Paolo Forlani worked in Venice and was one of the most prolific mapmakers of the Lafreri School. He engraved, published, and sold his own maps and those of other famous cartographers. Forlani was particularly skilled in engraving calligraphy, as a result many of his maps carry lengthy inscriptions. He was associated with four of the leading publishers of the period: Giovanni Francesco Camocio, Ferrando Bertelli, Bolgnini Zaltieri, and Claudio Duchetti. Forlani is best known, for his four world maps:

–Forlani 4 (c. 1561-1565), and his map of North America (1566), which was the first dedicated map of the area. In 1566, Forlani opened a shop in Venice, however, was largely unsuccessful and most of his plates were sold to other publishers.