Question 1

How Can I Create Missing Vowel Puzzles with Puzzle Maker Pro - Word Search?

Accepted Answer

This tutorial will show you how you can use Puzzle Maker Pro - Word Search to create Missing Vowel puzzles.

These options are available in all versions of Word Search.

Puzzle Maker Pro - Word Search offers a lot of 'hidden' options. Hidden in plain sight, that is.

There are two variations possible of this puzzle. One where the vowels are removed completely, and one where the vowels leave a blank space to fill in.

Variation 1 Step 1 - Specify which letters to remove

On the 'Advanced' tab for Word Search Puzzle Settings, you can find an option 'Remove Other'. Although originally intended to remove certain symbols in other languages, such as ', `, and - in French words and word combinations, you can also use this setting to create Missing Vowel puzzles.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/7fxuVbZOfJ/Word%20Search%20-%20Hidden%20Vowels%201.png (Word Search - Hidden Vowels 1.png)

In the screenshot you can see that we chose to remove A, E, I, O, U and Y. Y isn't considered a vowel in all languages, but for this example it is.

By its nature, missing vowel word search puzzles will be very compact, since all the words will be a lot shorter and easier to connect to other words.

Warning: There are quite a few words that will result in just a single letter if you remove the vowels, such as 'age', 'ago', 'aid', 'aide', 'no', 'any', or two letters , like 'all', 'ally'. Especially the single letter results will make the puzzle hard or impossible to solve, since a single 'g' or 'n' could also be randomly chosen for an empty square. Please make sure that you check your word list and the resulting puzzle to verify that it's the puzzle you want to publish.

Variation 1 Step 2 - Fill the Empty Squares

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/JRFwKRSPyq/Word%20Search%20-%20Hidden%20Vowels%202.png (Word Search - Hidden Vowels 2.png)

On the 'Solution' tab you can specify which letters you want to use for the empty squares, in the 'Hidden Word' section. It makes sense to remove the vowels from this list as well.

Variation 2

In this variation, empty spaces are left over where vowels should go. For this we select the "Hide Vowels" option. As with variation 1, you can choose what you consider a vowel, as this could be different depending on your language.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/0EADBJUkkX/Puzzle%20maker%20word%20search%20no%20vowels.jpg (Puzzle maker word search no vowels)

Now, in the image above you still see the vowels, because we are looking at the solution. However, if we turn off "Preview Solution" in the bottom right of the screen, we see that all vowels have been removed, leaving only a blank space.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/FXZKRvfDy6/No%20vowels%20word%20search.jpg (No vowels word search)

Step 1 - Select a file with numbers or paste the list of numbers

First of all, you need a list of numbers instead of words. The process is the same as for word search puzzles:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/uI92RPKg8h/Word%20Search%20with%20Numbers.jpg (Word Search with Numbers)

As you can see, the numbers are in the puzzle, but the "filler", or empty squares are still using letters. You can easily fix that.

Step 2 - Enter the numbers for the empty squares

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/eNftVPmd6S/Word%20Search%20with%20Numbers%202.jpg (Word Search with Numbers 2)

Find the 'Hidden Word' section on the Solution tab, make sure 'Random Characters' is selected, and enter all the numbers you want as filler in the text field. Click 'New Preview' again to verify that the result is what you want it to be.

Right now the puzzle is correct, but there's one more step to make sure the PDF or PPT output looks good too:

Step 3 - Set the sort order

By default, words will be sorted in alphabetical (dictionary) order. You can do that for numbers too, but especially if you use numbers of different lengths, like 11 and 90210, you may want to use the numerical sort order. You can find this on the 'Style' tab, below the color settings.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/89vI8kQz01/Word%20Search%20-%20Number%20puzzles%203.png (Word Search - Number puzzles 3.png)

Use Default Page Setup Settings

By default, this module will use the Trim Size and Margin settings that you can configure at the "Output Settings / Page Format" tab.

