The Doodlebox Playbook
The Doodlebox Playbook
Say an idea out loud. Hold a sticker in your hand.
18 games for the whole family, an idea machine that never runs dry and all our tips so your Doodlebox prints smiles every single day.
Before you play
Ready in three minutes
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1
Charge it and load the roll
Plug in the USB-C cable from the box. Meanwhile, slide in the paper roll (no tools, five seconds). If your first sticker comes out blank, the roll is upside down: flip it over.
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2
Connect it to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
Follow the quick-start card in the box. Important: the Doodlebox only connects to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, not 5 GHz. Stuck? It's all explained in Troubleshooting.
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3
Your first sticker
Hold the button, say your idea, let go. The drawing appears on the screen, then prints in a few seconds. Tear it off, colour it in, stick it anywhere. (Leave this step to the kids.)
The magic formula
The more you describe, the better your sticker
A little secret for parents: to get the drawing they want, kids hunt for more precise words. It's the sneakiest vocabulary lesson in the world.
For parents
- The microphone only listens while the button is held down.
- A filter blocks anything that isn't child-friendly.
- No voice data is stored or sold.
- BPA- and BPS-free thermal paper. No ink, ever.
Out of ideas?
The idea machine
Press the button, read the idea out loud to your Doodlebox… and see what it makes of it.
25,600 possible combinations. You'll almost never get the same one twice.
Already drawn
The heart of the playbook
18 games so nobody's ever bored
At home, in the car, at a birthday party or just before bed. Tick the ones you've tried to unlock the levels.
- Scribble Apprentice
- Living-Room Artist
- Sticker Master
- Doodlebox Legend
The challenge
7 days without a tablet
One sticker a day for a week. Tap each ticket when it's done. On day seven, the diploma unlocks.
Official diploma
Certified Doodler
Just 7 more days and this diploma is yours.
Pro secrets
Six tips that change everything
Colour without damage
Coloured pencils, washable markers and wax crayons: perfect. Avoid alcohol markers, permanent markers and highlighters: they can darken or fade thermal paper.
Heat is enemy no. 1
Thermal paper darkens in heat. No stickers in the sun behind the windscreen, or on the radiator. Keep your rolls somewhere dry and out of the light.
Where to stick them?
On a smooth, clean, dry surface: notebooks, water bottles, lunch boxes, doors, the fridge. A decorated water bottle gets hand-washed, not put in the dishwasher.
Get understood first time
Hold the button for the whole sentence and speak close to the box, in a quiet room. For the littlest ones, a grown-up can repeat their idea.
The wall of fails
It heard “a horse at the beach” instead of “a horse that can swim”? Keep it. The fails often become the family's favourite stickers.
One notebook per child
Stick in one sticker a day and write the date next to it. In five years, it'll be the diary of their imagination.
Don't panic
Quick troubleshooting
My sticker comes out blank
The roll is probably upside down. Try the fingernail test: lightly scratch the paper; the side that leaves a grey mark is the printable side. It has to face the print head. Flip the roll and try again.
It won't connect to Wi-Fi
The Doodlebox works on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only, not 5 GHz. Many home routers combine both bands under a single network name.
If the connection fails, turn on a separate 2.4 GHz network in your router settings, or use your phone's hotspot (see below).
Using it in the car or on holiday
Turn on your phone's hotspot, set to 2.4 GHz:
iPhone: Settings › Personal Hotspot, then turn on “Maximize Compatibility”.
Android: Settings › Hotspot & tethering › Wi-Fi hotspot › AP band, then choose 2.4 GHz (the path varies a little by brand).
Tip: print a small stock of stickers before you leave. Colouring them in needs no connection at all.
It doesn't understand my child
Hold the button for the whole sentence, mouth close to the box, and speak calmly in a quiet room. Short sentences work best. For 3–4 year olds, a grown-up can repeat the idea.
The drawing doesn't look like what we wanted
Add details with the magic formula (who + doing what + where + a funny detail), or change the style in the app: simple, line, sketch, manga, cartoon or ink wash. Every print is a new try: the same sentence never gives the same drawing twice.
The paper jams
Open the Doodlebox, take out the roll, cut the crumpled end cleanly with scissors, put the roll back and close it. Original Doodlebox rolls are calibrated to prevent jams; generic thermal paper can jam or smudge.
Still stuck?
Write to us with a photo or a short video of the problem and we'll sort it out. And remember: you're covered by our 30-day guarantee.
support@getdoodlebox.com
Refills
Never run out of paper
The roll always runs out in the middle of a great idea. Order a little early: delivery takes 5 to 8 working days.
The golden rule: when you open your second-to-last roll, it's time to reorder.
