This tool does not work anymore, as minification ruined its domain in early 2011. It was a great hack and so it shall be remembered.

This is:

A bookmarklet that allows to get a static map out of a dynamic Google map, with just a click.

Go to dira.ro/code/GMap-to-static and drag the bookmarklet to your Bookmarklet Holder Thingie.

It does markers:

And paths and shapes:

PS: one-click static maps creation is addictive.

Technicalities

Some of the map information is available (the center and the map’s geographical bounds). The rest is inferred as follows:

• the zoom is calculated with a magic formula depending of map’s width, geographical bounds, and wisdom
• the markers, paths and shapes are found by recursively searching the map’s properties until finding objects that quack like markers / paths / shapes (hack-ish!)

Full description: http://dira.ro/2010/06/01/gmap_to_static-one-click-static-maps-creation