Home >> Games & Cards >> Jigsaw Puzzles

How to Make Printable Jigsaw Puzzles

Printing your own personalized jigsaw puzzle is an inexpensive alternative to commercial puzzles that restrict your choice of design, shape and complexity. When you make a printable puzzle at home, you can adjust the difficulty of the puzzle for different audiences by varying the size of the pieces. Homemade puzzles created from favorite photographs make excellent gifts for friends and family. You can also use a personalized puzzle to convey a secret message or marriage proposal with a brainy twist.

Things You'll Need

Photo editing software
Computer printer
Adhesive-back paper or glue
Thin cardboard
Craft knife

Instructions

- 1
  Open a digital image on your computer using photo editing software. You can download images and clip art from an Internet source or load your own picture from a digital camera.
- 2
  Crop image as desired using photo-editing software. You may create a standard rectangular puzzle, or choose a more daring outline. Some photo-editing software has a feature that overlays a puzzle piece outline layer over the image, which you may use in lieu of designing your own pieces.
- 3
  Print the image onto adhesive-back paper. Stick the image to a thin piece of cardboard, carefully smoothing out any wrinkles. If no adhesive-back paper is available, glue the regular paper to the cardboard backing. Use a thin layer of glue to avoid lumps.
- 4
  Wait for the glue or adhesive to dry. Meanwhile, print a second copy of the image on plain paper. Enclose this with the finished pieces to serve as a guide to the puzzle.
- 5
  Draw the outlines of the pieces onto the puzzle image if your picture does not already have a puzzle overlay. It may be helpful to begin with a faint grid outline and add elaborate curves that make each piece unique.
- 6
  Cut along each line with a craft knife. Work slowly and carefully to ensure that each cut is clean and the pieces fit together neatly.

Jigsaw Puzzles