Question 1

How to Add Page Numbers to Powerpoint Puzzle Books?

Accepted Answer

This short video tutorial will show you how to add page numbers to the master slides in Powerpoint. Besides page numbers you can use these master slides to add any kind of content you like.

Question 2

How to add Shapes to your design in Geometric String Art Designer

Accepted Answer

Adding Shapes

Adding and configuring shapes in Geometric String Art Designer is done in 4 steps:

Add the shape to the canvas
Set the size and position of the shape
Adjust the size and position of the shape with pixel-precision
Set up the Segments for the shape

Step 1 - Add the Shape

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/EgKN5ncEFk/String%20Art%20Designer%20Overview%20Shape%201.jpg (String Art Designer Overview Shape 1)

To add shapes to your design, go to the "Shape" tab (1) and click "New Shape" (3). This will display a pop-up menu where you can select the shape you want: Line, Circle, Triangle, Square or Polygon (5 to 10 edges). Click to select the shape you want.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/53aTUk3Hiu/String%20Art%20Designer%20-%20New%20Shape%20Options.jpg (String Art Designer - New Shape Options)

Note: to edit any of the shapes you've added, use the shape selection dropdown menu (2).

The shape will have standard size and position, but this is easy to change in step 2.

Step 2 - Set Size and Position

On the "Easy" tab (5) you can set the size of the position with just a few button clicks. You can separately set the height and width (6). The buttons indicate sizes based on the current canvas size and margins: "Full Width" means the maximum size within the margins.

You can also quickly set the position using the "Easy Position" buttons (7). In many cases, this is all you need to do to get the shape sized and positioned correctly. If you need more control, go to step 3.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/XItrzBUBj7/String%20Art%20Designer%20-%20New%20Shape%20Top%20Right.jpg (String Art Designer - New Shape Top Right)

The screenshot shows an example where the width and height have been set to one third of the maximal width and height, and the shape has been positioned in the top right of the canvas (within the margins).

Step 3 - Adjust Size and Position

On the "Main" tab you can find settings to further adjust the size and position.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/8SVsEt8PS0/String%20Art%20Designer%20-%20Shape%20Details.jpg (String Art Designer - Shape Details)

You can choose between centimeters, inches, pixels or a percentage, to set the position and size of the shape. This will apply to all the size and position settings in the software.
You can set the horizontal/vertical position in detail, as well as the width/height of the shape. Optionally you can lock the Aspect Ratio, which means that the relative height/width proportion of the shape will not change.
An additional option, is to drag the mouse over the canvas to set the size and position of the shape. Just click this checkbox, then click and drag the mouse over the canvas, and let go of the mouse-button. This will work just once (unless you click the checkbox again), the normal behaviour of the mouse-buttons and mouse-wheel is to zoom and drag the entire image.
You can also rotate the shapes. This will give an additional complexity to the strings that are drawn between separate shapes.

Note: You can also change these settings after you've set up one or more connections. This will let you see immediately what the effect of the changes is.

Step 4 - Set up the Segments

There are three options to add segments to the shapes. Segments are used to connect the different shapes. Read more in the Glossary of Shapes and Segments.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/OSan2Bfasr/String%20Art%20Designer%20Polygon%20Segments.jpg (String Art Designer Polygon Segments)

Use the "Segments" tab to choose which segments you want to use. Full, Quarters or Eights. It's best to only select the set you need - selecting the right one later on is easier when you have less clutter.

Pins

The string between two segments are connected to the pins of each segment. Pin 1 to pin 1, pin 2 to pin 2, etc. Therefore it's important to set the number of pins for each segment properly.

If the number of pins of both segments is not identical, the software will connect multiple pins from one segment to a single pin on the other segment.

You can also set the number of pins for a segment to 1 or 2, for special effects.

Cloning Shapes

If you have a shape set up just right, and want to create identical copies, use the "Clone" button at the bottom. This will create an identical shape, with a different name, and the same size, position and segment settings.

Deleting Shapes

To delete a shape, first select it on the "Shape" tab, then click the "Delete" button at the bottom

Adding your custom images

It's actually very easy to add your own images. You do need to make sure you have the appropriate amount of images ready, but adding them is not too difficult.

First, go to the Symbol Options tab in the sudoku.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/1Owe7lqUOe/Sudoku%20custom%20images.jpg (Sudoku custom images)

Next, you'll see the Symbol Settings option. You can change between 1-9, A-I, Roman Numerals I-IX, Symbols, or Hexadecimal.

For what we're going to do today, select the Symbols option. Immediately you'll see 9 standard images appear, looking like the side of dice. These are the standard images that come with the software.

