How to get a digital chart for a kit — and what to do if there isn't one
A kit usually has just one chart — on paper, sometimes on a glossy sheet and in small print. It's awkward to mark what you've stitched on it, and you don't want to spoil it: there won't be another. So many stitchers look for a digital version of the same chart. Here's where to look and what to do if there isn't one.
Start with the kit itself
- Leaflet and box. Check the instructions, the back of the box and the chart itself: sometimes there's a link or a QR code to a file.
- Kit number. Note the kit's name and number — you'll need them to search and to write to the maker.
- Year. The older the kit, the less likely the maker still has its file.
The maker's website and support
- A section for customers. On the maker's website, look for a section with charts, downloads or customer questions.
- Write to support. If there's nothing on the site, write in: the kit's name and number, that you bought it and would like a digital chart for your own stitching. Attach a photo of the box with the kit number.
- What to ask. Which format the chart is in (PDF, image, charting software file) and whether you may print it for yourself.
What makers provide
From the makers' public pages as of 7 November 2026:
- Riolis — new kits have a QR code for a chart in the format of the Saga program; for older kits you can request a code from their customer care with a photo of the kit (maker's news).
- Andriana — the kit includes a digital chart for the Saga and Paradise programs.
- MP Studia — the digital chart is sold separately from the kit: as a PDF and for the Saga and Paradise programs (digital charts section).
- Merejka — a QR code in the kit; the chart opens in the maker's own app.
- Zolotoe Runo — kits marked "Есть электронная схема" (digital chart included) come with a chart in the XSD format of Pattern Maker (maker's news).
- Mir Vyshivki — the kit has a link to a chart for the Saga program and a PDF chart (brand owner's site).
- Panna — their FAQ says nothing about a digital chart for a kit. The free charts section on the site is not kit charts.
- Dimensions — according to their FAQ, a printable PDF is sent only to replace a lost paper chart, on request.
Terms change: before buying, check the kit description — it usually says whether a digital chart is included.
For what digital charts look like and how a vector PDF differs from a scan, see "Vector PDF or scan".
If there's no digital chart
This happens a lot, especially with older kits. Then the main thing is not to spoil the original.
- Photocopy. Make a copy to mark on, preferably enlarged: symbols are easier to tell apart on a big copy. Put the original away in a folder.
- Photo or scan. Photograph the chart flat, from above, in daylight, without glare. Shoot a large chart in parts that overlap a little. A photo like this is easy to zoom on a tablet.
- For yourself only. A copy of a kit chart is for your own stitching. Don't pass it on to others: the chart is the designer's work.
- Mark the copy. Highlighter, pencil or strokes — whatever suits you. For not losing your marks if the copy goes missing, see "How not to lose your cross stitch progress".
Where the app comes in
If you have the chart as an OXS file, Crossette opens it and you can mark right on the screen — see "What is an OXS file". And marks you've already made with a highlighter on a paper copy can be brought into that chart from a photo of the page — see "How to bring your marks over from another tracker or a paper chart".
About the author
This article was written by the Crossette team. We're building Crossette, a cross stitch tracker for iPhone and iPad. It's in development; to join the beta, see the Beta page.