Question 1

How Do I Install the Powerpoint Plugins?

Accepted Answer

Here's a generic step by step guide to install Powerpoint plugins.

#1 Download the file
The first step is to download the Plugin file and save it on your computer. Usually that's as simple as clicking the download link. You can find this on the download page that has been emailed to you, or in the member area if you are using a paid plugin.

After this you should have a file named BPT-Easy-Journals.zip, possibly including a version number, in the Downloads folder on your computer.

![Plugin Install 001 - Zip File.jpg](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/BWgLerx0Mc/Plugin%20Install%20001%20-%20Zip%20File.jpg)

#2 Extract the files
The next step is to extract the files from the zip file, or 'unzip' the file. You can do this by right-clicking the filename and then select "Extract Here" or "Extract To".

Warning: Do not just double click the filename. This will let you browse the contents (that's fine) without unpacking it. You cannot install the plugin unless the files have been extracted from the zip file.

In the screenshot below you can see the result of "Extract Here" - The zip file contains a folder "BPT-Easy-Journals" that will be created on your computer.
![Plugin Install 002 - Folder.jpg](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/2YHUR1GoPg/Plugin%20Install%20002%20-%20Folder.jpg)

#3 Find the Files
Now you can double-click the new folder name to see the files inside that folder. In the screenshot below you'll see the files. If you only see a single folder, just double-click that folder to find the files.

![Plugin Install 003 - Files.jpg](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/LAOOSDHeG2/Plugin%20Install%20003%20-%20Files.jpg)

#4 Start the Setup
Now you can double-click the file named 'setup.exe', or 'setup', depending on your computer settings. This will install the plugin for Powerpoint.

Warning: You'll need to keep this folder in the same place, otherwise Powerpoint won't be able to find the plugin files later.

Powerpoint will show you a confirmation message:
![Plugin Install 004 - Confirmation.jpg](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/vZACmHpdXP/Plugin%20Install%20004%20-%20Confirmation.jpg)

It will say "Publisher: Core Insights". That's the registered company name of BookPublisherTools.

After this step you can use the plugin in Powerpoint, as described in other tutorials.

#5 Troubleshooting
In 99% of the cases, the installation will work properly, there are a few known issues:

## Certificate not trusted
The software certificate is comparable to the certificates used on websites for https (the secure internet protocol). It is used to 'sign' the sofware and ensure that it has not been tampered with.

There are two reasons why this error may occur:

1. Depending on the Windows settings on your computer, you may need to manually save the certificate, before installing the plugin (or other BookPublisherTools software). You can find a guide [here](https://www.bookpublishertools.com/powerpoint-add-in-certificate-not-trusted-error/).
2. The certificate may have expired. This is not a problem for plugins that have already been installed, but it will be checked when you install a new plugin. This can be solved by downloading the newest version of the plugin. If that doesn't fix it, contact us.

## Other errors
There have been a few other types of errors, all of which have been fixed by re-downloading or re-installing the plugin. If that doesn't work, please contact us.

Question 2

How do I create journals with Easy Journals?

Accepted Answer

# Easy Journals
Easy Journals is a plugin for Powerpoint - it requires MS Windows and MS Powerpoint to be installed on your computer. It doesn't work with the cloud version of MS Office / Powerpoint.

If you haven't installed the plugin yet, you should do that first. There's a tutorial for downloading and installing the plugin [here](https://help.bookpublishertools.com/faqs/install-powerpoint-plugins).

## Applications
This plugin doesn't just create journals, you can use it for many other mix and merge applications, such as simple memes that consist of a text quote and a background image. Wherever you see 'journal' in this tutorial, you can replace it other products if that works better for you.

If you create journals, you could create a guided journal, or a journal with writing prompts, by setting up a text file with the text for each page and then use the plugin. If you want a small illustration at the top or bottom of each page, that's different on each page, you can select the list of images as well, before using the plugin.

You can even create coloring books this way, by adding a (large) placeholder for images on each page, and then use the plugin. This way all the images will be placed at the exact same location. (However, if the dimensions of the images are different, they may appear stretched).

It's very easy to do a test run, although it's best to use a limited text file (just 2 or 3 words or phrases). That way you can see the results, and use Ctrl-Z to quickly remove the new slides. (Using the plugin counts as a single action for Powerpoint, so you only need to press Ctrl-Z once, even if you have 100's of new slides).