If you use a Trim Size of 8 x 10" and 0.5" Margins on each side, there will be a 'body' area left that is 7 x 9". This will be the size for the Puzzle Pieces:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/UbDEDEA56U/Jigsaw%20018%20-%20Page%20Setup%20Default.png (Jigsaw 018 - Page Setup Default.png)

If you change the Page Format and Preview / Create again, you'll get a differently sized image. If you use Time Saver, it will use the current settings when you run the Time Saver (not the settings when the puzzle preset was saved).

However, sometimes you just want the image, and not an entire puzzle book. In that case you can uncheck "Use Default Page Setup Settings" and choose the exact image size that you need (width and height in pixels). The next screenshot shows this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/XbNdH6ZCgf/Jigsaw%20019%20-%20Page%20Setup%20Custom.png (Jigsaw 019 - Page Setup Custom.png)

Choosing Different Page Layouts

Puzzle Maker Pro - JigSaw supports three page layouts. These are selected in the "Puzzle Settings" tab, not in the global "Page Layout" tab.

Single Page
Double Page
Pieces Only

These different options have different impact on your book layout, and serve different purposes.

1 Single Page Layout

This style is used for most of the examples and tutorials. It will print the puzzle pieces and the puzzle grid on a single page.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ju1lwUSyqJ/Jigsaw%20020%20-%20Layout%20Single%20Page.png (Jigsaw 020 - Layout Single Page.png)

This format is intended for jigsaw puzzles you can copy/draw, instead of the cut out jigsaw puzzles. If you do want the ability to cut out the pieces, choose to "Add Blank Page after each puzzle", a checkbox that is below the page layouts. This will make sure the back of the page is blank. Additionally this will force the page to be printed on the right page of a spread, which may introduce another blank page before the current page.

2 Double Page Layout

The double page layout is also intended for copy / draw puzzles. In the preview you see the pieces page:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/mDi9LsLDpH/Jigsaw%20021%20-%20Layout%20Double%20Page.png (Jigsaw 021 - Layout Double Page.png)

if you check "Preview Solution", it will instead show the layout and size of the puzzle grid (the solution is identical to the puzzle, except for the printed puzzle pieces):

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Ght8pFkkvu/Jigsaw%20022%20-%20Layout%20Double%20Page%20Puzzle%20Pieces.png (Jigsaw 022 - Layout Double Page Puzzle Pieces.png)

The Double Page layout will force a new spread in your book. The pieces will be printed on the left page of the spread, the puzzle grid will be printed on the right page.

The option to add a blank page will have no effect for this format.

3 Pieces Only Layout

The Pieces Only Layout is for cut out puzzles, the puzzle grid will not be included in the puzzle book. (The layout is identical to the first screenshot show for the Double Page Layout.

Just like the Single Page Layout, "Add Blank Page" will force the pieces to be printed on the right page of a spread, and it will keep the back of the page blank. For this setting, this is optimal, so you don't accidentally cut up other puzzles on the back of the page.

Font Styling

You can choose any (TrueType) font on your computer for the printed coordinates. Just click the white area that has the font name (by default "Arial", in this screenshot "Artless") and the Font Setup window will be shown, where you can configure and preview the font settings.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/1PQPuu1YAz/Jigsaw%20015%20-%20Font%20Styling.png (Jigsaw 015 - Font Styling.png)

Remember that not all fonts are free to use in commercial works. We have a separate tutorial to find out if you can legally use your font.

Line Width and Color

You can set the Line Width and Color for the puzzle and solution, and separately for the puzzle pieces. That way you can choose for thicker lines if the puzzle pieces are intended to be cut out.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/zGokAZ8tVW/Jigsaw%20016%20-%20Line%20Styling.png (Jigsaw 016 - Line Styling.png)

Help Lines

In addition to the puzzle piece border lines, you can also add Help Lines. These will help children (or adults) to draw parts of the puzzle piece in the right location. This can be especially helpful if you have puzzle pieces with lots of details. The next screenshot shows an example. The purple color for the Help Lines was chosen to contrast with the bright colors.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/XFp9E9y0aY/Jigsaw%20017%20-%20Help%20Lines.png (Jigsaw 017 - Help Lines.png)

