Cross stitch pattern checker: drop a file, get a score
Drop your .oxs or .xsd pattern and see an ixo Score out of 100 — plus the specific things that make the design harder to stitch: confetti, redundant colours, confusable symbols.
You are signed in now — drop that PDF again to see its score.
Drop an .oxs, .xsd or .pdf pattern here
…or click to pick a file from your computer
.oxs and .xsd files are processed in your browser and never uploaded. A PDF is different: it goes to our server, gets recognised there, is scored, and is deleted right after — unless the read fails and you choose to send us the file: then we keep it for up to 5 days. We never publish it.
A PDF check needs a free account
Reading a PDF chart runs our recognition engine on the server, so this path is tied to an account. It is free, and the file is deleted right after it is scored, unless you choose to send it to us after a failed read (then we keep it for up to 5 days).
Create a free account.oxs and .xsd stay anonymous — no account, nothing leaves your browser.
Reading your pattern…
Top problems
What the ixo Score measures
The score is a weighted average of four checks, each scored out of 100. It describes how comfortable a pattern is to stitch — not whether the picture is pretty.
- Fragmentation — how much “confetti” the design has: single squares of a colour with no same-colour neighbour. Confetti is the number one complaint about machine-converted photos, because every one of those squares costs a thread change.
- Palette optimality — colours that earn nothing: never used at all, used a handful of times, or so close to another colour that no one can tell them apart on fabric.
- Symbol legibility — pairs of colours whose symbols look alike sitting near each other on the chart. They get mixed up in print, especially in black and white.
- Workability — the sheer number of working colours plus the share of fractional and petit stitches.
All four are computed from the file itself, in this browser tab. Nothing about the pattern is stored or sent anywhere.
Ready to fix what the check found?
Open the pattern in the free ixo editor: merge confetti in a click, delete unused colours, re-space confusable symbols, and export a print-ready PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Does my pattern get uploaded anywhere?
Not a .oxs or .xsd file: it is read and scored by JavaScript running in this tab, with no upload and no account, so you can check a design you sell without handing it to anyone. A PDF is different: it goes to our server, is scored there and is deleted right away — unless the read fails and you choose to send us the file, in which case we keep it for up to 5 days.
Which pattern files can I check?
.oxs, .xsd — read in your browser. PDF charts are read too, but by our recognition engine on the server: drop one and we will read the chart, score it and delete the file (unless the read fails and you choose to send it to us for review). That path needs a free account.
What happens to my PDF?
It is uploaded to our server only when you drop it here, and only after you sign in — nothing happens with a .oxs or .xsd file. We run it through our recognition engine to score it, then delete it right away: you never get the recognised chart back. The only exception is your own choice: if the read fails, a signed-in user can send us the file for review, and only then do we keep it, with its metadata stripped, for no more than 5 days before it is deleted. If you want the recognised pattern itself, not just its score, open the PDF in the ixo editor — that path is a paid step (credits or Pro), separate from this free check.
What is a good ixo Score?
Below 60 means the pattern will fight the stitcher — usually a photo conversion with heavy confetti and a bloated palette. 60 to 84 is a workable design with rough edges. 85 and above is a clean, stitch-ready chart.
What exactly is “confetti”?
A single square of one colour with no neighbour of the same colour touching it, in any of the eight directions. One confetti square means threading a needle, anchoring, making one stitch and finishing off. A handful is fine; a few thousand is why converted photos get abandoned.
Why does it flag colours that look different to me?
Near-identical pairs are compared by perceptual colour distance, not by thread number. Two shades can carry different DMC codes and still be indistinguishable once they are stitched next to each other — merging them removes a thread change and loses nothing.
Is the checker free?
Yes, and there is nothing to install or sign up for. It is part of the free ixo cross stitch editor, which shows the same four metrics live while you edit and can fix most of them automatically.