Question 1

Can I use Arial (font) in my puzzle books?

Accepted Answer

Puzzle Maker Pro selects Arial as the default font to use for puzzles and puzzle books. A very relevant question is: Can you sell puzzle books where you use Arial to print all the letters and numbers?

Microsoft has a F.A.Q. section about this: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/fonts/font-faq.

Long story short: You can use Arial in your puzzle books "Unless you are using an application that is specifically licensed for home, student, or non-commercial use, we do not restrict you from selling the things you print and make using the Windows-supplied fonts"

If you choose to use another font, always check with the creator of the font (Microsoft, for most standard fonts) if you have the right to publish books with this font.

Question 2

How to use your own images with Connect the Dots

Accepted Answer

This video tutorial demonstrates how you can import your own JPG and PNG images to create Connect the Dots puzzles

Question 3

How do I use the Style options for Puzzle Maker Pro - Geometric Mazes?

Accepted Answer

This tutorial shows how to use the How do I use the Style options for Puzzle Maker Pro - Geometric Mazes.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/BRrfm2NtMl/20%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Style.png (20 Mazes 2D - Style.png)

There are three major ways to change the style of the maze:

Changing the passages (or 'doors') between the different maze cells
Changing the walls between the maze cells
Changing the solution path

These Style settings will work closely together with the Colors settings.

Passage Settings

By default the passages are fully open. However, you can change that. Use the slider to set the passage to a percentage of the cell size. (A percentage instead of a fixed number of pixels will preserve settings when you use a different image size or resolution).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/kI3Ss9XXLE/21%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Passage%20Width.png (21 Mazes 2D - Passage Width.png)

By setting the Passage Width to approx 50% you get a different type of maze, it will seem to be more complex, even though it has the same number of cells as the first screenshot on this page.

Using very small values for Passage Width may interfere with the Wall Thickness and Colors settings - in some cases the passage will be drawn as closed because the walls are too thick. Always check the results of your settings visually before creating a large number of mazes.

Randomize Passage Position

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/B9kHdIV5Ca/22%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Randomize%20Passage%20Position.png (22 Mazes 2D - Randomize Passage Position.png)

As you can see in the screenshot, randomizing the passage position will move it slightly to the left or right, creating a more complex maze. This option will have no effect when the passages are fully open.

Randomize Passage Width and Position

Randomizing the Passage Width will randomly add or subtract up to 50% of the Passage Width, creating a more chaotic maze.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/gIo9ImI8LV/23%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Randomize%20Passage%20Width%20and%20Position.png (23 Mazes 2D - Randomize Passage Width and Position.png)

In the screenshot we've randomized both the Width and the Position, you can also randomize either of them separately.

Wall Settings

The Wall Thickness has a huge impact on the look and feel of a maze, even without changing the colors.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/0wAIJpwJCd/24%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Wall%20Thickness.png (24 Mazes 2D - Wall Thickness.png)

Just like the Passage Width, the Wall Thickness is also set as a percentage of the cell size.

Randomize Wall Thickness

You can randomize the Wall Thickness, this add or subtract up to 50% of the Wall Thickness. This will make it look quite chaotic.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/CWMYcjulwL/25%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Random%20Wall%20Thickness.png (25 Mazes 2D - Random Wall Thickness.png)

The randomization will be done on a cell by cell basis. This means that all walls of a cell will have the same weight (thickness), unless a neighboring cell has even thicker walls. You can see in the screenshot that this results in an organic look and feel of the maze.

If you use a low value for the Wall Thickness, combined with randomization, the result may look a bit like a hand-drawn maze.

Solution Line Settings

The Solution Line is the line through the maze that connects the Start and End points.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/P43YQOdQ6J/26%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Solution%20Line.png (26 Mazes 2D - Solution Line.png)

First of all, you can change the width (weight, thickness), again as a percentage of the average cell size.

Curved Solution Path

If you don't like the more angular style of the default solution line, you can change it to Curved:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/xCmQ9kZMIl/27%20Mazes%20-%20Solution%20Line%20Curved.png (27 Mazes - Solution Line Curved.png)

Curved solution paths look more smooth and natural, the way someone would manually draw the path in a maze.

