The sample puzzle sets used to evaluate solvers in my Survey of Paint-by-Number Puzzle Solvers can be downloaded from this page in any one of a variety of formats.
Individual puzzles can also be obtained from the Webpbn Export Page.
Note that these puzzles are all copyrighted by their authors, and not all of the puzzles in the archives are licensed for free redistribution. You can obtain them from this site for your personal use, but may not redistribute them freely.
See the README files in the archives for more information.
| Format | Mult- color? |
Clues? | Solutions? | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosch | Download | - | Yes | - | Format for Bosch's IP solver or Wolter's webpbn. |
| .CWC | Download | Yes | Yes | - | Simple multicolor extension of CWD format for Wolter's Copris Solver |
| .CWD | Download | - | Yes | - | Format for Meshcheryakov's QNonograms, Tamura's Copris Solver, Sukhoy's solver, or Wolter's webpbn. |
| Faase | Download | - | Yes | - | Format for Frans Faase's solver. |
| Gecode | Download | - | Yes | - | Format for Mikael Lagerkvist's example program from the Gecode distribution. These are C++ Code fragments that can be embedded in a C++ program. |
| glpk | Download | - | Yes | - | Format for Andrew Makhorin's example IP Nonogram Solver. |
| Ishigaki | Download | - | Yes | - | Format for Kenichi Ishigaki's Perl Module. |
| Keen | Download | - | Yes | - | Format for Kyle Keen's Python Solver. These are python code fragments that can be embedded in a Python program. |
| Kjellerstrand | Download | - | Yes | - | Format for Hakan Kjellerstrand's MiniZinc Nonogram Solver |
| .NIN | Download | - | Yes | - | Format for Jacob Wilk's Solver, the Ben Gurion University Solver, and Jan Wolter's pbnsolve. |
| Olsak G | Download | Yes | Yes | - | The more complex of the two file formats handled by the Olsak solver. Also read by Jan Wolter's pbnsolve. |
| Olsak MK | Download | - | Yes | - | The more simple of the two file formats handled by the Olsak solver. Also read by Jan Wolter's pbnsolve. |
| .PNM | Download | Yes | - | Yes | These are images of the solutions in .pbm and .ppm formats (for black and white and color respectively). These images can be read by many image manipulation programs, and the black and white ones can be read by Jan Wolter's pbnsolve program. |
| Simlovic | Download | - | Yes | Yes | These files are read by Juraj Simlovic's Griddlers Solver. Can contain solution images as well as clues. |
| Simpson | Download | - | Yes | Yes | Format for Steve Simpson's Nonogram Solver and Jan Wolter's pbnsolve. Can contain solution images as well as clues. |
| Wolter | Download | Yes | Yes | Yes | Native format for Jan Wolter's pbnsolve. Can contain solution images as well as clues. |