This video made by Engineering World shows the modern day making of jigsaw puzzles. Just in case you ever wondered.
First, designers create motifs and themes. They draw these ideas by hand, which are then discussed by the design team. Once the motif is approved, they are then designed using computer aided design (CAD) software. This is then checked with the design team again, and editors make any changes to the design that they wish.
Once the final design, including the tiniest of details, is approved, the next stage is production. Computer aided manufacture (CAM) software allows designers and manufactures to print an exact replica of their design. Printing plates are first ‘exposed’ to the image, then placed in a printer which prints the designed image in colour. Now that the finished picture is printed exactly as designed, it is stuck onto cardboard.
A lot of time goes into making steel ‘rule die’, which are the metal ‘templates’ for each of the puzzle pieces, made by toolmakers. When new, they are razor sharp, and each steel die is individually crafted by bending and working metal into these shapes.
A machine called a ‘die cutting press’ then makes punch cuts on the cardboard picture, using the steel die as a template (think cookie cutter..). All the pieces are then packaged up and ready for you to piece back together!
