Make your own printable coloring pages

Color by Number Print & Play

Choose a picture and difficulty, then print it with its answer key or color it online by tapping.

This page makes color by number printables and lets you play them online. Pick a picture or design, press a button, and print it on US Letter or A4 paper, or play it on screen. The tool runs in your web browser, it is free, and it needs no sign-up.

There are two picture types. Mosaic pictures are pixel-style pictures drawn as a grid of squares, each with a number. Numbered designs, such as Mandala, Stained glass, Geometric pattern and Christmas tree, have a number in every space. The site includes 45 mosaic pictures across animals, food, nature, things, and holidays and seasons. You can find simple pages for young children, harder color by number pages for adults, and Christmas pictures in the same place.

How to make a color by number printable

  1. Choose a picture type: “Mosaic pictures” for a square grid, or one of the numbered designs (Mandala, Stained glass, Geometric pattern or Christmas tree).
  2. For a mosaic, set the Difficulty filter to Easy, Medium or Hard, then pick a picture. Or press a Quick style such as ‘Easy for kids’, ‘For preschoolers’, ‘Hard for adults’, ‘Christmas’ or ‘Halloween’.
  3. For a mosaic, set Code style to ‘Numbers’, ‘Letters’ or ‘Shapes (for pre-readers)’. Choose whether Background squares are ‘Leave blank’ or ‘Number them too’. Turn on ‘Mystery picture’ if you want the name hidden.
  4. For a numbered design, set Detail, Color set and Number of colors (4 to 10, default 8).
  5. Leave ‘Include the answer key page’ on if you want a fully colored page as well.
  6. Press ‘New picture’ to draw a different one.
  7. Choose US Letter or A4 paper, add an optional name line, then press ‘Print’. To keep a file, press ‘Download PDF’.

Use the views ‘Printable page’, ‘Answer key’ and ‘Play online’ to switch between the printable page, the finished picture and the on-screen game. ‘Download PNG’ saves the page you are viewing as an image, and ‘Copy link’ lets you share the current picture.

How does color by number work?

Each number, letter or shape stands for one color in the color key on the page. Color every space with that number in its matching color, and the picture appears. Every page has a color key showing the number, a color swatch and the color name, so you always know which color goes where.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. ‘Include the answer key page’ is on by default and adds a second, fully colored page to your print. You can also open the ‘Answer key’ view on screen. Use it to check your work or to see the finished picture before you start.

Are there easy pages for preschoolers who can’t read numbers yet?

Yes. Choose ‘For preschoolers’ from Quick styles, or set Code style to ‘Shapes (for pre-readers)’, so each color is marked with a shape instead of a number. For mosaics, choose Difficulty Easy, which means up to 16 × 16 squares using 5 colors or fewer. For designs, set Detail to ‘Easy – big spaces’.

What is a mystery color by number?

A mystery color by number hides the picture’s name, so the finished picture is a surprise. Turn on ‘Mystery picture’ for a mosaic. When you play online and color every space, the tool reveals the name. Mystery pages work well for children and adults who enjoy guessing before the reveal.

Can I play color by number online?

Yes. Choose the ‘Play online’ view. Pick a color in the palette, or press its number key, then tap the squares or spaces that use that number. A wrong color shows which color the space needs. ‘Show hint’ flashes the spaces for the selected color, and a progress bar shows the percentage. Zoom buttons enlarge the grid, and ‘Start over’ clears the picture. When every space is colored, the screen says ‘You did it!’

Is it free and do I need to sign up?

No sign-up is needed, and the tool is free to use. Nothing you make is uploaded or sent to a server. Each picture is drawn by the site’s own code when you press a button, not copied from an image collection.

Can I print on A4?

Yes. Both US Letter and A4 are offered, so choose A4 before you print. If you download a PDF instead, it is a vector file, so the lines and numbers stay sharp at any size. Printing includes the picture page, plus the answer key page if it is switched on.

Are there hard color by number pages for adults?

Yes. Choose ‘Hard for adults’ from Quick styles, which gives a hard mandala with 10 colors. For mosaics, set Difficulty to Hard, which means 28 squares or more on a side. For designs, set Detail to ‘Hard – many small spaces’. Spaces too small for a number take the color of the space next to them.

Frequently asked questions

Do these coloring pages come with a color guide?

Yes. Every page has a color key under the picture: each number (or letter or shape) with a swatch and the color’s name. The answer key page is a second, complete color guide.

Are there Christmas color by number pages?

Yes. Choose the ‘Christmas’ Quick style or the Christmas tree design, and set Color set to ‘Christmas’ for designs. The holidays and seasons group of mosaics includes a Christmas tree and a snowman.

Is a pixel color by number the same as a color by number squares printable?

Yes. Both names describe mosaic pictures, which are drawn as a grid of squares with a number in each one. Pick a Difficulty level to set how many squares the picture has.

How many mosaic pictures are there?

There are 45 mosaic pictures. They are grouped as Animals (11), Food (6), Nature (8), Things (9), and Holidays and seasons (11).

Can I save my picture as an image?

Yes. ‘Download PNG’ saves the page you are viewing as an image file. ‘Download PDF’ gives you a vector file instead.

How do I get a different picture?

Press ‘New picture’ to draw another one with your current settings. Change the Difficulty, Quick style or design options first if you want something different.

Are color by number pages good for mixed ages?

Yes, because you can change the Code style, Difficulty and Detail settings for each person. Use shapes or big spaces for younger children, and hard mosaics or small spaces for older children and adults.