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Here's How Those Hot Jigsaw Puzzles Are Made (nytimes.com) 81

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
The rush to get hold of a jigsaw puzzle -- and even stockpiling by regular enthusiasts -- has transformed this quiet hobby and put companies under pressure as demand surges past Christmas levels. From a report: Ravensburger, a German puzzle maker with global sales of about $600 million, has been trying to meet the sudden blizzard of orders even as social-distancing measures have limited the number of puzzles it is able to produce at its factory in the south of Germany. The company can't easily ramp up production, because each new puzzle takes weeks to create.

Each puzzle piece must be uniquely shaped, to avoid one accidentally fitting into the wrong place. That means 1,000 different shapes for a 1,000-piece puzzle, each drawn by hand by workers. Before a puzzle is cut for the first time, each piece is sketched on a sheet of paper draped over the finished image. Pieces of metal are then shaped to form an elaborate cookie cutter made just for that jigsaw puzzle; it takes about four weeks to build one. The cutter can be used only a limited number of times before its edges are dulled. It can be resharpened once and must then be discarded. At busy times of the year, the company will go through several cutters a day. But before any pieces are cut, the company chooses the right image for a puzzle.
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Here's How Those Hot Jigsaw Puzzles Are Made More

Here's How Those Hot Jigsaw Puzzles Are Made

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  • Why not use the same pattern? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by kenai_alpenglow ( 2709587 ) on Thursday April 09, 2020 @09:05AM (#59924922)
    Use the same puzzle-pattern for same-size puzzles & mass-manufacturer. Not likely I'm going to mix this piece in this puzzle with identical shaped piece in the other?

    • Re:Why not use the same pattern? (Score:5, Informative)

      by fazig ( 2909523 ) on Thursday April 09, 2020 @09:18AM (#59924964)
      Using the same die-cut pattern is how it is done for what's considered low quality puzzles here in Germany.

      At least among the puzzle fans that I got to speak with there's this opinion that every piece should be uniquely shaped for some reason. Personally I do not share that opinion as I think it makes the puzzle easier if you can just go by the shape of the parts and don't also have to pay attention to the print. But I'm not into that kind of puzzle solving, so what do I know?

      Anyway those 'low quality puzzles' do have their artistic application in puzzle montages [crevado.com] as well. Which might promote sales of multiple different puzzles that could make a good montage together.
      I suppose that's not something Ravensburger is going for and they'd rather take pride in the fact that every piece is uniquely shaped.

      • The pieces for any particular puzzle can still be uniquely shaped. What I believe the parent was saying - and something I immediately thought of as well - is why not use the same pattern for multiple puzzles. You could then streamline the manufacturing of the cutters, reduce cost and improve throughput.

        I can see an argument for unique shapes in the same puzzle, but the argument doesn't really hold up well across different puzzles.
        =Smidge=

        • The pieces for any particular puzzle can still be uniquely shaped. What I believe the parent was saying - and something I immediately thought of as well - is why not use the same pattern for multiple puzzles. You could then streamline the manufacturing of the cutters, reduce cost and improve throughput.

          The only problem I can see is that for the real jigsaw addicts, that for something like a 1k piece puzzle, they'll assemble enough of them that if they all use the same cut pattern, that the players will start memorizing piece locations based on shape.

          Take something like the corner pieces. 4 unique pieces, each with 2 flat sides, and 2 sides that fit. You could easily have each on be obviously unique - one has to male connections, one 2 female, then the last two one each, but flipped from the other.

          You co

          • Rather than using metal dies to cut the pieces....

            Could they not laser cut the puzzle pieces....that way no time making dies, replacing dies....and they could introduce some "random" shape generation and placement into the designs too maybe?

            Seems that would streamline the production by quite a bit, no?

            • Re:Why not use the same pattern? (Score:5, Informative)

              by guruevi ( 827432 ) on Thursday April 09, 2020 @10:09AM (#59925166)

              Lasers burn the material leaving scorch marks. A high quality puzzle will have the edges of the picture on each piece slightly bent down so that when they fit together, even from a small distance, there are no visible gaps in the pieces and the picture doesn't delaminate when taken apart a number of times.

              A Ravensburger puzzle is relatively expensive (~$20 and up) compared to cheap puzzles from the dollar store, but the quality difference is notable.

              • What about waterjet cutting? No scorching, although it might require an upgraded lamination standard for the image over the substrate to prevent water damage.

                Really, this seems like the kind of thing that aficionados care about, not most people.

              • I generally agree but lasers are used in the paper industry more than most think. A lot of greeting cards are cut that way, especially those with intricate designs cut into the card. lasers can cut like scalpels where there are very little waste between the two sides - in many cases, no more than die cutting the puzzle.

