pages for “find coordinates” rather than guessing from the map.

For a UK address, write the result down exactly before deciding how to format it. For example, the decimal pair 51.5074, -0.1278 puts latitude first and longitude second. You can use that pair directly, or convert it into the DMS version 51°30'27"N 0°07'40"W for the same point.

How to find the coordinates of a place with no address

You do not need a postal address to find a useful point. A beach, viewpoint, stretch of coast path, spot in a park or field where a proposal happened can be located visually on a map. Identify the broad area first, move the map to the exact place that matters, and read the latitude and longitude for that point. This is often more appropriate than searching for the nearest named feature.

For example, if the meaningful spot is on a beach, decide whether you want the point by the water, at the entrance, or at the place where you sat together. If it is a viewpoint or a section of coast path, place the point on the viewpoint or path itself rather than relying on the name of a nearby village. A proposal field may have no searchable address at all, but it can still be represented by the point you identify visually.

Many mapping tools show coordinates for a dropped point as well as a searched address. The important part is to check the map position before copying the numbers. If the numbers are unavailable, use the mapping tool's own help pages and look for “find coordinates”.

Which number comes first, and what the minus sign means

Latitude comes first; longitude comes second. In the example, 51.5074 is the latitude and -0.1278 is the longitude. Latitude describes position north or south, while longitude describes position east or west.

In decimal degrees, a negative latitude means south of the equator and a negative longitude means west of Greenwich. In degrees, minutes and seconds, those directions are written with letters instead: N or S for latitude, and E or W for longitude.

That is why the two versions below describe the same central London point:

• 51.5074, -0.1278
• 51°30'27"N 0°07'40"W

Mainland Britain is north of the equator and mostly just west of Greenwich, so British longitudes are usually small negative numbers in decimal degrees. A minus sign before a UK longitude is not decoration; it carries the same directional information as W.

How many decimal places you actually need

For a print, more decimal places do not automatically make the design better. One degree of latitude is roughly 111 kilometres, so each additional decimal place narrows the location by a factor of ten. Three decimal places is street scale, while five decimal places is closer than most buildings are wide.

That makes 51.5074, -0.1278 a practical-looking example: it is precise without becoming an awkward, very long line of figures. The right number of decimal places depends on the scale and purpose of the map, but a long coordinate string can be harder to read at a glance. Keep enough information to identify the intended point without making the text unnecessarily busy.

Writing coordinates so they look right on a print

Choose one notation and keep it consistent across the whole line. For decimal degrees, separate latitude and longitude with a comma or clear space, and retain the negative sign where it is needed: 51.5074, -0.1278.

For degrees, minutes and seconds, use the degree symbol after the degrees, an apostrophe after the minutes, and a quote mark after the seconds: 51°30'27"N 0°07'40"W. Finish each coordinate with its direction letter, and do not replace the apostrophe or quote mark with another degree symbol.

A coordinate line is often the longest text on a print, so it works best when it is short and clean. If you are adding words beneath the map, roughly two to six words generally works best. Longer lines have to be set smaller to fit the width of the print, which makes them harder to read from across a room. A location and a brief phrase or date can say more than a paragraph.

For another way to make the location the focus, consider the Neighbourhood Map. If the coordinates relate to a shared home or important move, the New Home Map may suit the story; there are also suggestions for what to write on a new home print.

Common mistakes that put the pin in the wrong country

• Swapping the order: -0.1278, 51.5074 treats the longitude as latitude and the latitude as longitude. This puts the point in the Indian Ocean, not London.
• Dropping the minus sign: changing -0.1278 to 0.1278 moves the point to the east side of London, around Barking and Dagenham, roughly 18 km away. It is a subtle error because the result is still in London.
• Mixing notations: do not use a negative sign for one direction and an N, S, E or W letter for the same direction in an unclear or duplicated way. Choose decimal degrees or DMS and use its conventions throughout.
• Using the wrong punctuation: in DMS, the degree symbol belongs after degrees, the apostrophe after minutes, and the quote mark after seconds. A degree symbol in every position does not represent the format correctly.

Do a simple sanity check before ordering: read the numbers back in the stated order and ask whether the latitude is plausibly British. A latitude around 51 places the point north of the equator; a small negative longitude is consistent with a point west of Greenwich in Britain. Then compare the map itself with the place you intended.

Choosing between coordinates and a place name

Coordinates are quietly personal. They work well when you want to show the exact spot without naming it outright: the place someone proposed, a private beach, a first home or a meaningful meeting point. Someone who knows the story can understand the numbers, while the print remains understated.

A plain place name is the better choice when instant readability matters. “Trafalgar Square”, a town or a beach name tells everyone what the location is without needing to interpret a coordinate line. This is a genuine design choice rather than a technical one.

If you want the map to show a wider named area as well as a precise location, explore the range of city map prints. For a relationship milestone, the Where It All Began map gives the location a more direct story-led role. When the coordinates themselves are the point, choose the location in the designer and see the result before ordering with the Custom City Map.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use decimal degrees or DMS for a print?

Use decimal degrees if you want a compact, modern line that is easy to enter and check. Use degrees, minutes and seconds if you prefer a traditional map style. Both formats describe the same point, so the choice is aesthetic.

How should I write latitude and longitude correctly?

Write latitude first and longitude second. In decimal degrees, keep the negative sign where it indicates south or west. In DMS, use N, S, E or W instead, with consistent degree, apostrophe and quote punctuation.

How many decimal places do coordinates need on a poster?

Three decimal places is street scale and five is closer than most buildings are wide. A shorter coordinate line is often easier to read, so do not add decimal places that are not useful for the map's purpose.

How can I find coordinates for a beach, viewpoint or field without an address?

Locate the exact spot visually on a map, then read the latitude and longitude shown for that point. Many mapping tools provide coordinates for a dropped point as well as a searched address. Check that the map is centred on the place you mean before copying the pair.

Looking more broadly? Browse our personalised gifts.