Frequently asked questions

Mono uses 5 tones from deep black to bright white — elegant, timeless, and our fastest build. Vivid uses 7 saturated colours for a bold, pop-art look. Retro uses 7 warm sepia tones for something vintage and cinematic. Same photo, three very different pieces.

Portraits with strong light and shadow suit Mono. Bright, colourful photos of pets and children suit Vivid. Old prints, family shots and golden-hour photos suit Retro. If you're torn, send us the photo on WhatsApp at +91 8591967891 and we'll send back previews in all three, free.

A4 is 21 × 30 cm and takes around 20 hours. A3 is 30 × 42 cm and takes around 38. A3 holds more detail, which matters most in faces. A4 is a gentler first project.

Vivid and Retro come with 22,400 for A4 (7 colours × 3,200) and 44,800 for A3 (7 × 6,400). Mono comes with 16,000 for A4 and 32,000 for A3, across 5 colours.

Deliberately. An A3 canvas has 19,305 bead positions, an A4 has 9,477 — but we can't know in advance how your particular photo will split across the colours. A bright portrait might lean heavily on two packets; a landscape might spread across five. So we fill every packet for the worst case. You'll finish with a good number spare, and you won't run out mid-section.

Mono uses 5 colours rather than 7, and we pack the same 3,200 per colour for A4 and 6,400 for A3. Same canvas, same coverage, fewer packets.

Our first production run is being made now. Kits ordered today dispatch on 10 September 2026. You'll get an email with tracking as soon as your parcel leaves us.

Yes, any time before dispatch, for a full refund. Email hello@pixelette.shop with your order number.

We'll email you before 10 September, and you can cancel for a full refund if the new date doesn't suit you.

Yes. Prices include GST and shipping is free across India. The amount at checkout is what you pay.

Not currently. We ship within India only.

No. The kit ships first. Your photo goes in later, when you scan the QR card and upload it — that's what generates your pattern. It's why Pixelette works well as a gift.

Yes. Send your photo to +91 8591967891 on WhatsApp and we'll send back previews in all three styles. Free, no obligation.

Bright and clear, with the face large and centred in the frame. Window light is ideal. Use the original file from your phone rather than a screenshot or WhatsApp forward — those have usually lost too much detail.

Faces that are far away or small in the frame, anything in shadow, and anything out of focus.

Yes. Photograph or scan it in good light. Old prints suit Retro particularly well.

Yes, as often as you like. There's no limit on your kit code — upload a different photo, adjust the crop, try another look, and download whichever pattern you prefer. Nothing is locked in.

Yes, the code keeps working. Bear in mind that any beads already on the canvas follow the pattern you started with, so a new one means beginning again from a clean section.

Each kit contains one canvas and one set of beads, so a kit makes one finished piece. You can generate as many patterns as you like to decide which photo to use.

We use it only to make your pattern. We don't sell it, share it with advertisers, or use it in our marketing without your written permission. Original uploads are deleted 90 days after your pattern is generated.

See our Privacy Policy →

Yes, if you have their permission. For a photo of a child, you need to be their parent or guardian, or have permission from one.

A sticky-backed canvas divided into numbered sections, your beads in labelled packets — one letter per colour — an applicator pen, a grooved bead tray, a wax pad, and your kit code card.

Printed inside your manual, on the card with the QR code. It looks like MONO-A3-DP25Y — your style, your size, then a unique code. Keep the card safe: the code is the only way to unlock your pattern.

Not a problem. Email hello@pixelette.shop with your order number and we'll issue you a replacement code. Your pattern and your kit are unaffected.

You press the pen tip into it. The wax is what lets the pen pick up a bead. When the pen stops gripping, press it in again.

Tip a little of one colour in and shake gently — the beads settle flat side down and line up in the grooves, so the pen picks them up the right way round every time.

Unlikely, given how much we pack. But if a packet does run out, message us with your kit code and we'll send replacements free.

The beads are small, so kits are best suited to older children and adults.

No. Good lighting helps, and some people like a lap tray, but everything essential is included.

No, kits ship unframed. Both sizes fit standard A4 and A3 frames.

A cover page with a preview of your finished piece, your kit code, and a table of every colour showing how many beads your photo needs against how many are packed. Then a master map of the whole picture divided into numbered sections. Then the section grids themselves, nine to a page. An A3 Mono pattern runs to 18 pages.

Your canvas is divided into numbered sections — 143 on an A3, 81 on an A4. Find the section you want on the master map, then turn to its grid. Within a section, columns run 1–9 and rows run 1–15 on A3 or 1–13 on A4. Letters tell you which packet to use; the small number after a letter tells you how many of that colour go in a row, so H¹ H² H³ means three H-beads side by side.

Both. In Mono, for example, A is White, B Light Grey, C Mid Grey, D Dark Grey and E Black. The PDF lists them on the cover page so you can check a packet against the pattern.

You never work on more than one section at a time — about 130 beads on a page. The numbering also means you can put it down mid-section and find your place again later.

Anywhere you like. Sections don't have to be done in order, and some are much quicker than others — large background areas can be one colour repeated across the whole grid. Starting with one of those is a good way to build confidence.

No. Most people work from it on a phone or tablet. Print it if you'd rather, but it isn't necessary.

Yes. Your kit code doesn't expire, so you can log back in and download the PDF whenever you need it.

Around 20 hours for A4 and 38 for A3, at a comfortable pace. It's meant to be picked up and put down over a few weeks, not finished in a weekend.

No. It's repetitive rather than skilled — if you can match a letter to a colour, you can do it. The first twenty minutes feel fiddly, then it becomes automatic.

Lift it off with the tip of the pen and place it again. The adhesive stays workable.

The numbers around each grid are a map. Column 4, row 7 in the PDF is column 4, row 7 on your canvas, so you can always work out exactly where you stopped.

Yes. Only peel back the film over the section you're working on, so the rest stays covered and clean. Store it flat.

No. Press the whole surface down firmly and frame it. Sealing is optional.

Pre-orders dispatch 10 September 2026. After dispatch: 2–4 business days in Mumbai and Maharashtra, 3–5 to metro cities, 5–8 to the rest of India, 7–12 to remote and North-Eastern regions.

Free, everywhere in India.

You'll get a dispatch email with a tracking number. Tracking can take up to 24 hours to go live on the courier's site.

The courier tries up to three times. If all three fail, the parcel returns to us and we'll contact you to rearrange. A ₹200 redelivery charge may apply.

Email hello@pixelette.shop within 7 days of delivery with photos of the packaging and contents, and we'll replace the affected items free of charge.

No. Every kit generates a one-of-one pattern from your photo, so we can't resell returns. You can cancel any time before dispatch for a full refund.

Email us within 7 days of delivery with photos and we'll replace it or refund you in full, your choice. This covers manufacturing defects, transit damage, wrong or missing items, and activation codes that won't work.

Not unless we ask. If we do, we cover the return shipping.

No. Having generated your pattern doesn't change your eligibility.

See our Return & Refund Policy →