## Using Text and/or Images
With Easy Journals you can use text and/or images to quickly generate a journal.

You can use text, images, or both. The plugin will copy your 'template' slide, and replace the placeholders with words from your text file and/or images from the list of images you selected.

Click "Text File" to select the text file you want to use. This file should contain each word (or phrase) on a separate line.
Click "Image Files" to select image files on your computer. Using Ctrl and Shift you can select multiple files at once. When you click 'OK', the Files will be used for your journal.

You can choose the codes that need to be replaced. By default these are set to "{TEXT}" and "{IMAGE}". You can use all the Powerpoint styling options for the text, these will be applied to the new text as well. Images will be added as a 'fill' for the shape containing the code "{IMAGE}".

This screenshot illustrates how it works. Please don't be offended by the lack of content and styling, it's just showing the mechanics.

![EJ 001 placeholder codes.jpg](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/hF6GHM1xIL/EJ%20001%20placeholder%20codes.jpg)

The green arrows show how the codes are configured and added to the page.

The red arrows show how to set the content that will replace the codes.

After using the plugin (click "Go") the output could look like this:

![EJ 002 Rendered page.jpg](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/REWnkc1Zr1/EJ%20002%20Rendered%20page.jpg)

Reminder: You will need to remove the template slide before uploading your journal to KDP or Etsy.

## Page Setup with Easy Journals
There's one other (free) feature in Easy Journals: You can quickly set up the page format you need and add guides to indicate the margins.

![EJ 003 Page Setup.jpg](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Ta2wJYpIXu/EJ%20003%20Page%20Setup.jpg)

Using the button 'Get Current' it will retrieve the current settings from Powerpoint. These will be translated from the internal Powerpoint format (72 points per inch) to inches.

You can change the format to e.g. 8.5" by 11". Once you click "Set", the page (slide) format will be changed.

Powerpoint does not work with margins, because it's an app to create presentations, not books. However, you can easily use guides to help you out here: Just set the margins the way you want to and click "Add Guides". This will add four red guides - top, bottom, left, right.

It will also remove other red guides: Because the plugin doesn't know which guides were set as 'margins', it uses the color red for this purpose. Guides in other colors will not be affected.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

This overview explains the different Colors options for Puzzle Maker Pro - Geometric Mazes?
![30 Mazes 2D - Overview.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/61ZncrdL5X/30%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Overview.png)
There are two different sets of options on the Colors tab:
1. Colors for the canvas, floors, walls and solution
2. Settings for the Start and End points.

## Color Settings
![31 Mazes 2D - Transparent Canvas.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Yrs6RV7i10/31%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Transparent%20Canvas.png)
### Canvas
The canvas is the background of the image, on which the maze will be drawn. For square or rectangular mazes this won't be visible. For other shape types, and with (future) add-ons like the Masks and the Crossings, it will have a major impact on your maze.

To create a Transparent canvas, as shown in the screenshot, you will need to select Transparent PNG is the file type (Output Settings --> Puzzle Files --> Puzzle Output Format). Otherwise the transparent background will be shown as black.
### Floors
The floors, the contents of each cell in the maze, can be any color, or you can make them transparent. In which case the canvas color will be shown instead.

There is no limit to color combinations you can use. An example is the screenshot below, using black for the floors and white for the walls:
![32 Mazes 2D - Reverse Colors.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/0fOczbSr6x/32%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Reverse%20Colors.png)

### Walls and Solution Path
The colors for the Walls and the Solution Path can also be set to any color. Depending on the colors you use, you may need to adjust the Wall Thickness or Solution Line Thickness on the Style tab.

## Start / End Point Settings
In Puzzle Maker Pro - Geometric Mazes you can fully customize the Start and End point indicators. By default these will be printed as Text ("S" for Start, "E" for End) in black, using the Arial Font style. You can change the font by clicking the font preview panel (which shows "Arial" in the screenshot below, or by clicking the small looking glass on top of the panel).
### Outside Passage Open
![33 Mazes 2D - Start End Points.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/TYNEdjuza9/33%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Start%20End%20Points.png)

You can set the "Outside Passage Open" to enable make it possible to actually enter and leave the maze. 
### Using Images
You can also use images instead of text, to indicate the Start and End points for the maze.
![34 Mazes 2D - Start End Images.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/vcbdxwYKcP/34%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Start%20End%20Images.png)
First click the option "Images". This will display the two white panels where you can select the images you want to use. You can either click each panel and select an image (on your computer), or drag and drop an image onto the panel. (You can also drag and drop two images at once, dropping them on the left panel).