                The angle down at the edges is because of the pressure of the cut, not to help the pieces fit together. That is not to say it does not help the pieces fit together :-)

                • One way to keep the lasers from burning the material is to flood the cutting area with N2 or CO2. No O2, no burning.

                  But a better solution is digital puzzles. You just drag and drop the pieces on the screen. A big 4K monitor is just as good as a tabletop. Plus, pieces never get lost.

              • Lasers burn the material leaving scorch marks.

                Plus it would smell bad when you opened the packet.

                (Yes, I own a laser cutter)

            • the problem with using lasers is it would take longer to cut each puzzle. the whole puzzle can be cut with one stamp in around a second, while a laser would have to travel every line of the cut which could take minutes per puzzle. not very cost efficient.

            • Laser is a terrible, slow and expensive way to make a jigsaw puzzle.

              Besides scorch marks, laser leaves a gap ("kerf") between the cut pieces because of removed material. So the puzzle pieces would not stay together and it would look awful. A sharp die splits the material cleanly so that none of it is lost in the process and the seams are tight. Compensating for the laser kerf is doable but takes work and involves cutting the shapes separately (not nested on the sheet like puzzle pieces) so it uses much more

              • Sure, but why not use the laser cutter to make the sharp die? (Or maybe a CNC milling machine.)

                Also, why do the pieces all have to be cut out of the finished shape? Cut them out one at a time allowing for the removed material. Then piece them back together with a robot.

          • The pieces are not THAT unique where you can remember which piece would go where, ok, unless you're rainman or something.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Kjella ( 173770 )

              The pieces are not THAT unique where you can remember which piece would go where, ok, unless you're rainman or something.

              Puzzle addicts must be something like that. I was kinda interested in puzzles for a while when I was young, but this [rarepuzzles.com] puzzle broke me, and I mean literally the one in the picture. I think my parents bought it because they were tired of me finishing them waaay too quickly for their liking leading to requests to buy more, thinking this one would keep me busy for a while.

              Well, they were right because I finished the castle and a few other pieces but the thousands of pieces in almost the same shade of green was t

              • I once solved a 1000-piece puzzle that was simply all one shade of yellow.

              • yeah, I know what you mean, I hate puzzles with large area's of the same shade, still have one smaller of even only 500 pieces laying where the top 1/3 is only one blue shade sky.. hated it.. That's why I tend to only do puzzles which don't have so many area's of one shade.. I certainly wouldn't start the nightmare puzzles of one color, but they are out there and some people seem to like them. haha..
                If you ever want to do new puzzles again, I would suggest the "wasgij?" (JUMBO) collection of puzzles, where

          • Most jigsaw puzzles have two fold rotational symmetry about the centre. My mother has some Ravensburger jigsaws that exhibit this "feature", so unique pieces my ass.

        • Not only that, but what if you lose a few puzzle pieces, or a few didn't make it into the box? I might be tempted to buy the same puzzle again to obtain those missing pieces. But if the same puzzle is cut differently, that wouldn't work.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Megane ( 129182 )
            It doesn't work. I've had at least two puzzles where later I found a second copy of the same art in a thrift store. The pieces were cut differently (because the dies are basically bespoke, so the pieces will only be identical within a few weeks of manufacturing), so I couldn't combine two sets, each with one or two missing pieces, to get a full puzzle.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Quirkz ( 1206400 )

        And then there's things like the shmuzzle puzzle, where every piece is identically shaped - like a little lizard. You have to go by color alone.

      • The answer is simple. Your brain is really good at memorizing patterns. If they do that it won't take long for your brain to start to remember that a piece shaped in a certain way always goes in one place or another. It is the kind of thing are brains are good at doing subconsciously even if we don't think about doing them.

        https://blog.percolate.com/201... [percolate.com]
        https://www.sciencedaily.com/r... [sciencedaily.com]
        https://bigthink.com/endless-i... [bigthink.com]

        • Sure, if you only have one template, but by now these places would have dozens if not hundreds to cycle through. The reality is at this point there is no reason to be taking weeks to layout a new puzzle other than to claim you're an artisan of some sort. Which is fine, but don't present it as some sort of amazing problem or task to be had. They're creating the work because they choose to.

      • Re-using the pattern makes it too easy for somebody who's already assembled a puzzle of the same pattern. "I remember this shape, it goes here."

    • Because then people who do a lot of puzzles will start learning the locations for particular shapes. E.g. whenever they see a corner piece, they'll instantly know which of the four corners it's for without even looking at the picture.

      • Because then people who do a lot of puzzles will start learning the locations for particular shapes. E.g. whenever they see a corner piece, they'll instantly know which of the four corners it's for without even looking at the picture.

