but I want to do the crossword.

September 19, 2023 9:59 AM

I let my WSJ subscription lapse. Supposedly my local public library gives free access to the WSJ but it isn't letting me download or even see the crossword puzzle pdf. Are there other ways to get access to a printable pdf of WSJ crosswords (NYT would also do fine)? I don't necessarily need the latest one. (And don't come @ me about IP infringement, the amount of money I've unwittingly given them over the last couple of years after not noticing that my discounted subscription rate had changed without notice could power the sun.)
posted by fingersandtoes to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (14 answers total)

Have you called the library?
posted by theora55 at 10:07 AM on September 19, 2023

When I use the WSJ through my library, I generally have to go to a link on the library webpage, sign in with my library account, then sign in on the WSJ page with my WSJ account.

I don't have to do the library sign-in every time - I think it gets me like 2 weeks of access or something every time I use the link from the library.

I am able to log in via my library account and WSJ account and get to the crossword pdf.
posted by mskyle at 10:13 AM on September 19, 2023

At Diary of a Crossword Fiend, you can get a pdf of the NYT puzzle. They have a .puz file of the WSJ puzzle, for which you need free app Across Lite.
posted by daisyace at 10:30 AM on September 19, 2023

The NYT currently has a $0.25/month subscription going on, of course with the traditional huge balloon at the end of one year. They offer the printable puzzle with several different layout options.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:35 AM on September 19, 2023

I think the NYT crossword requires a separate subscription from the NYT proper.
posted by madcaptenor at 10:43 AM on September 19, 2023

Seconding contacting the library. The librarians in my library system are astoundingly helpful.

Also seconding Across Lite - if you have the ability to print to PDF, you could use Across Lite to print any PUZ format puzzle to PDF.

The four free archive puzzles at the NY Times each week seem to have PDFs; if I go to the NYTimes crossword page and hover over the four Free From Our Archive puzzles, I see a Play button and a Print icon. The Print icon links to a PDF.

Will Johnston's Puzzle Pointers has links to WSJ crosswords.

In addition to Diary of a Crossword Fiend, Daily Crossword Links may have some links to puzzles you'd enjoy.

Finally, the Crossword Scraper browser add-on may let you work with puzzles in your preferred format.
posted by kristi at 10:56 AM on September 19, 2023

Yes, please do contact your local library about this. You can go into a branch or they probably have an online help via chat. Libraries pay for this stuff and want it used.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:05 AM on September 19, 2023

Can you physically visit your library? Many have copies of the crosswords already printed out and available at the front desk or reference desk.
posted by eviemath at 11:06 AM on September 19, 2023

I think the NYT crossword requires a separate subscription from the NYT proper.

That is not the case with the current offer.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 11:30 AM on September 19, 2023

The Seattle Times website carries the New York Times crossword with I think a five or six week delay.
posted by sencha at 11:37 AM on September 19, 2023

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but (in addition to the ideas above) can you go directly to the WSJ puzzle page in a browser *without* going through the library's service? I don't have a WSJ account, and it's letting me download a PDF of today's puzzle directly from the WSJ website (using Firefox on a Windows computer).
https://www.wsj.com/news/types/crossword
posted by adventitious at 11:58 AM on September 19, 2023

well, that's embarrassing. I could swear that earlier the pop-up yelling at me to renew my subscription was greying out the link, but just now I tried again and it worked.
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:03 PM on September 19, 2023

Hooray! I'm glad you asked because there's lots more good crossword sources in the other answers! (I hope this is not too "chatty.")
posted by adventitious at 12:09 PM on September 19, 2023

Some more NYT level-ish puzzle sources:
Club 72
Andy Kravis

There are browser extensions that let you download all links of specified filetypes from a webpage. Useful if you want to download .pdf or .puz files en masse, for instance.
posted by trig at 4:20 AM on September 20, 2023