What is paint by numbers?
Paint by numbers is a guided painting format where a canvas is divided into numbered regions, each region corresponding to a specific paint color. Your customer paints each region with the matching color to recreate their photo as a finished painting.
Instant Art Kit handles the entire conversion process automatically: a customer uploads a photo, the system converts it into a numbered canvas pattern, and a print-ready production file is generated for your supplier.
The customer experience
From your customer’s perspective, the process is simple and interactive:
- Upload a photo - The customer uploads any personal photo from their device
- Select canvas size - They choose a canvas size from your product variants (e.g., 30x40cm, 40x50cm)
- Select color count - They pick how many paint colors the design will use, which controls detail level
- See the instant preview - A live preview renders in seconds showing exactly what the numbered canvas will look like
- Add to cart - Once satisfied with the preview, they add it to cart and complete checkout as normal
The preview builds confidence
Customers see a realistic rendering of their finished canvas before committing to buy. This transparency reduces hesitation, lowers return rates, and increases satisfaction because there are no surprises when the product arrives.
What gets generated
When an order is placed, Instant Art Kit automatically generates two production files in the background.
Print-ready canvas file
A 300 DPI TIFF file containing:
- The numbered pattern at full print resolution
- Professional 1-inch margins on all sides for clean production
- Clearly labeled numbered regions for each paint color
- A color legend showing each color number and its corresponding paint code
This file goes directly to your supplier or print facility. No manual intervention is required.
Paint specifications sheet
A separate document listing the complete paint specification for the order:
- Every paint color used in the design
- The corresponding paint code from the acrylic paint palette
- The relative quantity of each color needed
Factories use this sheet to prepare paint sets, ensuring your customer receives the correct paints to complete their canvas.
Production is hands-off
File generation happens automatically after every order. By the time you check your Print Jobs dashboard, the files are typically already ready to download and send to your supplier.
Color counts and detail
The number of colors in a paint by numbers design directly affects how detailed and complex the finished canvas looks. Instant Art Kit supports a wide range from simple beginner designs to richly detailed canvases for experienced painters.
You configure which color counts are available on each product, and map them to your Shopify product variants so customers can choose when they shop.
Learn more about color options and how to configure them →
Templates for production files
Templates control the layout of the production TIFF file - where your logo appears, how the color legend is formatted, and what order information is included. A well-configured template gives every production file a professional, branded look.
Learn how to set up paint by numbers templates →