Dashed Solution Path

Finally you can change the continuous line into a dashed (dotted) path:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/xifqUhEviK/28%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Solution%20Line%20Curved%20Dotted.png (28 Mazes 2D - Solution Line Curved Dotted.png)

This will make it look more like footsteps or breadcrumbs in your maze.

Warning

Especially at more extreme settings (small passage width, large wall thickness, large solution line thickness, and randomization) you'll have to really visually check if the mazes look good, using the colors you selected. There are many customization options allowing you to create beautiful mazes, but they will also allow you to create mazes that are less esthetically pleasing.

Question 4

How can I use different layouts for left and right pages in Ultimate Planner Maker?

Accepted Answer

This video tutorial shows how to set up the different page sections and how to create different layouts for left and right pages in Ultimate Planner Maker.

Question 5

Height Map Editor for Mazes 3D Isometric (Video)

Accepted Answer

The video gives a quick overview of the Height Map Editor for Mazes 3D Isometric.

You can find more tutorials on the Mazes 3D Isometric tutorials page. Video tutorials can be found in the Mazes 3D Isometric Playlist.

Question 6

How can I get started with the FreeStyle module of Ultimate Planner Maker?

Accepted Answer

This video tutorial will get you started with Ultimate Planner Maker FreeStyle

Question 7

Masks Add-On for Mazes 2D Squares Video Overview

Accepted Answer

Masks Add-On for Mazes 2D Squares Video Overview

Question 8

Will the software work on a Mac?

Accepted Answer

All our software relies on certain components of MS Windows to run properly. It will not run directly on a Mac.

There are two options for Mac users:

The software can be used on a virtual Windows system on a Mac, such as Parallels and Virtualbox.
The other solution is to buy a low-end Windows pc to run this software, especially when you're publishing books as a business. Our software requires Windows 7 or higher.

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

This Youtube tutorial shows how to create Mountains style patterns with POD Graphics Maker.

Pattern 00-2 - Mountains is part of POD Graphics Maker Starter Edition and XL Edition.

Question 10

How do I use the Time Saver for JigSaw?

Accepted Answer

This tutorial shows the basics of using the Time Saver for Jigsaw. For this you require any version of Jigsaw Maker, and the Time Saver.

Basics

To use the Time Saver for JigSaw, you need to select the "Time Saver" tab, and then check the box "Use Time Saver to generate Puzzles" at the top.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/nQFCAF35W4/Jigsaw%20040%20-%20Time%20Saver%20Overview.png (Jigsaw 040 - Time Saver Overview.png)

There are two ways to use this Time Saver, which can be combined:

Using Images (the "Fast" mode)
Using (JigSaw) Presets

In addition to the "Use Time Saver" option, you'll need to check the options you want to use, e.g. the "Use Time Saver - Fast" option in the screenshot.

Using Images

In the Fast Mode you can just select a number of images and adjust some of the settings for each image. (All the other settings will be copied from the 'Puzzle Settings' tab.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/XL3HqEShIN/Jigsaw%20041%20-%20Time%20Saver%20Fast%20Mode.png (Jigsaw 041 - Time Saver Fast Mode.png)

Add Images

At the bottom of the window ([1] in the screenshot), you can see a button "Add Images". This will allow you to select a number of images on your computer, that will be used for puzzles. These images will be added to the table.

Using the "Delete Rows" button you can remove rows that you have selected (by clicking on them), "Delete All" will remove all the rows from this table.

Set default values

You can set a couple of default values ([2] in the screenshot) for each set of images you import, such as the puzzle type, the number of rows and columns, "Perfect", and the connector type. This will allow you to very quickly create a list of puzzles to create.

Editing the table

For each image you can edit the settings in the table.

Once you're done, click "Create" to create your puzzles and/or puzzle book.

Note: "Next Preview" and "Save Preview" have no use for the Time Saver.

Using Presets

The other option for the Time Saver is using Presets. These are presets you have created for JigSaw.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/EDacC7DyTl/Jigsaw%20042%20-%20Puzzle%20Presets.png (Jigsaw 042 - Puzzle Presets.png)

In the Time Saver you can see all the presets you have created, and select the ones you want to use to create puzzles (for your puzzle book). Everytime you use a preset, it will create a new randomized puzzle, based on the preset settings.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Zm6scty1QK/Jigsaw%20043%20-%20Time%20Saver%20with%20Presets.png (Jigsaw 043 - Time Saver with Presets.png)