Connector Types

No Connectors

Puzzles no connectors are easiest to cut out. You won't be distracted by the connectors, but the image has to be clear enough to solve a puzzle without additional clues. You also won't get any clues as to which pieces are sides or corners. If you or your customers are people who tend to start with the edges of a puzzle, this may not be the best connector type for you.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/FD92o6fKDW/Jigsaw%20007%20-%20Square%20Connectors.png (Jigsaw 007 - Square Connectors.png)

Additionally you can display the coordinates and/or a number of clues for the puzzle, as shown in this screenshot:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/nqigYYDS5D/Jigsaw%20008%20-%20Square%20Connectors%20and%20Coordinates.png (Jigsaw 008 - Square Connectors and Coordinates.png)

Note: You can see difference in sizing for the puzzle grid and the puzzle pieces in these screenshots, because the coordinates require space as well.

Square Connectors

The standard setting when you open the program. Because of this, most examples and tutorials use Square Connectors:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/M456z7oFcV/Jigsaw%20002%20-%20First%20Preview%20-%20Solution.png (Jigsaw 002 - First Preview - Solution.png)

These are easy to cut out, and add the much-needed help for difficult puzzles. You can also see what pieces go near the edges.

Triangle Connectors

The following screenshot shows what Triangle Connectors look like:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ZWC6eu9y6j/Jigsaw%20009%20-%20Triangle%20Connectors.png (Jigsaw 009 - Triangle Connectors (1).png)

Much like square connectors, these are easier to cut out than the jigsaw connectors.

JigSaw Connectors

JigSaw Connectors are curved connectors that make your puzzle look like real jigsaw puzzles.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/WKMQgbx0MG/Jigsaw%20010%20-%20JigSaw%20Connectors.png (Jigsaw 010 - JigSaw Connectors.png)

As you can see, these would be hard to cut out, but for copy / draw puzzles they look quite nice. Or if you have a cricut or similar, you could even cut these out properly to create a real jigsaw.

Other Connector Options

Connector Length

The Connector Length determines how much the connector sticks out from the edge of the puzzle piece. This is a percentage of the puzzle piece size: 0.25% is 1/4 of the size of the puzzle piece. Horizontal connector length is derived from the puzzle width, vertical connector length is derived from the puzzle height. The following screenshot illustrates this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/0k1yXbN2bp/Jigsaw%20011%20-%20Connector%20Length.png (Jigsaw 011 - Connector Length.png)

In the example we used a fixed size for the length. You can also choose to use a randomly varied length. To do this, you can set the minimum and maximum length for the connector.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/CyHZijeErN/Jigsaw%20012%20-%20Connector%20Length%20Random.png (Jigsaw 012 - Connector Length Random.png)

You can see in this screenshot that the lengths of the connectors vary greatly. You may notice that the smaller lengths also have smaller widths...

Connector Width

By default the Connector Width is equal to the Connector Length. In some cases you may want to use a fixed width - in that case you can set it to "Max". That will use the maximum width for all connectors, regardless of the length.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/LgkwjsvaZV/Jigsaw%20013%20-%20Connector%20Width%20Max.png (Jigsaw 013 - Connector Width Max.png)

Connector Position

The final option for the connectors is the Connector Position. By default the connectors are placed exactly in the middle of the side. The amount you enter here (up to 25%) defines the maximum random adjustment away from the center. This creates a more organic look, and extra hints for where the pieces go. Just like real puzzles, you can now also tell from the location and shape of the connector where a piece goes.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/1MEmNJMUju/Jigsaw%20014%20-%20Connector%20Position.png (Jigsaw 014 - Connector Position.png)

Perfect Squares / Triangles

Depending on your taste or your customer's preferences, you may want to create puzzles with squares (where each side has the same length) or rectangles.

