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Picture nonograms

A picture nonogram hides a recognisable shape rather than an abstract pattern: shade the cells the clues call for and a heart, a star or a sailboat appears. Each one has exactly one solution, checked before it prints. Unlike the abstract grids, a picture can take a little trial and error on top of pure line logic, which is the trade for a shape you recognise.

Picture

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

Larger grids have more lines to track. Every puzzle has exactly one solution; a shape may need some trial and error.

10×10, 72 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 has exactly one solution, proved by the same engine as our KDP studio. A shape puzzle can need a little trial and error on top of plain line logic.

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.

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Preview

How to solve a nonogram

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

The method

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 3Mark the empty squares too. Cross out squares you can prove stay blank. Those crosses often force the next shaded square.
  4. 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.

Making a whole nonogram book?

This page makes one puzzle. To publish a book on Amazon KDP, the KDP nonogram maker generates hundreds of graded puzzles at any trim, as a print-ready 300 DPI interior and solutions PDF. Generate once, export unlimited sizes.

More printable nonograms

See every printable nonogram

Questions

Are these picture nonograms free to print?
Yes. Generate the puzzle above and print it with its answer, at no cost and with no sign-up. It is free for classroom, home and personal use.
Does every picture nonogram have one answer?
Yes. Every picture has exactly one solution, checked before it prints. Unlike the abstract grids, a recognisable picture can need a little trial and error on top of pure line logic, which is the trade for a shape you know. The solved picture is on the second page.
Can I make a nonogram book to sell on KDP?
Yes. The free tool makes one puzzle. The KDP nonogram maker generates hundreds of graded puzzles at any KDP trim, as a print-ready 300 DPI interior and solutions PDF, so you can publish a book.

Publish a nonogram book

Hundreds of graded puzzles, any KDP trim, print-ready PDFs. Start free.