# How to Use the Bingo Challenge Builder — User Guide | PuzzleBuilder > URL: https://puzzlebuilder.co/docs/how-to-use-the-bingo-challenge-builder/ Step-by-step guide to creating a Bingo Challenge game with PuzzleBuilder. Learn how to add items, organize categories, customize the card design, and publish an interactive online game with a live leaderboard. --- ## How to Use the Bingo Challenge Builder This guide walks you through everything you need to know to create a personalized Bingo Challenge using PuzzleBuilder — from filling your first cell to downloading or publishing your finished card. ### 1. Getting Started To create a Bingo Challenge, you first need an occasion. An occasion is the container for your puzzles — it can be a wedding, a birthday, a classroom activity, or any other event. If you haven't created an occasion yet: - Click + New Puzzle from your dashboard. - Choose an existing occasion or create a new one. - Select Bingo Challenge as your puzzle type. Once your occasion is set up, the Bingo Challenge builder opens automatically. The first time you open a new puzzle, you'll be asked to choose a page size and orientation — these can be changed later from the **Size** tab at any time. ### 2. The Builder Interface The Bingo Challenge builder has three main areas: - Left panel: Four tabs — Challenge (your language, grid, and answers), Size (page dimensions), Templates (ready-made designs), and Layers (element list and new element tools). - Center canvas: A live preview of your card design. The artboard inside the canvas represents the actual page — everything within its boundaries appears in your downloaded file. - Right panel (Style & Content): Controls for the currently selected element — or, when nothing is selected, the global styling controls for the card itself. The top toolbar includes **Save** (with an input field to name your puzzle), **Guide** (a link to this page), **Download**, and **Publish**. Below it, you'll find zoom controls, a **Fit** button to fit the canvas to your screen, and toggle buttons for **Hide Crop Marks**, **Hide Grid**, and **Show Answers**. You can also right-click anywhere on the canvas to open a quick menu with shortcuts to Save, toggle Crop Marks, Grid, Answers, and Download. To move around the canvas, hold **Alt** and drag, or press the middle mouse button and drag. You can also zoom in and out using your mouse wheel. #### On Mobile On mobile devices, the builder adapts to your screen. The left and right panels are hidden by default and open from the buttons at the top of the screen: - Tap Panel at the top left to open the left panel. - Tap Properties at the top right to open the Style & Content panel. - The Save, Guide, Download, and Publish actions are grouped under the ☰ menu button in the top row. Mobile also includes a **Pan** toggle for navigating the canvas by touch. When Pan is on, you can drag the canvas with your finger to move around. When Pan is off, tapping and dragging selects and moves elements on the artboard. ### 3. Setting Up Your Card Open the **Challenge** tab in the left panel. This is where you set the puzzle language, the grid shape, and the correct answers used during online play. #### Puzzle Language Select your puzzle language from the dropdown at the top of the Challenge tab. The puzzle language is independent of the website language — you can be browsing in English and build a Bingo card in Spanish. Available languages: English, Spanish, German, French, Turkish, Dutch, Italian, and Portuguese. Each language ships with 32 ready-made cell prompts per occasion (Wedding, Birthday, Bridal Shower, Baby Shower, Corporate, Education, Just for Fun). When you change the language, all empty cells are filled with prompts from that language's content pool. Cells you've already edited keep your custom text. #### Grid Two dropdowns control the card layout: - Number of Rows: 1 to 5. - Number of Items in a Row: 1 to 5. The maximum card size is 5×5 (25 cells). After changing the language or either dropdown, click **Apply Changes** to load the new layout into the canvas. Below Apply Changes you'll find a **Shuffle cell prompts** button. This rearranges the existing prompts on the card without changing the language or grid size — useful when you like the prompts but want a different visual order. #### Answer Area If you plan to enable online play, enter the correct answer for each cell in the **Answer Area** list. The list automatically shows one input per cell — cell 1 maps to the top-left, then left to right, row by row. The answer is what online players type into the letter-by-letter panel when they tap that cell during online play. For the printed card, the answer area is the line guests write on by hand — you don't need to fill the answers list if you're only printing. ### 4. Editing Individual Cells Click any cell on the canvas to select it. The right **Style & Content** panel will show options for that cell under the **Bingo Cell** heading: - Cell text: Shows the current prompt in that cell as a read-only preview. - Edit cell text… Opens a modal with a text area so you can rewrite the prompt. - Random phrase: Replaces the current prompt with a random one from the language's content pool, excluding any prompts already used in other cells. - Clear text: Removes the prompt from the cell, leaving it blank. You can also double-click a cell on the canvas to open the Edit cell text modal directly. ### 5. Choosing a Page Size Click the **Size** tab in the left panel to choose your page dimensions. Available sizes include: - 5×7 in (Card Size) — 127 × 177.8 mm - 5.5×8.5 in (Half Letter) — 139.7 × 215.9 mm - 8.5×11 in (US Letter) — 215.9 × 