Nonogram Maker
Draw a picture and get a printable picross puzzle. A real solver checks your clues have exactly one answer before you print — and says so when they do not.
Click or drag on the grid to draw. The clues and the verdict update as you go.
Draw your picture
Nonogram
What makes a nonogram a puzzle
- Exactly one picture must fit the clues. Turning a drawing into numbers is easy; the hard part is proving no other picture produces the same numbers. If two do, a solver who reasons perfectly can still be marked wrong. This runs a real solver over your own clues and counts solutions, so it can tell you before you print.
- The commonest cause of an ambiguous grid is a lone filled square that shares its row and column with another lone square — the two can swap and nothing changes. The two-by-two diagonal is the smallest example.
- Unique is not the same as solvable by logic. Some unique puzzles need a guess and a check somewhere. Both are told apart here, because they are quite different to sit down with.
- A clue of 0 means the line is empty. Clues read left to right and top to bottom, and there is at least one blank square between runs.
- Print gives you the grid with its clues and no picture. Draw first, check the verdict, then print.
How to use
- Click or drag on the grid to draw your picture.
- Read the verdict — it says whether the clues have a single answer.
- Press Print for the puzzle grid with its clues and no picture.
Frequently asked questions
Why does it matter if the clues have more than one answer?
Because then the puzzle has no answer, only answers, and a solver who reasons perfectly can still be marked wrong. Turning a drawing into numbers is easy — proving no other picture makes the same numbers is the part that makes it a puzzle, and it is what this checks.
My drawing is ambiguous. What causes that?
Almost always a lone filled square that shares its row and column with another lone square: the two can swap places and every clue stays the same. The smallest example is a two-by-two diagonal. Adding a square to connect one of them usually fixes it.
What is the difference between unique and solvable by logic?
A unique puzzle has one answer, but you may still have to guess somewhere and check whether it works out. A logic-solvable puzzle can be finished by deduction alone. Both are named here, because they are quite different things to sit down with.
How do the clues work?
Each number is a run of filled squares in that line, read left to right or top to bottom, with at least one blank between runs. A clue of 0 means the line is completely empty.
How big can a puzzle be?
Up to 15 by 15. The solver checks every change as you draw, and beyond that size a full uniqueness check stops being instant — a verdict that lags behind the drawing is worse than no verdict.
Does the printout give the answer away?
No. Printing gives the empty grid with its clues only. Keep this page open if you want the picture to check against.
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