Black Ink 2 4+

A fun crossword app

I've used this app nearly every day since the 2.0 update in support of my crossword hobby. It works with the puzzles that I get in my e-mail (use the .PUZ file instead of the .JPZ file), and I also use it to download recent free puzzles from WSJ and The Chronicle.

The app supports some special features like circled letters and squares that accept multiple answers. It's difficult to describe, but the grid appearance is very nice, and a really nice feature is that the window is resizable and you can make it basically an size you want.

Occasionally I cheat a bit and use the "Check Entire Puzzle" feature to see if I've missed any letters; when I enter the corrected letter, I'm gifted with a lovely green checkmark.

There's a feature here that I thought was heresy when I first saw it: if your Mac is in Dark Mode, instead of black and white squares the grid will be black and gray! Now that I've accepted it, this has actually become one of my favorite features. If you get the urge to solve crosswords on the computer in the dark, you can do it without that initial wincing and squinting.

Developer Response ,

Thank you so much for the thoughtful review. It's great to learn that so many of the "finishing touches" I decided to add to the app were appreciated!

Come on people...

I don't usually write reviews but this app is taking an unwarranted spanking on here. It is a very elegant and intuitive interface to open and solve .puz files which is everything it purports to be. Way more fun than working a pdf or browser based puzzle. Seriously, this is the internet, people, nothing is actually free. If you like solving crosswords, buy a subscription to a service and then use Black Ink to work them.

Developer Response ,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this! It's true a lot of people don't "get" the point of Black Ink, and assume it's a guaranteed source of unlimited free puzzles. Naturally they will be disappointed. Thank you for appreciating the app for what it is.

A pleasure to use

Black Ink provides a fine interface for solving, whether through downloading in the app itself (it doesn't seem fair to blame the developer for puzzle sources that are unreliable or change access methods, etc) or uploading puzzles from any of the plethora of indie crossword sites. The developer is also very responsive to inquiries and acknowledges and considers suggestions for additions and improvement.