        Unless all four corners of the puzzle share a common color, anyone is going to be able to figure out to which corner a corner piece belongs. I would suggest that by now, the puzzle creators have a huge stock of templates from which to draw. They also should have an equal stock of forms to be used to create the cutters. Go back to a template from 5 years ago and if you find a puzzle enthusiast that recognizes that pattern and complains, I'd fire that customer and move the fuck on.

        • With the average Ravensberger images you can rest assured that at the very least the two upper and the two lower corners will be very similar. The two uppers are almost invariably blue (i.e. sky) with the lower ones having a good chance to be green (grass).

        • So make all the pieces exactly the same square. Remembering that ain't gonna help.

    • But still, algorithms (or lately, AI) - could easily draw puzzle cut-out patterns on puzzles, why on earth would a person do this ?

      • Because that is part of the appeal for a puzzle enthusiast. Knowing that a human took the time and care to design their puzzle and that it ain't just some cookie-cutter (well, technically it is, but ... figure of speech) puzzle is appreciated among puzzle fans.

    • Puzzle making has been computerized 50 years ago already. There is no reason why anyone with a laser cutter or CNC machine can't make nice looking puzzles.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by dvice ( 6309704 )

      How about using computer to design the patterns?

    • Without breaking confidentiality, I've been given a tour of a well-known 'high-quality' jigsaw manufacturer and can confirm that they use the same die (think insanely-complex cookie-cutter) for multiple images.

      Each steel rule die is a complex thing to make (these are not huge, highly sophisticated manufacturing operations) and they run the same die stamping line continuously (while the factory is open!) while changing the printing image. Obviously, changing the image is ridiculously easy compared to changin

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sad_ ( 7868 )

      not only that, but i can't believe this still all needs to be done by hand.
      how hard would it be to have a computer generate the identical parts and quickly overlay whatever image you provide it?
      not very hard, i remember jigsaw puzzle generators on the c64, ofcourse these were low quality, few pieces, but common, with todays computing power you'd probably be able to crank out such puzzle every second.

  • If only we could automate this! (Score:5, Funny)

    by arglebargle_xiv ( 2212710 ) on Thursday April 09, 2020 @09:11AM (#59924946)

    Each puzzle piece must be uniquely shaped, to avoid one accidentally fitting into the wrong place. That means 1,000 different shapes for a 1,000-piece puzzle, each drawn by hand by workers. Before a puzzle is cut for the first time, each piece is sketched on a sheet of paper draped over the finished image.

    You know, if only someone could invent some sort of device that could automatically compute the shapes and check that they're all unique, and then overlay an image onto them, you could generate a new puzzle in seconds instead of weeks of manual effort. You'd just need some sort of machine to compute all that... I wonder if something like that already exists?

    • And if they could, somehow, keep all of that inside some sort of virtual 2D board, they could lower manufacturing delays, cut manufacturing costs, cut shipping costs, lower delivery times to under a minute and increase profit margins by an order of magnitude.

      "Oh well, what are you gonna do."

    • I assume that they already thought about it several times? So what is the difficulty?

      • > So what is the difficulty?

        Stubbornness and tradition, probably.
        =Smidge=

        • Also it's just puzzles...a hobby...time waster. What worth is there in automating it?

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by PPH ( 736903 )

            It's a hobby and time waster for the people who buy them. It's a business for the people that produce them.

            • Yeah and if they choose to make them this way, that's their choice. Yes it leaves them open for a market disrupter coming in and undercutting everybody..and well, it could happen if someone deemed it worth their time and money. If someone thinks they can make money at it, they will.
            • "Oh yeah, that PPH. They make alright puzzles, but nothing like a Ravensburger".

              Some people will happily spend more on products they see as superior due to being hand-made. Mercedes w/AMG engines exist for a reason.

      • Re:If only we could automate this! (Score:4, Interesting)

        by guruevi ( 827432 ) on Thursday April 09, 2020 @10:12AM (#59925174)

        People pay well for a Ravensburger puzzle. It's the same reason you get organic produce from the farmers market or handcrafted jewelry from Etsy even though it would be more economical, less labor and energy intensive to get mass produced stuff.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by rho ( 6063 )

        Germans being very Germanic.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        Why automate when it works perfectly well in the normal case?

        If you make X puzzles a year, optimizing the process so you can do 2X puzzles a year doesn't really do anything if you're still only going to sell X puzzles a year. Just because this year with everyone locked up you're selling 2X, doesn't mean you'll have 2X sales next year.

        It's special conditions, and optimizing for higher sales when you're not going to get the sales is just silly.

        There's plenty of businesses that could optimize their processes.

        • If you employ more than one person designing puzzles then there is a significant cost saving to be had. If you don't automate then someone else will and those "cheap" puzzles will come and eat your business in a few years time. This is a case where not advancing and making opex savings with some capex is likely to see your business hollowed out in the future.