You can use images for any shape type, here's an example of a hexagons maze with the same images:
![35 Mazes 2D - Hex Start End Images.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/nJc1FBSaeB/35%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Hex%20Start%20End%20Images.png)

Question 4

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

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

1. Changing the passages (or 'doors') between the different maze cells
2. Changing the walls between the maze cells
3. 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).

![21 Mazes 2D - Passage Width.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/kI3Ss9XXLE/21%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Passage%20Width.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
![22 Mazes 2D - Randomize Passage Position.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/B9kHdIV5Ca/22%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Randomize%20Passage%20Position.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.
![23 Mazes 2D - Randomize Passage Width and Position.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/gIo9ImI8LV/23%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Randomize%20Passage%20Width%20and%20Position.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.
![24 Mazes 2D - Wall Thickness.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/0wAIJpwJCd/24%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Wall%20Thickness.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. 
![25 Mazes 2D - Random Wall Thickness.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/CWMYcjulwL/25%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Random%20Wall%20Thickness.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. 
![26 Mazes 2D - Solution Line.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/P43YQOdQ6J/26%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Solution%20Line.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:
![27 Mazes - Solution Line Curved.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/xCmQ9kZMIl/27%20Mazes%20-%20Solution%20Line%20Curved.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:
![28 Mazes 2D - Solution Line Curved Dotted.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/xifqUhEviK/28%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Solution%20Line%20Curved%20Dotted.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 5

How do I use the different Maze Generator options for Puzzle Maker Pro - Geometric Mazes?

Accepted Answer

This overview will explain the different Maze Generator options.

Mazes are always constructed completely random. However, there two ways to control the randomness:
* Controlling the algorithm
* Controlling the type of path

##Controlling the algorithm

![10 Mazes 2D - Path Complexity.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/EA389U4UK4/10%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Path%20Complexity.png)
Puzzle Maker Pro - Geometric Mazes contains a combination of different algorithms (rules) to create the maze. It's always random, but some algorithms create longer, meandering paths, while other algorithms create more direct paths.

In the screen shot you can see the slider for "Solution Complexity". When you slide it to the left, it will create straightforward paths, when you slide it to the right, the paths will be more complex. However, it's always random.

## Controlling the type of path
In addition to the maze generator algorithm, you can also choose how you want the path to run through the maze, by setting the start and end points. By default it runs from top left to bottom right, or in the case of circles, from top to bottom.
### Random Path
![11 Mazes 2D - Solution Path Style Random.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/r8Le03N96R/11%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Solution%20Path%20Style%20Random.png)
The "Random" Path option will randomly set the start and end points at opposite sides of the maze, as can be seen in the screenshot.
### Longest Path
![12 Mazes 2D - Longest Path.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/1mUrVzte4o/12%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Longest%20Path.png)
The "Longest Path" option will look over the generated maze, and find two points that have the longest distance to each other (the highest number of intermediate cells to pass), and choose them as start and end points. In most cases the start and end points will be somewhere in the middle of the maze.

Question 6

Which Product do I need to Purchase for Geometric Mazes

Accepted Answer

This pages lists the different options for Geometric Mazes.

At BookPublisherTools we work hard to preserve the value of your investment. Even though Geometric Mazes is a brand new module with new algorithms, the current owners of the Standard Mazes 2D module will be able to use the Squares option of Geometric Mazes without needing an additional purchase.
![Overview Geometric Mazes.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/k82wf3uELN/Overview%20Geometric%20Mazes.png)
There are two new products to get started with Geometric Mazes:
* "3 Shapes", as a sidegrade/upgrade for owners of Standard Mazes 2D (or Standard & Shaped Mazes 2D). You can also buy this module if you don't need the squares mazes at all.
* "All Shapes" is for new customers, who haven't purchase our other Mazes products in the past.

## Differences between Standard Mazes 2D and Geometric Mazes
In the (near) future, there will be two 2D mazes products in the product list in Puzzle Maker Pro: Standard Mazes 2D and Geometric Mazes. These modules use different algorithms to create the puzzles. While Geometric Mazes has some unique options (and will be getting additional add-on options), the Standard Mazes 2D product is more suitable for large mazes (100+ rows and columns) and is faster for batch creating lots of mazes.

