Export Formats Guide
Which format is right for your puzzle? Here's everything you need to know.
Quick Reference
| Format | Best for | Supports |
|---|---|---|
| .puz | Publication submission, Across Lite, AcrossLite-compatible apps | Rebus, circles. No color. |
| .jpz | Crossword Compiler, Across Lite 2.0, Enigma | Rebus, circles, cell colors. |
| .ipuz | Modern apps, archiving, programmatic use | Full: rebus, colors, bars, cell borders, zones, metadata. |
| Print, classroom handouts, email attachment | Full color, QR code option. | |
| HTML Player | Embed on any website, self-hosted solver | Interactive, no server needed. |
| .txt / .tsv | Proofreading clues, submission emails, spreadsheets | Clues and answers only. No grid. |
| .svg / .png | Blog posts, social images, artwork for a layout | A picture of the grid. No clues. |
Across Lite (.puz)
The classic crossword binary format, created by Literate Software Systems for the Across Lite solver. Still the most widely accepted format for submission to US publishers including the NYT, LAT, Universal, and WSJ.
Use .puz when…
- • Submitting to a newspaper or publication
- • Your recipient uses Across Lite
- • Maximum compatibility is required
Limitations
- • No cell color support (use .jpz or .ipuz instead)
- • No named zones or shaded regions (use .ipuz instead)
- • Plain-text clues only — italics and bold are dropped (use .jpz or .ipuz instead)
- • Limited Unicode/multilingual support
- • Binary format (not human-readable)
Square One encodes the full Across Lite binary format including checksums and the GRBS/RTBL rebus extension blocks.
Crossword Compiler (.jpz)
An XML-based format from Crossword Compiler that extends .puz capabilities with full color support and richer metadata. Supported by most modern crossword apps including Across Lite 2.0, Enigma, and the Crossword Solver app.
Use .jpz when…
- • Your puzzle uses colored cells
- • Your clues use italics or bold
- • Targeting modern crossword apps
- • You want XML and human-readable output
Limitations
- • Less universal than .puz for older apps
- • Not accepted by all publishers
- • Coded (cipher) puzzles can't be imported — Square One builds clued crosswords only
Open Puzzle Format (.ipuz)
A modern, open JSON format designed to eventually replace .puz. Developed collaboratively by the puzzle community, it supports the full range of crossword features including colors, rebus, word-separator bars, decorative cell borders, named zones and arbitrary metadata — all in a human-readable file you can open in any text editor.
Use .ipuz when…
- • Archiving your puzzle collection
- • Building tools that process puzzle data
- • You want full fidelity (colors, rebus, bars, borders, zones, metadata)
- • Targeting XWord Info or other modern apps
Limitations
- • Not yet accepted by major US publishers
- • Smaller installed base than .puz
PDF Export
Generate a print-ready PDF of your puzzle — either the blank grid + clues for solving, or the filled answer key. Ideal for classroom handouts, newsletter inserts, or sharing with people who don't have crossword solving software.
Use PDF when…
- • Printing physical copies
- • Sharing with students or non-technical users
- • Embedding in a newsletter or document
- • You want a polished, print-ready layout
PDF options
- • Full color or black & white
- • Custom header and footer text
- • Cell size adjustment
- • QR code linking to the web player
- • Two-column clue layout for large grids
Self-Contained HTML Player
A single HTML file that embeds your entire puzzle — grid, clues, answer key, and a complete interactive solver — with no server, no account, and no external dependencies. Drop it on any static host, attach it to an email, or upload it to GitHub Pages or Substack.
Use HTML when…
- • Embedding a playable puzzle on your website
- • Sharing a self-contained file that anyone can open
- • Hosting on GitHub Pages, Netlify, or Substack
- • You want offline play without an account
Solver features
- • Full keyboard navigation
- • Check, Reveal, and Reset
- • Pencil mode
- • Rebus entry support
- • Count-up timer
- • Congratulations on completion
Clue and Answer List
The clues and their answers as text, without the grid. The plain-text file opens with the title and author, then an ACROSS and a DOWN section listing every clue as 1. Clue text — ANSWER, and closes with the copyright line if you set one. The tab-delimited file has no preamble at all: one header row (Direction, Number, Clue, Answer) followed by one row per clue, ready to be read as data. Squares you haven't filled show up as underscores, and a clue you haven't written yet reads (no clue).
Use a clue list when…
- • Proofreading your clues away from the grid
- • Pasting a clue list into a submission email or manuscript
- • Sorting or filtering clues in Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets (.tsv)
- • Sending clues to a co-constructor or test-solver
Limitations
- • Carries no grid — not a puzzle file, and can't be imported back
- • No colors, circles, or rebus styling
- • Text (.txt) opens anywhere; tab-delimited (.tsv) is meant for a spreadsheet
A clue or answer that starts with = + - @ is written with a leading apostrophe in the .tsv, so a spreadsheet shows it as text instead of running it as a formula.
Grid Image
A picture of the grid on its own — blank for solving, or with the solution letters filled in. SVG is a vector file: it scales to any size without going soft and stays editable in Illustrator, Inkscape, Figma, or a text editor. PNG is a bitmap rendered from that same SVG at a fixed 2× (80 pixels per square), so the file comes out identical whichever machine produced it. Both are always drawn in light theme so they stay readable on a white page.
Use a picture of the grid when…
- • Illustrating a blog post, newsletter, or social media post
- • Dropping the grid into a document or a print layout
- • Publishing an answer-key picture alongside a solution write-up
- • You need artwork that scales without blurring (.svg)
Limitations
- • Image only — no clues, and nothing to solve in
- • Can't be imported back into a crossword app
- • Cell colors and circles are drawn, but as artwork, not as data
The quick export panel offers the blank grid; the full export page adds the solution versions and a combined grid + clues sheet that draws the title, the grid, and the clue list into one image.
Which format should I choose?
Submitting to the NYT, LAT, Universal, or WSJ? Use .puz. Check each publication's submission guidelines for their exact requirements.
Printing for a classroom or event? Use PDF. The answer-key PDF is great to keep on hand.
Sharing with friends or posting to your newsletter? Publish your puzzle on Square One to get a shareable link — or download the HTML player and post it anywhere.
Archiving or building tools? Use .ipuz — it's open, human-readable, and preserves everything.
Using Crossword Compiler or a modern solver app? Try .jpz for full color and metadata support.
Proofreading, or sending clues to an editor? Download the clue list — .txt to read, .tsv to open in a spreadsheet.
Showing off the grid in a post or a layout? Download the grid as a picture — .svg when it has to scale, .png when you just need to paste it.