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I've added a Mapbox WMTS layer to my QGIS project.

However when I use the print composer and export my map the result is blurry / not sharp. The image in the print composer itself is sharp, it is only after export that the problems occur. Any idea how to solve this? I've also tried exporting as PDF but the result is the same low quality.

I also tried increasing DPI and total number of pixels but the results are disappointing.

enter image description here

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  • Is your QGIS project in the same CRS as the Mapbox layer? Projecting a tiled layer into a different CRS can result in blurry labels.
    – csk
    Commented Oct 2, 2018 at 17:32
  • Yes Both Web Mercator
    – RutgerH
    Commented Oct 3, 2018 at 7:30

2 Answers 2

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The Mapbox WMTS endpoint only supports @1x resolution, but in QGIS 3 you can add an XYZ Tiles source and use the @2x resolution Mapbox tiles. Something like

https://api.mapbox.com/styles/v1/USERNAME/STYLE_ID/tiles/256/{z}/{x}/{y}@2x?access_token=ACCESS_TOKEN

If you're happy for your icon/text to become smaller you can get even more resolution by requesting 512 @2x tiles instead of 256 tiles

https://api.mapbox.com/styles/v1/USERNAME/STYLE_ID/tiles/512/{z}/{x}/{y}@2x?access_token=ACCESS_TOKEN
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  • Where did you find the information about the XYZ mapbox tiles?
    – RutgerH
    Commented Oct 3, 2018 at 8:59
  • The problem is that the map is only unsharp after export. Before export resolution is fine.
    – RutgerH
    Commented Oct 3, 2018 at 9:09
  • mapbox.com/api-documentation/#retrieve-raster-tiles-from-styles under "Retrieve raster tiles from styles"
    – AndrewHarvey
    Commented Oct 3, 2018 at 12:28
  • Sure, this might not be the issue, it's just a suggestion.
    – AndrewHarvey
    Commented Oct 3, 2018 at 12:33
  • I've also come across this problem - it seems to relate to the tiles being pulled in when you export at a zoom level that is different that what is seen in the composer window. I can get around by it setting the min and max zoom levels (in my case to 2 and 6, respectively); by also increasing the resolution per the answer above it seems to somewhat get around the problem for me.
    – scabecks
    Commented Jan 17, 2019 at 23:27
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Not exactly the same context, but I've beat my head against a wall with WM(T)S print quality and symbol/font size issues arising from different screen and print layout DPI, though it wasn't Mapbox as a source.

As a workaround, I've exported (Export / Save as...) the layer as a raster over my whole ROI, manually setting the resolution to correspond to the correct one for the target zoom layer (or fiddling with it to get the symbol/font sizes I wanted). Then I use my locally saved raster in lieu of the original layer in my print layout.

There are downsides, of course, but especially if your print area stays constant, it may be more efficient in terms of your time.

Starting with QGIS 3.14, you could also use vector tiles if you're using a standard source map. See https://www.maptiler.com/news/2020/06/vector-tiles-in-qgis-3-14/, though cost may be prohibitive.

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