There's also a difference in the 'random wall thickness' option: Standard Mazes 2D randomizes for each wall, while Geometric Mazes will randomize for each cell, resulting in different, more natural looking patterns.

## (Future) Add-on's for Geometric Mazes
Currently three different Add-on's are planned for Q4 2020:
* Masks (for squares, triangles and hexagons)
* Rooms and Crossings (Rooms are larger cells in a grid, only available for Squares. Crossings will be available for Squares, Triangles and Hexagons)
* Breadcrumbs (text - words or phrases, or images, to add an additional challenge to the mazes)

Question 7

How to Get Started with Puzzle Maker Pro - Geometric Mazes

Accepted Answer

This tutorial will show you how to get started with Puzzle Maker Pro - Geometric Mazes.

When you select the Geometric Mazes module in Puzzle Maker Pro (1), you'll see a window similar to this screenshot:
![01 Mazes 2D - Initial View (2).png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/WHaX9pO8oC/01%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Initial%20View.png)

In this window you can:
* Set the type of maze you want, and set the size for your maze (2),
* Configure how your maze will be generated (4),
* Set additional Maze properties such as style and Colors (3)
* Use future add-ons for Geometric Mazes (3)
* And finally - Create or Preview your maze (5).

## Different shape types
Puzzle Maker Pro - Geometric Mazes offers 4 different shape types, which are enabled depending on your license. (Read more about Geometric Mazes licenses [here](https://help.bookpublishertools.com/faqs/geometric-mazes-purchase-information)).
### Squares
Mazes with squares are the most easy to understand: You can set the number of rows and the number of columns for the total maze grid, and the software will generate a nice meandering path using some of these squares. An example is the screenshot at the top of this page.
### Triangles
Triangles mazes are made up from triangles, alternatingly pointing up and down. A triangle based maze can never be fully square in size (unless you do some advanced math).
![03 Mazes 2D - Triangles.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/qW45nPAk0J/03%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Triangles.png)
You can see in this image that a triangles maze with 20x20 triangles is not exactly rectangular.
### Circle
A circle maze consist of several concentric circles. The number of maze 'cells' in each larger circle will be larger than the smaller circles, to make sure all the cells are more or less the same size.
![02 Mazes 2D - Circle.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/aJ5l2Ta3DI/02%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Circle.png)
The number of rows and columns for circle mazes have a special logic:
* Rows: The number of rings you encounter when you count from top to bottom or left to right. This setting is actually double the number of circles that are drawn.
* Columns: This is the number of parts of the center circle, which can have a value ranging from 3 to 10. (This is a UNIQUE feature that you won't find in any other maze software). 4 or 6 are great values to work with, but you can experiment with the other numbers.
(The math: The total circumference of a circle is 360 degrees. When you set the columns to 3, you get three parts of 120 degrees each. With 10 columns, you get 10 parts with 36 degrees each).
### Hexagons
Hexagons are shapes with 6 sides. An example can be seen in this screenshot:
![04 Mazes 2D - Hexagons.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/iClafwvPIm/04%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Hexagons.png)
The number of columns that are drawn for hexagons will always be odd, to add corner shapes for bether esthetics.

Links to tutorials to configure all the different settings for Geometric Mazes can be found at the bottom of this page.

## Save and Preview
For new Puzzle Maker Pro users:

At the bottom of the window, you can see three buttons and an option (checkbox)
* "Create" will create new mazes. This will use the quantity setting (Basic Options, at the top of the Puzzle Settings tab), to create 1, 2, 5 up to 1000's of maze puzzles. Each puzzle consists of a puzzle image and a solution image. WARNING: for large puzzle sizes (70-100) this may take a while for each puzzle.
* "Next Preview" will generate a new maze that is shown in the preview panel (the big maze image at the right side of the Puzzle Maker Pro window). This is not saved to disk, but is an easy and interactive way to play with the settings and see what happens.
* "Save Preview" will save the current preview.
* "Preview Solution" can be used to toggle the preview panel from solution to puzzle. For mazes it's usually convenient to preview the solution (otherwise you won't see the solution path).

