Choosing a puzzle

[Degree of difficulty] [Selecting an image] [Whimsies/silhouettes/figurals, dropouts and sculpting] [Puzzles and disabilities] [Home]

Degree of difficulty

The pleasure of doing a puzzle depends in part the puzzle having an appropriate degree of difficulty. Not too easy, not too hard.

The following features increase the difficulty of a jigsaw:

1. An intricate image with a lot of fine detail.

2. Lots of pieces - difficulty increases exponentially with the number of pieces.

3. Pieces with complex shapes that fit together in hard-to-predict ways. Push fit puzzles are harder than interlocking ones, but also rather frustrating because they keep falling apart.

4. No accompanying picture. Puzzles are best done 'sight unseen' and for this reason handcrafted puzzles are almost universally supplied without an accompanying picture to guide the puzzler. AuPuzzles are supplied either intact (but with a warning that the puzzle should be dismantled before the puzzler sees it) or dismantled.

5. Be cut to include the following features; colour-line cutting, dropouts or sculpting (empty space within the puzzle), false edges and corners, near-identical pieces, false fits, and irregularities in the shape of the puzzle border.

Puzzles can have irregular shapes, for example, the puzzle of the moth cut in the shape of a moth. Joining the border pieces of puzzles such as this with irregular edges is more challenging than joining the edges of rectangular puzzles.

Complex pieces

Strip cut pieces

The cutting style is usually determined by the buyer's budget. Strip cut puzzles are the ones that most people are familiar with and are also the least expensive.

By using the techniques listed above, the cutter can make puzzles of the same image that have different degrees of difficulty.

Selecting an image

If you want the image to look almost uncut, choose something with a varied but pale background. Cut lines show up most on solid, dark backgrounds.

If using a photograph, make sure that it is good enough for the degree of enlargement you want. One way of checking this is to enlarge the image on your computer screen to twice the size you want in the jigsaw. If the image on your screen is sharp at this size, then it should also be sharp in the enlargement.

Intricate images with fine detail and sharp boundaries offer more scope for the cutter.

Whimsies/silhouette pieces/figurals, dropouts and sculpting

Silhouette pieces

The fun of doing a jigsaw puzzle is increased by the presence of special pieces called 'silhouette pieces', 'whimsies' or 'figurals'. These pieces are cut in the shape of recognisable objects at the whim of the cutter or the buyer. Many silhouettes that we use have an Australian association - kangaroos, surfing, Sydney’s opera house, but usually silhouettes are developed in response to requests. Examples includes dogs, Taj Mahal, scientific symbols, scripts and logos. The presence of silhouette pieces in a jigsaw usually make the jigsaw slightly easier. Silhouettes are included in the pricing of top-of-the-range jigsaws but cost extra in strip cut jigsaws.

Sculpting and drop-outs in jigsaws

Sculpting refers to the removal of thin strips of wood from within the puzzle to define a shape, eg a letter of the alphabet. Dropouts are much the same but a dropout is usually larger, rather like a whole silhouette piece that is left out of the puzzle. Both sculpting and dropouts increase the difficulty of puzzles. A mixture of silhouettes and drop-outs can be incorporated in the same puzzle.

Examples of dates and initials cut into puzzles as dropouts	Shapes can also be highlighted by dropping pieces out of the puzzle.

Puzzles and disabilities

Some people, for example those who are sight disabled or have limited dexterity, may find the cutting style and size of our pieces frustrating (it depends upon how much and what type of challenge they want). We can cut larger pieces and use a simpler cutting style for these puzzlers, and are always interested in discussing other variations for other disabilities. Please contact us.

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