A nonogram, also called a picross or griddler, is a picture-logic puzzle. The numbers beside each row and column are the lengths of the filled runs in that line. You shade cells until every clue is satisfied, and a picture appears.

Is this nonogram generator free?

Yes. Pick a difficulty, generate a puzzle and print the grid plus its solved picture, with no sign-up and no watermark. It is free for classroom, home and personal use.

Does every puzzle solve by logic alone?

Yes. Every puzzle is generated so that row and column deductions alone reveal the whole picture, with no guessing, and that is verified by the same solver our Publisher Studio uses. A puzzle is never ambiguous or unsolvable.

Does it include the answer?

Yes. Every puzzle prints as two pages: the clues on page one and the solved picture on page two, so you can check your work.

What size are the pages?

The free tool prints at 8.25 by 11 inches, a popular large-print size. Our Publisher Studio will export the same book at any KDP trim, from 5.06 by 7.81 up to 8.27 by 11.69, as a print-ready 300 DPI interior.

Free tool

Free nonogram generator, with the solved picture

Pick a size and generate a picture-logic puzzle, then print it with the solved picture. Every puzzle solves by logic alone, with no sign-up and no watermark. It runs on the same engine as our KDP Publisher Studio.

Picture

Abstract hides a smooth blob that solves by pure logic. Shapes hides a recognisable picture: a heart, a star, a sailboat.

Difficulty

Larger grids have more lines to track. Every puzzle solves by logic, with no guessing.

10×10, 57 filled cells. The row and column numbers are the run-lengths of the hidden picture.

Two pages: the puzzle and its solved picture. Every puzzle is proved to solve by logic alone, by the same engine as our KDP studio.

Want the whole book?

This makes one puzzle. Sign up to turn it into a full nonogram book for Amazon KDP: hundreds of graded picture-logic puzzles at any trim, as print-ready PDFs.

Build the full book

Free to build · pay once to export

Preview

The puzzle and its solved picture, as they print.

Nonogram Medium

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Nonogram Medium · Solution

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How to make a nonogram

1Pick a difficulty. Choose a grid size from a gentle 5 by 5 up to a 15 by 15. Larger grids have more rows and columns to track, so the solve takes longer.
2Generate the puzzle. Press Generate puzzle. You get a fresh grid with row and column number clues, and a hidden picture that the clues reveal. Every puzzle is proved to solve by logic, with no guessing.
3Print the two pages. Press Print / save PDF. You get two pages: the empty grid with its clues on page one and the solved picture on page two.

How to solve a nonogram

The numbers around the grid describe a hidden picture. Shade the right squares and it appears.

The method

1Read the clues as runs. Each number is a block of shaded squares in that row or column, and the numbers are given in order.
2Start where the numbers are tight. A long run, or several runs that nearly fill a line, leaves only one way to place them. Shade what every arrangement agrees on.
3Mark the empty squares too. Cross out squares you can prove stay blank. Those crosses often force the next shaded square.
4Cross-check rows against columns. A square shaded for a row must satisfy its column as well. Work the two together until the picture is complete.

The one rule: Each line is shaded to match its clue numbers in order, with at least one blank between runs.
What the answer page shows: Every solved picture is printed at the back, so you can check your grid.
How the grades differ: Small grids reveal a simple shape fast. Larger grids hide more detail and take more cross-checking.
Good for: Anyone who likes a picture as the reward, from quick warm-ups to a long solve.

Publishing a whole book?

This tool makes one puzzle for home or the classroom. To make a nonogram book you can sell on Amazon KDP, Publisher Studio generates hundreds of graded picture-logic puzzles across a difficulty curve, at any KDP trim, as a print-ready interior and solutions PDF.

See the KDP nonogram maker

Questions

What is a nonogram?: A nonogram, also called a picross or griddler, is a picture-logic puzzle. The numbers beside each row and column are the lengths of the filled runs in that line. You shade cells until every clue is satisfied, and a picture appears.
Is this nonogram generator free?: Yes. Pick a difficulty, generate a puzzle and print the grid plus its solved picture, with no sign-up and no watermark. It is free for classroom, home and personal use.
Does every puzzle solve by logic alone?: Yes. Every puzzle is generated so that row and column deductions alone reveal the whole picture, with no guessing, and that is verified by the same solver our Publisher Studio uses. A puzzle is never ambiguous or unsolvable.
Does it include the answer?: Yes. Every puzzle prints as two pages: the clues on page one and the solved picture on page two, so you can check your work.
What size are the pages?: The free tool prints at 8.25 by 11 inches, a popular large-print size. Our Publisher Studio will export the same book at any KDP trim, from 5.06 by 7.81 up to 8.27 by 11.69, as a print-ready 300 DPI interior.

Short of ideas? Browse our ready-made printables for this puzzle and print one today.