## More Tutorials
* [Maze Generator Options](https://help.bookpublishertools.com/faqs/geometric-mazes-generator-options)
* [Style Options](https://help.bookpublishertools.com/faqs/geometric-mazes-style)
* [Color Options](https://help.bookpublishertools.com/faqs/geometric-mazes-colors)
* Add-Ons: Masks, Rooms and Crossings, Breadcrumbs. (These tutorials will be added once the add-ons have been released).

Question 8

How can I create Nonogram puzzles with Puzzle Maker - Nonogram Standard?

Accepted Answer

This short tutorial shows how to create nonogram puzzles with Puzzle Maker - Nonogram Standard.

## Activate the software

When you start Puzzle Maker - Nonogram Standard, you'll see the this view:

![01 Nonogram Standard - Startup View.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/hDeH2BBTjm/01%20Nonogram%20Standard%20-%20Startup%20View.png)

There's no image or puzzle loaded yet.

The first thing you need to do is click the "About" button (1) to verify your license and enable the software.

Next, you can select an image, using the "Select File" button (2). This must be a JPG or PNG image.

## Create Puzzles

After you select a file, a preview of the puzzle/solution will be shown in the panel at the right. The original image is shown at the left. (The actual puzzle isn't shown, since this resembles the solution, but without the black squares.)

![02 Nonogram Standard - Puzzle Options.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ORwHjCzmId/02%20Nonogram%20Standard%20-%20Puzzle%20Options.png)

There are several ways to customize the puzzle:

1. Select the size in squares and drawing size (regular or small). The resulting maximum image size in inches is shown, based on your settings.
3. Remove the empty spaces (empty squares) at the borders of the image.
4. Show hints at the top and left or bottom and right of the puzzle
5. Choose the separator between the clues. By default a space (" ") is used, but you can also use dashes. This is only used for the row clues, not for the column clues
6. Remove zeroes as clues or display them
7. Nonogram puzzles are based on a foreground (the image) and a background. By default the background is anything white or transparent (depending on the image type). However, you can choose different colors. For example, by selecting black as the background color, you could create a puzzle with the current white background only.

Finally, you can save (2) the puzzle. You can select where the puzzle and solution image files will be saved.

Question 9

How can I create Circle JigSaw Puzzles?

Accepted Answer

Puzzle Maker Pro - JigSaw Circles supports most of the features of JigSaw Squares (for which there are a lot of tutorials). However, some things are very specific for Circles.

## Circles
First of all, the JigSaw Circles will only create a circle (or oval), it will not fill out the empty space along the border of the image. That means a significant part of your image will be cut off - it makes sense to prepare images that have the actual image centered.

![Jigsaw 025 - Blank Circles Puzzle.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/sOnRU71cz1/Jigsaw%20025%20-%20Blank%20Circles%20Puzzle.png)

## Number of concentric circles
In general, the number of concentric "Circles" should be 2 or 3. Due to the nature of these puzzles, pieces will be quite small when you have 4, 5 or more concentric circles.

## Circles and Ovals
The option "Perfect Circle" will enforce the resulting puzzle to be an actual circle. Without this option, it may be an oval. This can be used in some cases, but since it easily gets ugly (esthetically), Puzzle Maker Pro - JigSaw Circles has not been optimized for extreme settings. The screenshot below illustrates the effects of using an oval where the height and width differ a lot:
![Jigsaw 036 - Circles - Oval Shapes.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/27rrCZUA1M/Jigsaw%20036%20-%20Circles%20-%20Oval%20Shapes.png)
In addition to this esthetic effect, the puzzle page (showing the separate puzzle pieces) may show overlapping pieces, because the sizes of the pieces differ too much.

Question 10

How do I use the Time Saver for JigSaw?

Accepted Answer

## 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.

![Jigsaw 040 - Time Saver Overview.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/nQFCAF35W4/Jigsaw%20040%20-%20Time%20Saver%20Overview.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.
![Jigsaw 041 - Time Saver Fast Mode.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/XL3HqEShIN/Jigsaw%20041%20-%20Time%20Saver%20Fast%20Mode.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.
![Jigsaw 042 - Puzzle Presets.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/EDacC7DyTl/Jigsaw%20042%20-%20Puzzle%20Presets.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.
![Jigsaw 043 - Time Saver with Presets.png](https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Zm6scty1QK/Jigsaw%20043%20-%20Time%20Saver%20with%20Presets.png)

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