279.4 mm - 11×17 in (Tabloid / Ledger) — 279.4 × 431.8 mm - 18×24 in (Medium Poster) — 457.2 × 609.6 mm - 24×36 in (Large Poster) — 609.6 × 914.4 mm - 30×42 in (Giant / Easel) — 762 × 1066.8 mm - A5 — 148 × 210 mm - A4 — 210 × 297 mm - A3 — 297 × 420 mm - A2 — 420 × 594 mm - A1 — 594 × 841 mm - A0 — 841 × 1189 mm You can also switch between **Portrait** and **Landscape** orientation. Click **Apply Page Size** to update the canvas. When you change the page size, your design is automatically rescaled to fit the new dimensions. In most cases, you may want to fine-tune element positions and sizes afterward. ### 6. Applying a Template Click the **Templates** tab to browse ready-made designs. Each template includes a pre-arranged layout with styled elements — titles, card styling, and decorative elements. Select a template and click **Apply Template**. A confirmation dialog will ask you to confirm, because applying a new template replaces the decorative elements of the current template (including any customizations you've made to them). Your card content and any elements you've added yourself stay exactly where they are. ### 7. Customizing the Card Design When nothing is selected on the canvas, the right **Style & Content** panel shows the card-wide design controls. These determine how the card itself looks — spacing, cell appearance, text styling, and the answer area used in the printed version. #### Spacing - Gap: Space between cells. Range 0–100 px. - Grid Padding: Margin between the card grid and the artboard edges. Range 0–100 px. Spacing changes don't update the canvas live. After adjusting them, scroll down in the right panel and click **Update Grid** to apply. #### Slot Slot controls determine the appearance of each cell on the card: - Slot background: Fill color for each cell. - Border: Cell border thickness, 0–10 px. - Border Color: Color of the cell border. - Corner radius: How rounded the cell corners are, 0–20 px. - Gap: Internal padding inside each cell, 0–50 px. #### Cell Text Cell text controls the appearance of the prompt text inside every cell: - Font family - Font weight: Normal or Bold. - Font style: Normal or Italic. - Font color - Font size - Line height #### Answer Area (Printed Version) The answer area is the horizontal line drawn inside each cell where guests write their answer on the printed card. These controls only affect the printed version — in online play, guests don't see this line. - Line position: Top or Bottom of the cell. - Line margin: Distance between the line and the chosen edge, 0–100 px. - Line Thickness: Line weight, 0–10 px. - Line style: Solid or Dotted. - Line Color ### 8. Customizing the Overall Design Every element on the canvas — not just the bingo card — can be customized from the right panel. #### Inline Text Editing Double-click any text element on the canvas to edit its content directly on the artboard. This includes any title, label, or text element you've added yourself. For cell text, double-clicking opens the Edit cell text modal instead. #### Size, Rotation, Flip, and Alignment Every element has the same core controls in the right panel: - Align to Page: Snap the element to the Left, Center, Right, Top, Middle, or Bottom of the page. - Size: Set exact width and height in pixels. Use the lock toggle to maintain the aspect ratio, or click Reset Size to restore the original dimensions. - Flip: Mirror the element horizontally or vertically. - Rotate: Enter an angle in degrees, or click Reset to return to 0°. You can also drag elements freely on the canvas, resize them using the corner or edge handles, and rotate them using the rotation control that appears below a selected element. #### Multi-Select Alignment Select multiple elements at once by holding **Shift** and clicking each element, or by dragging a selection box across them on the canvas. You can also multi-select from the **Layers** tab by holding **Shift** and clicking layer rows. When multiple elements are selected, the right panel shows two sets of controls: **Align Elements** aligns the selected elements relative to each other (e.g., align their left edges or center them horizontally), and **Align to Page** aligns them relative to the page. #### Adding New Elements Open the **Layers** tab. At the bottom you'll find the **Add Element** section with these options: - Rectangle: A shape with adjustable fill color and corner radius (for rounded corners). - Triangle and Circle: Shapes with adjustable fill color. - Line: A straight line with adjustable thickness and color. - Text: A new text box with full typography controls — font family, weight, style, color, and alignment. - Image: Upload your own images (JPEG, PNG, GIF, or WebP — up to 5 images, max 5 MB per file). You can add up to 10 of each shape or text element. Template elements and the bingo card itself don't count toward these limits. #### Layer Management The **Layers** tab shows the stacking order of all elements on the canvas. Elements at the top of the list appear in front of elements below them. Drag and drop layer rows to reorder them — useful when you want to overlap elements or ensure the bingo card stays on top of a background shape. Each layer row includes a remove icon (for user-added elements), a visibility toggle (for hideable template elements), and a drag handle for reordering. ### 9. Crop Marks and Grid Lines The builder includes three display toggles in the top toolbar: - Hide/Show Crop Marks: Small corner marks that indicate the safe print area. Useful when printing to ensure accurate trimming. - Hide/Show Grid: A background grid that helps you align elements while designing. - Show/Hide Answers: Reveals the correct