If you want your own images here, click on the magnifying glass just below the pictures, and a popup screen will appear.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/hbmpCvVQr7/Sudoku%20Select%20Images.jpg (Sudoku Select Images)

If you click on one of the white squares, windows explorer will open a new window, and you can search for the folder where you keep the images you want to use. Remember that because it's a sudoku, simplistic images work better. You also don't want images that look too similar, as that will cause confusion. You can either manually select each picture by clicking on the next square and selecting a singular image, or you can select multiple images at once.

Now if you click next preview, the sudoku will generate with the images you have selected. Beware that if you have "Show Solution" on, there is no difference between the hints and the solution to show which squares are part of the solution and which ones aren't.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/3ymHfDPyI2/Sudoku%20with%20custom%20images.jpg (Sudoku with custom images)

This same technique will work for several other modules as well.

Solving image sudokus

To solve a sduoku, you need to write the correct symbols in the empty squares. For regular (number) or letter sudokus that's not too hard. For harder sudokus, level 5 and up, it's also common to pencil in the optional values for each square. E.g. if you know that a square can contain only the 3, 5 and 6, you can write these in the square, but very small, as a reminder when solving other squares. (This is the only way to find hidden doubles or triples).

There are two ways to create image sudokus that are still fun to solve:

Choose symbols that are easy to draw / copy, just like the symbols in the example in the previous paragraph. Simple line art or icon style graphics, or images with a single dominant color (e.g. the person with the green hat). Even then, image sudokus with difficulty levels 6 and 7 will be really hard to solve;
Use the image sudokus as attractive magnets on social media. It's best to use the easier variations, circle one of the squares, and add a text like "which color hat has the person in this square?".

Creating a custom background

Another way to add images to your sudoku puzzle is to add a singular image to the background. This could be done as a watermark, or if you have a themed puzzle book, it could be nice to have the theme shine through in the puzzle.

For this option, we go to Output Settings all the way at the top.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/8W4RZxWpFi/Background%20image%20sudoku.jpg (Background image sudoku)

Next, select "Background Images".

Turn on the "Use Background Image(s)" checkbox, and select one or more files. Then, generate the next preview, and you'll see the image you used.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ZtF66zH7rO/background%20image%20sudoku%20done.jpg (background image sudoku done)

We've also set the transparency on the background image to around 60-70%, because otherwise the black lines will make the numbers of the puzzle invisible.

Introduction

There are many different types of Acrostic Crossword puzzles. Acrostic Column is the name we give to the type of Acrostic Crossword where a list of words is shown, and a single 'secret' word can be found in one of the columns.

Puzzle Maker Pro - Acrostic Column

To find the Acrostic Column puzzles, select "Crossword Variations" in the Puzzle Type dropdown menu in Puzzle Maker Pro. Then select "Acrostic Column" in the "Type" dropdown list.

Acrostic Column Overview

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/FmgPwc7bmh/Acrostic%20Column%20-%20Overview.png (Acrostic Column - Overview)

You can click the different tabs to configure all the puzzle settings:

Word List: Type or select the word list. The word list will be automatically verified - a check if there's a secret word available
Settings: Additional settings for the Word List
Grid: Layout and size settings for the puzzle grid
Style: Font and color settings
Clues: Configure clue style and layout
Dict: Configure Dictionary settings

Acrostic Column Word Lists

Compared to Criss Cross puzzles, Acrostic puzzles have an additional complexity: The secret (or hidden) word. This is part of the word list. Here's a part of or demo word list:

If you type or copy the word list, it's best to click "Verify" after editing the words. This will check if there's a secret word present, and if there are enough words to cover all the letters in the secret word. (For example, if the secret word is "LOVE" and none of the words in the word list has a "V", it's not possible to generate a puzzle.)

Output Options

Crossword Variations and Acrostic Column are the first puzzles to support the new puzzle output options in Puzzle Maker Pro:

Fixed Size: This is the classic Puzzle Maker Pro output for puzzles, using a fixed size in pixels or inches
Dynamic Size (IPB): This option will calculate the puzzle size based on the current layout settings for Instant Puzzle Books. This way the puzzles will always have the exact size for your puzzle book. However, puzzles may not have the optimal size if you want to reuse them for further puzzle books
Use Image Settings: This is a new option, allowing you to override the puzzle size, and create images for e.g. social media. The images may include titles and watermarks. See also the separate Image Settings Tutorial.