  • So this industry never automated or used any computer aided design, so they can't ramp up production (to be fair there's only so much demand for puzzles normally and for something you typically buy as a gift the higher price is probably a good thing). Give me a break. This could easily be automated.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by guruevi ( 827432 )

      There are cheap puzzles on Amazon too. But when you cut corners on one thing, you cut corners elsewhere too and the puzzles are less high quality and less enjoyable to the puzzler as a result.

      If you want to put together a 10,000 piece puzzle and in the end several pieces have delaminated because they were cut cheaply, I think you wouldn't be too happy.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Ogive17 ( 691899 )
        My wife went out and got 4 new 500pc puzzles from the dollar store. While the quality is inferior to a Ravensburger puzzle (we have 2), it's still a puzzle.

        Think of it as buying this Monster brand HDMI cable or the Best Buy brand HDMI cable. Is there a difference in quality.. yeah, there will be. Will both get the job done satisfactory for 98% of customers.. yep.
  • But the problem is that at least here in the states, the retail shops that sell them are closed.

    • But the problem is that at least here in the states, the retail shops that sell them are closed.

      That may be true for the high-end puzzles described in the article.

      You can find cheap jigsaw puzzles in the toy aisle of your local grocer store. Grocery stores are still open.

    • Target is also a grocery store in many places. Though its puzzles are in the toys section so they may not be the best. Bookstores were always the best place that I found good ones, but Amazon destroyed all the major bookstores.

  • If these are "art" puzzles where the buyer is specifically paying for something that "took a lot of creativity to make" well, that's fine. The people who buy "artwork puzzles" instead of mass-produced ones are probably the same people who buy very-limited-edition art prints and fine wines just because they can.

    If they are meant to be puzzles to solve rather than works of art, they are doing it wrong. As others have pointed out, the design of the die can be computerized, and the same die-design can be re-u

    • Is there a reason they cannot be both? Back when I was young and had the time, I did enjoy doing those puzzles. Biggest one I ever did was 10,000 pieces, took me ages to complete, but as a teenager, there was plenty of time for that.

      I liked the style and the serenity of the activity, as well as the incredible quality those puzzles had. They were very well designed, perfectly cut and it was a pleasure putting them back together. You would immediately know whether the pieces are where they should be, the feed

  • Seems like a CNC drag knife could do this pretty easily. Your per-unit speed would be lower, but the ability to simply change out a blade in seconds seems like it would offset the time spent manually building/sharpening a giant press knife (cookie cutter).

    But what do I know?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by bws111 ( 1216812 )

      To get pieces that fit together tightly and don't show signs of tearing you need an extremely thin and sharp knife. To cut through heavy cardboard requires many passes. It's good your method allows the ability to simply change out a blade, because you would probably have to do that after each and every piece is cut.

      • To get pieces that fit together tightly and don't show signs of tearing you need an extremely thin and sharp knife. To cut through heavy cardboard requires many passes. It's good your method allows the ability to simply change out a blade, because you would probably have to do that after each and every piece is cut.

        Why not just laser cut it?

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by bws111 ( 1216812 )

          Because then you get burnt edges, which don't look good. Once the puzzle is assembled it should look like a picture, not a picture with a puzzle overlayed on it.

          • Laser cutting can be done: Liberty Puzzles [libertypuzzles.com] does this, and the results look fantastic. You don't see burnt edges on the completed puzzle at all. Their puzzles are made of wood and not cardboard, so the quality is fantastic. I don't do many puzzles myself, but family members who do love them. They aren't the only brand, I found a few others who do something similar, the wooden laser cut puzzle appears to be growing in popularity I think.

  • Woo Wee (Score:2, Troll)

    by AndyKron ( 937105 )
    News for nerds...About 100 years ago
  • How is this not automated? Design an application which can create unique piecrs is simple, couple that to some machinery to create a cuttingmall and start cutting.

  • Uniquely shaped? (Score:3)

    by nospam007 ( 722110 ) * on Thursday April 09, 2020 @12:32PM (#59925606)

    Perhaps they should by a computer or even an AI if they want to do some money.

    • The computer is easy. Now consider the software. How many years to write a suitable program? What's the market for that program going to be? That still doesn't solve the problem of making the die.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • "Each puzzle piece must be uniquely shaped, to avoid one accidentally fitting into the wrong place." is for making easier puzzles. Some of the hardest puzzles I've made are ones with 3 distinct shapes: 4 corners, a bunch of edge pieces, and a whole lot of inside pieces that have to be placed based on the image only.

  • Get them a Ravensburger Krypt puzzle:

    https://www.ravensburger.us/products/jigsaw-puzzles/adult-puzzles/krypt-black-15260/index.html

    Single color with a circular center.

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