answer inside each cell so you can verify the layout before exporting. These are display-only features — they don't affect your downloaded file unless you intentionally export with Show Answers enabled. ### 10. Saving Your Work Click the **Save** button in the top toolbar to save your current progress. Your puzzle name appears in the input field next to it — you can rename it at any time. Saving preserves everything: your language, grid setup, cell prompts, answers, design choices, element positions, template, page size, and orientation. Your puzzle is stored in your account, and you can return to it any time from your dashboard. ### 11. Downloading Your Card Click the **Download** button in the top toolbar to open the download dialog. You'll see three options: - PNG Preview: A standard-resolution image for quick previews and sharing. - PNG High-Quality: A high-resolution image suitable for printing. - Print Ready PDF: A PDF file optimized for professional print quality. The downloaded file shows exactly what's inside the artboard — crop marks, grid lines, and other display-only helpers are not included. If you've enabled Show Answers, the exported file will include the answers inside each cell — useful as a host's reference sheet during the event. Downloads are available on all paid packages. Free plan users can preview their card in the builder but cannot download files. ### 12. Publishing Your Card Online Click the **Publish** button in the top toolbar to open the publish dialog. Here you can: - Get a public link: A unique URL that anyone can open to play your Bingo Challenge online. - Add password protection: Optionally set a password so only invited guests can access the card. - Enable scoring and leaderboard: Turn on the scoring system to track each player's score, completion time, hints used, and failed attempts. Players are ranked on a live leaderboard visible on the puzzle page. - Show leaderboard to players: Choose whether players can see the leaderboard and other players' scores. You can copy the public link, share it via any messaging app, or unpublish the card at any time. Online play is available on all paid packages. Free plan users cannot publish puzzles. **Important:** Online play requires a correct answer for every cell. Cells without an answer in the Answer Area list cannot be solved by guests. Make sure every cell has both a prompt and an answer before publishing. ### 13. How Online Play Works for Players When someone opens your card link, they see a welcome screen with the card title, your custom header (if set), and a name entry field. After entering their name, they tap **Start Playing**. The bingo card is displayed with all cells visible. Players tap any cell to open the answer panel, type their answer letter by letter into the boxes, and tap **Check** to submit. The game includes: - Timer: Tracks how long the player has been solving. - Hints: Players get a limited number of hints per game. Each hint reveals one correct letter in the selected cell. The counter on the Hint button shows how many remain. - Wrong answers: If a player submits three incorrect answers for the same cell, that cell is locked out and stays empty. - Score: Calculated based on speed, accuracy, hints used, and failed attempts. Correct answers light up green; incorrect ones flash red. The first guest to fill the entire card with correct answers wins, but the leaderboard keeps updating in real time so everyone can see their ranking. Players do not need to create an account or download anything. The game runs entirely in their browser on any device. ### 14. Tips for a Great Bingo Challenge - Start with a 4×4 layout: 16 cells gives a satisfying card without overwhelming guests. Move up to 5×5 for longer events or larger groups. - Keep prompts short: Cells are small, especially at smaller print sizes. Two short lines fit comfortably; longer prompts may get cut off. - Use Random phrase to fill quickly: Click Random phrase on each empty cell to get a balanced mix from the content pool, then edit the ones you want to personalize. - Keep answers single words or short phrases: Online players type into letter boxes, so multi-word answers can feel slow. One word or a short phrase works best. - Set every answer if you're publishing online: Cells without answers can't be solved by guests, so make sure the Answer Area list is complete before publishing. - Preview with Show Answers before printing: If your answer text is long, you may need to widen cells or reduce font size to fit. - Test the online version: Open your own card link and play through it once to make sure every cell works as expected. ### Need Help? If you have any questions or run into any issues while building your Bingo Challenge, contact our support team through the [Support page](https://puzzlebuilder.co/support/?contact). #### All Documents - How to Use the Crossword Builder - How to Use the Word Search Builder - How to Use the Number Hunt Builder - How to Use the Photo Challenge Builder - How to Use the Bingo Challenge Builder - How to Use the Sudoku Builder - How to Use the Spy Challenge Builder - How to Use Online Play and Leaderboards - Printing Guide - How to Print Your Puzzles - How to Use the AI Clue Generator - The Complete Guide to Designing Print-Ready Puzzle Cards - How to Create Engaging Classroom Puzzles for Any Subject [← Back to Support](https://puzzlebuilder.co/support/) ### Ready to make your event unforgettable? Open the editor and build your first puzzle in minutes. You only pay when you're ready to download or publish — and every purchase is covered by a 14-day refund. 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