Editing Jigsaw puzzle (section)

==Modern construction==
[[File:Sky puzzle.jpg|thumb|left|Paperboard jigsaw pieces]]
Most modern jigsaw puzzles are made of [[paperboard]] as they are easier and cheaper to mass-produce. An enlarged [[photograph]] or printed reproduction of a painting or other two-dimensional [[art]]work is glued to cardboard, which is then fed into a press. The press forces a set of hardened steel blades of the desired pattern, called a ''puzzle die'', through the board until fully cut.

The puzzle die is a flat board, often made from plywood, with slots cut or burned in the same shape as the knives that are used. The knives are set into the slots and covered in a compressible material, typically foam rubber, which ejects the cut puzzle pieces.

The cutting process is similar to making shaped cookies with a cookie cutter. However, the forces involved are tremendously greater.

Beginning in the 1930s, jigsaw puzzles were cut using large hydraulic presses that now cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The precise cuts gave a snug fit, but the cost limited jigsaw puzzle production to large corporations. Recent roller-press methods achieve the same results at a lower cost.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}

New technology has also enabled laser-cutting of wooden or acrylic jigsaw puzzles. The advantage is that the puzzle can be custom-cut to any size or shape, with any number or average size of pieces. Many museums have laser-cut acrylic puzzles made of some of their art so visiting children can assemble puzzles of the images on display. Acrylic pieces are very durable, waterproof, and can withstand continued use without the image degrading. Also, because the print and cut patterns are computer-based, missing pieces can easily be remade.

By the early 1960s, [[Tower Press]] was the world's largest jigsaw puzzle maker; it was acquired by [[Waddingtons]] in 1969.<ref name="Achievement">{{cite book|title=Achievement|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SMkNAQAAMAAJ|access-date=3 April 2013|year=1962|publisher=World Trade Magazines Ltd.|page=31}}</ref> Numerous smaller-scale puzzle makers work in artisanal styles, handcrafting and handcutting their creations.<ref>Charlotte Arneson, [https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/04/jigsaw-puzzles-coronavirus-quarantine.html "The Perfect Jigsaw for Every Type of Puzzler"], ''Slate'', April 10, 2020.</ref><ref>Tracee M. Herbaugh, [https://www.startribune.com/snapping-into-place-jigsaw-puzzles-have-ardent-following/567799042/ "Snapping Into Place: Jigsaw Puzzles Have Ardent Following"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003151833/https://www.startribune.com/snapping-into-place-jigsaw-puzzles-have-ardent-following/567799042/ |date=2020-10-03 }}, Associated Press via ''Minnesota Star-Tribune'', Feb. 12, 2020.</ref><ref>Andy Castillo, [https://www.recorder.com/Deerfield-Puzzlemaker-16600763 "Specialty puzzle uses laser-cut techniques to offer one-of-a-kind offerings"], ''[[Greenfield Recorder]]'', April 6, 2018.</ref><ref>Jennifer A. Kingson, [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/science/07jigsaw.html "Eye for Art and Artistry Amid Jigsaw’s Jumble"], ''[[New York Times]]'', Dec. 7, 2010.</ref>