The default setting is to use a square, an equilateral triangle, or a circle. The total height of the image will be divided by the number of rows, and this will determine the number of columns. This may cut off the sides of the image. It may also cause white bars on the sides of the image, depending on the puzzle shape you use.

Imperfect Squares / Triangles

When you uncheck the "Perfect" option, you can set both the number of rows and the number of columns.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/s6YLNqwZVb/Jigsaw%20004%20-%20Rows%20and%20Columns%20-%20Solution.png (Jigsaw 004 - Rows and Columns - Solution.png)

Setting the number of rows to 5 and the number of columns to 8 results in rectangular puzzle pieces, as you can see in the image.

The image below shows what this would look like on the page:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/JEOLW67NyA/Jigsaw%20005%20-%20Rows%20and%20Columns%20-%20Puzzle.png (Jigsaw 005 - Rows and Columns - Puzzle.png)

In this image, the puzzle pieces are also printed in a 8 by 5 grid. This is a coincidence, and depends on the puzzle size and format. Puzzle Maker Pro - Jigsaw will always try to print all the parts as large as possible.

Another example:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/NGdBlN0au5/Jigsaw%20006%20-%20Rows%20and%20Columns%20-%20Alternative.png (Jigsaw 006 - Rows and Columns - Alternative.png)

Here the difference is less extreme, but they still are not perfectly square.

Opening Puzzle Maker Pro - Jigsaw

When you switch to Puzzle Maker Pro - Jigsaw, you'll see this view. (Details may be different in future updates of the software)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/i6SyZtuvMp/Jigsaw%20001%20-%20Initial%20View.png (Jigsaw 001 - Initial View.png)

Click on the white area just below "Select Image", or drag and drop an image file on it. You can use JPG or PNG files that you have on your computer.

After setting the file, click "Next Preview" at the bottom left, and you'll see a jigsaw puzzle, which can look a bit like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/M456z7oFcV/Jigsaw%20002%20-%20First%20Preview%20-%20Solution.png (Jigsaw 002 - First Preview - Solution.png)

This will usually be the solution of the puzzle, because that makes the most sense for many puzzle types. To view the actual jigsaw puzzle and the jigsaw puzzle pieces, click the checkbox "Preview Solution" at the bottom right of the window. The view will change into something like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/lmbu7bT83K/Jigsaw%20003%20-%20First%20Preview%20-%20Puzzle%20and%20Pieces.png (Jigsaw 003 - First Preview - Puzzle and Pieces.png)

If you want to save one or more puzzles with these settings, just click "Create". To generate several different puzzles at once, you can change the Quantity (which is by default set to 1).

How to get Started with Puzzle Maker Pro – Connect the Dots

After choosing Connect the Dots in the Puzzle Type menu, you’ll see a window like the one below. (Details may differ slightly, because we’re continuously improving the software)

Creating a Connect the Dots puzzle consists of two steps:

Create the dots and paths for the puzzle
Change the styling and options

Lite Edition

The next image is the default display for the Lite version of Connect the Dots.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/dGEhcGHh9L/PMP%20-%20Connect-the-Dots-101-Start-Here-1.png (PMP - Connect-the-Dots-101-Start-Here-1.png)

The properties for the current path, such as line color and dot type. We’ll explain this after creating our first path.
The preview panel contains brief instructions for Connect the Dots, telling you to Open the Path Editor (3)

Click the “Open Path Editor” button (3) to get started.

Manual Edition and SVG Edition

The Manual Edition and SVG Edition open the window with the Navigation menu visible. When starting a new puzzle, there will only be one single path shown: "New Path".

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/YTBlcfghFd/PMP%20-%20Connect-the-Dots-101-Start-Here-2-1.png (PMP - Connect-the-Dots-101-Start-Here-2-1.png)

Click the “Open Path Editor” button (3) to get started.

How to Use the Path Editor for Connect the Dots

The Path Editor contains tools and options to create the different paths for your puzzle.

Some Connect the Dots puzzles only use one single path, that is: a single chain of dots numbered from 1, where the puzzler has to connect all the dots with consecutive numbers. 1 to 2, 2 to 3, and so on.

