TEXT F How are jigsaw puzzles made The
method of making a jigsaw puzzle hasn’t changed much since its invention in the
late 18th century: an image is mounted on solid material and cut into a bunch of
pieces. The first puzzles were made of wood and cut with a jigsaw, hence the
name of the game. You can still buy puzzles made Of wood, but
the type you’re probably most familiar with is die-cut cardboard. The die-cut
press, in wide use in the United States by the 1930s, according to puzzle
historian Anne D. Williams, exerts 500 tons of pressure to hold a board in place
while a steel-rule die cuts it into pieces. The die consists of pieces of metal
that have been shaped to form each piece in the puzzle — much like a cookie
cutter punches out a shape in dough. Recent innovations include the use of
lasers and computer-contro11ed water jets to cut puzzle pieces.
Some manufacturers still have their puzzle pieces drawn by hand; others
use a computer to ensure that only two pieces will fit together exactly. Puzzle
styles have evolved, however, from maps and flat images to three-dimensional
objects and trick puzzles. In some of these complicated puzzles, several pieces
will fit together securely, but only one combination of pieces yields the
correct solution to the puzzle.
A.Not earlier than 1800. B.1930’s. C.1750 to 1799. D.Not known.