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craft / how-to-use

From keyword to mosaic, in 4 steps

QrdyCraft turns any idea — or any photo — into a paint-by-number sticker kit your kid can stick together at home. This page walks through the whole flow, including what to ask at a print shop if you've never used one.

Read time ~3 min · Best for first-time families

1

Type a keyword (or upload a photo)

Open Create and type what you want your child to build — anything from "rainbow butterfly" to "a sleeping cat". Or tap Upload photo to turn a snapshot (the family dog, your kid's drawing) into a mosaic.
Tip · Simple, kid-friendly silhouettes work best. Avoid faces with fine detail — they tessellate into too many small pieces.
2

Pick difficulty + color palette

Match difficulty to your kid's age: Easy (30–50 stickers · ages 4–6), Medium (60–100 · ages 7–9), Hard (120–200 · ages 10–12). Pick one of the six ready-made palettes — Pastel, Vibrant, Ocean, Forest, Rainbow, or Candy.
Tip · First time? Pick Medium · Rainbow. It's the sweet spot that keeps a 6-year-old busy for ~30 minutes without getting frustrated.
3

Download the ZIP

When the mosaic is ready, hit Download. You get a ZIP with two PDFs:
  • mosaic-preview.pdf — 5 pages for you and your kid: the finished art, the numbered grid to stick onto, the sticker sheet, the color legend.
  • stickers-print-and-cut.pdf — one A4 page for the print shop. Has a special CutContour spot color that tells the shop's cutter where to slice.
4

Take stickers-print-and-cut.pdf to a print shop

Walk into any decal shop with a Roland VersaSTUDIO or Mimaki CJV print-and-cut machine — these are standard in any city. Show them the file and say:
“A4, transparent PVC decal, print and kiss-cut on the CutContour spot color. One sheet.”
That's it. The shop's RIP software automatically reads our cut path. Typical turnaround: 5–15 minutes. Typical price: $1–3 per sheet.
Tip · Not sure where to go? Search Google Maps for "decal printing" or "sticker print and cut" in your city. Almost every sign-making shop has the machine.
5

Print the numbered grid at home

Print pages 3–5 of mosaic-preview.pdf on plain A4 paper from your home printer:
  • Page 3 — the numbered grid your child sticks onto
  • Page 4 — the sticker sheet (reference)
  • Page 5 — the color legend
Page 2 (the finished art) is optional — tape it to the wall as a reference so your kid can see where they're heading.
6

Peel, match the number, stick

Peel a sticker from the decal sheet, find the cell on the grid with the same number, press it down. Repeat. The decal is repositionable for the first few seconds, so small mis-stickings are easy to fix.
Tip · For ages 4–6, sit with them and read the numbers out loud — it doubles as number practice. For ages 10+, time them and see if they can beat their record.

Tips that actually work

Keep the silhouette simple

A heart, a butterfly, a fish, a dinosaur — chunky shapes tessellate beautifully. A photo of a face will work but produces many tiny stickers that a young child can't peel.

Bring the file on your phone

Email yourself the PDF or AirDrop it. Most print shops accept files over USB or a quick message — no need to find a USB stick.

Transparent PVC > paper decal

Ask for transparent PVC decal. It's waterproof, peels cleanly, and lasts on a wall or fridge for years. Paper sticker is cheaper but tears.

One mosaic = one afternoon

A Medium mosaic (60–100 pieces) takes 30–45 minutes for a 7-year-old. Hard (120–200) is closer to 90 minutes — better for a quiet weekend.

About the watermark on the Free plan

On the Free plan, the cover and finished-art pages carry a small Made with QrdyCraft · qrdyai.com/craft line. The numbered grid, sticker sheet, and color legend are never watermarked — those are the pages your kid touches. On the print-and-cut PDF, the watermark sits in the bleed area outside the cut line, so the shop's cutter physically removes it during kiss-cut. Pro removes every watermark.

Ready to make one?

The first mosaic on the Free plan is free. No card needed.