More complex Connect the Dots puzzles may have multiple paths. Puzzle Maker Pro – Connect the Dots – Manual Edition and SVG Edition support the use of multiple paths.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/yGMV6mJDvg/PMP%20-%20Connect-the-Dots-101-Path%20Editor.png (PMP - Connect-the-Dots-101-Path Editor.png)

With the Path Editor you can:

Click to add dots (1). Just click on the preview panel, that contains the tutorial text. As soon as you place your first dot, the text will disappear.
Clear all (2): If you make mistakes, or you want to continue with a blank slate, click the “New Image” button
You can select an image on your computer to use as an overlay (3). That way you can add dots along the outline (or outlines) of your image. The filename of your overlay file will be shown as well (5)
With the SVG Edition you can also open the SVG Editor (4). This is a separate window that will display your SVG image and has options to change the number of dots.
At the left you can see the path settings panel (6). You can change all the path settings here, such as the name, colors, dot type, and more.

How to Add Dots to create a puzzle

By left-clicking the mouse on the panel at the right (that initially shows the tutorial text), you can add dots. The software will keep track of the order of the dots, and display lines between the dots (the path).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/xwHaNtzTma/Connect-the-Dots-101-Path-Options.png (Connect-the-Dots-101-Path-Options.png)

In this example we’ve created a simple path with 5 dots in the shape of a house.

After you change the settings for any of the styling options, click “Preview” (bottom left) to update the preview.

The next screenshot shows the same image with totally different styling options:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/a5T7aISQwi/Connect-the-Dots-101-Path-Options-2.png (Connect-the-Dots-101-Path-Options-2.png)

How to Edit the Current Dot position

Puzzle Maker Pro - Connect the Dots is the only puzzle app where you can edit (move or delete) the individual dots in a path.

How to use the Path Data (tab)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/iNC8uP2T6X/Connect-the-Dots-101-Path-Data.png (Connect-the-Dots-101-Path-Data.png)

An additional way to see all the points, is the “Path Data” tab. This will show you co-ordinates for all the dots. The current dot is shown with a blue bar. You can use buttons to “Clear All” dots from the path, or to “Delete” the current dot. Usually you won’t need to use this information. You can also click other points in this list, and you’ll see a different dot getting selected in the image.

The option “Closed Path” will allow you to automatically add a line between the last and first dot in the path. In the puzzle this will result in a combined number for the first dot, shown as “1/73”

How to use the additional path settings

All the path settings are available in all Connect the Dots editions, however some path settings only make sense when you use multiple paths.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/gKq1Sdk0HV/PMP%20-%20Connect%20the%20Dots%20-%20Additional%20Settings.png (PMP - Connect the Dots - Additional Settings.png)

How to use Multiple Paths in Connect the Dots

You can create Connect the Dots puzzles with one or more paths if you have the Manual Edition or the SVG Edition. On the Navigation tab you can see a hierarchically ordered list of all the paths.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ufpMrOGdAp/PMP%20-%20Connect-the-Dots-101-Multiple-Paths.png (PMP - Connect-the-Dots-101-Multiple-Paths.png)

By right-clicking on the navigation panel, you’ll see a popup menu with different options:

How Can I Create Missing Vowel Puzzles with Puzzle Maker Pro - Word Search?

Can you create puzzles with numbers using Puzzle Maker Pro - Word Search

How Can I Change the Page Layout for Puzzle Maker Pro - Jigsaw?

How Can I Change the Styling for Puzzle Maker Pro - Jigsaw puzzles?

How Can I Change the Connectors for Puzzle Maker Pro - Jigsaw puzzles?

How Can I Change the Number of Puzzle Pieces in Puzzle Maker Pro - Jigsaw?

How to Use Puzzle Maker Pro - JigSaw?

How can I change the Title Text for puzzles and solutions?

Is there a demo version of BookPublisherTools software available?

How Do I get started with Connect the Dots (Text Version)