Please be aware that if you switch from Fixed Size to Dynamic Size, you will need to adjust some of the style settings - A line with 5 pixels width will appear differently on a 2000 pixel image compared to a 400 pixel image. (Font sizing will be adjusted automatically)

Dictionary Options

Crossword Variations and Acrostic Column are the first puzzles to support our online English Dictionary. You can activate this on the "Dict" tab for Crossword Variations.

Word List tab

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/htx5mQKj9E/AC%20-%20Word%20List%20tab.png (Crossword Variations - Word List tab)

Type the word list (or click "Word List File" and select a file)
Edit the word list with the built-in word list editor
Verify - this will do a first check if an acrostic puzzle can be generated
Edit after Create - Check this button to automatically the word list editor after a puzzle has been generated. Especially when the hints are printed in the puzzle image (as in the screenshot), it's not possible to edit the words afterwards
Next Preview - Test what a puzzle with the give word list looks like

Word List Conventions

Word:Hint - On each line, type a word and add the hint (aka clue aka description) separated by a colon ":". You can type multiple hints for each word, the generator will select a random hint for each puzzle
#title:title - you can add a title for the puzzle. This can appear in the puzzle book (depending on your settings) or in the puzzle image
#description:description
#secret:word:hint - use the tag "#secret" to specify the secret word for your puzzle

Settings tab

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/AABY9RTjTG/AC%20-%20Settings%20tab.png (AC - Settings tab)

Wordlist Control - You can choose to use the words in the word list only once (Auto) or to create many more puzzles from a single word list. Words are drawn from the word list at random, so each puzzle will be different
Remove Characters - You can automatically clean up the word list by removing spaces and other characters

(The Word Count options are not used for Acrostic puzzles - the number of words is fixed for each secret word)

Grid tab

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/sSonMbwu12/AC%20-%20Grid%20Tab.png (Acrostic Column - Grid Tab)

The settings on this tab will help you to create a consistent look for your puzzle book, or create optimal puzzle sizing for your puzzle images.

For puzzle books, you may want a clean look where all puzzles have the same size (the squares have the same size). In that case it's best to switch off 'Dynamic' and set a number of rows and colunms (2) that fits your word list. (Because words may be shifted to the left or right, it's best to generate a set of puzzles first, and check the resulting layouts)
For (social media) images, you may want the optimal dynamic size (1) for each puzzle, since these images will be posted and viewed separately.
Additionally, the puzzle can be aligned (in the image) as you wish, to create a consistent look

Style tab

On the Style tab you can select the fonts and colors for your puzzle.

Clues tab

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/5fv86ppDeT/AC%20-%20Clues%20tab.png (AC - Clues tab)

You can choose to use the classic clue output, which will be printed only in the Instant Puzzle Books (PDF or Powerpoint) or the new 'In Image' output, which is shown in the screenshot.
When you print the clues (aka hints) in the image, you can set the position and number of columns. Additionally you can set how much space the puzzle should take. The best value for this space allocation depends on the words you are using, it's best to play with this value, and the number of Clue Columns, and generate previews to see what looks best.
Two additional Clue Style options are available: "Word Fill" - A list of words is added, instead of the hints. The goal is to find the right positions for the words. "Word Scramble" - Instead of the clues, a random scramble of the words will be shown
For Acrostic puzzles, the Clue Headings are only used for "Word Fill", in which case the "Word Fill Title" can be set

Dict tab

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/zROQtfHY32/AC%20-%20Dict%20tab.png (Acrostic Column - Dict tab)

On the "Dict" tab you can set the dictionary settings:

The built-in dictionary is AI generated and curated, with over 400,000 words and descriptions. Access to this dictionary is included in Crossword Variations. It is best to manually verify the chosen hint for each word after each puzzle is generated (using the "Edit After Create" option on the Word List tab
The "Main" dictionary is an option to use your own word list file, containing words and descriptions (hints) for each word.
The "Custom" dictionary is an additional option - whenever word descriptions are edited or added when creating puzzles, you can save them automatically to this Custom dictionary, for later use / reuse.

FAQs directory

How to Add Page Numbers to Powerpoint Puzzle Books?

How to add Shapes to your design in Geometric String Art Designer

How to create a 'Carnival' style pattern with POD Graphics Maker

How to create a 'Draw' style pattern with POD Graphics Maker

How to create a 'Labyrinth' style pattern with POD Graphics Maker

How to create a 'Mountains' style pattern with POD Graphics Maker

How to create a 'Simple Shapes' style pattern with POD Graphics Maker

How to create a 'Wind' style pattern with POD Graphics Maker

How to create a sudoku with custom images

How to create Acrostic puzzles with Puzzle Maker Pro - Acrostic Column