# Jigsaw puzzle poll
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [January 31, 2021, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906 "2021-01-31T04:15:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/1 "2021-01-31T04:15:59Z")
You’re building a jigsaw puzzle. Do you look at the box cover while you’re working on it?
_Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/1))_
Personally, I do not. I only work from the pieces themselves.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/2 "2021-01-31T05:12:43Z")
NEVER! I’ve even been known to assemble them face down.
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### Author:  [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/3 "2021-01-31T05:26:15Z")
Kinda? I do them because the picture hooks me, but the box cover is for holding the not-edge pieces as I sort through them.
I voted no, but I’m not sure if that’s what you meant.
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/4 "2021-01-31T08:13:02Z")
I’ve known people too, who do their jigsaw puzzles face-down.
What’s interesting is that once the manufacturer sets a jig, they will produce many different puzzles with different pictures having the same shaped pieces. Thus, pieces from one puzzle may be interchangeable with corresponding pieces from another puzzle.
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### Author:  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/5 "2021-01-31T09:13:57Z")
I do, because I do way too many puzzles to be slowed down by not looking at the box cover. However I have done some without looking, done some upside down, and even did the old Springbok puzzle “Little Red Riding Hood’s Hood” - all red.
Looking through my friend Linda Richard’s new book “There’s More to Jigsaw Puzzles than Pieces” (which has my article on the Mathematics of Jigsaw Puzzles in it) using the lid doesn’t seem to be controversial.
Putting all the pieces out or not is controversial. I don’t, but lots of people do.
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### Author:  [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/6 "2021-01-31T10:48:05Z")
Someone on a TV show here took a number of puzzles and made amusing pictures by swapping pieces.
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### Author:  [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/7 "2021-01-31T10:54:04Z")
I haven’t done a physical jigsaw puzzle for decades, but I occasionally go through phases where I do them online.
It works better than you might think, but you need a big screen, obviously.
This is by far the best site I’ve come across, well designed and uncluttered:
### [Jigidi - free online jigsaw puzzles](https://www.jigidi.com/)
By default, Jigidi doesn’t show you the final picture, but you can display it in a small window on the screen if you want it.
If you create a free profile, you can close a puzzle any time and resume it later where you left off.
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### Author:  [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/8 "2021-01-31T11:02:24Z")
Many moons ago I remember seeing puzzles for sale which had the same picture printed both front and back, but at right angles to one another.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/9 "2021-01-31T13:10:05Z")
> [@Voyager](#):
>
> Looking through my friend Linda Richard’s new book “There’s More to Jigsaw Puzzles than Pieces” (which has my article on the Mathematics of Jigsaw Puzzles in it) using the lid doesn’t seem to be controversial.
> Putting all the pieces out or not is controversial. I don’t, but lots of people do.
Huh.
I collect hand cut wooden jigsaw puzzles, and other “fancy” jigsaw puzzles. And I go to a “puzzle parley” for jigsaw fanciers from time to time. In that crowd most people avoid looking at the picture, and many puzzles are sold without pictures on the box. (There’s a picture on the web site, or the puzzle may be assembled to sell it, because of course people want to know they will like the picture when they are done. But not conveniently handy-by while solving.)
On the other hand, I’m not even certain what you are referring to when talking about it being controversial to “put all the pieces out”. It’s controversial to take all the pieces out of the box while solving?
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/10 "2021-01-31T15:22:42Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> I collect hand cut wooden jigsaw puzzles, and other “fancy” jigsaw puzzles.
[[Album] imgur.com  ](https://imgur.com/a/Ee0qB41)
Fancy!?
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/11 "2021-01-31T15:30:44Z")
That’s someone’s floor! My life is too scratchy and dirty for that, but that’s way cool! Thanks.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/12 "2021-01-31T15:36:29Z")
(but yes, i have small, tabletop puzzles if that general style.)
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### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/13 "2021-01-31T17:34:59Z")
> [@Voyager](#):
>
> Putting all the pieces out or not is controversial.
You mean, there’s a “right” way to do puzzles?
I don’t have time for such foolishness.
> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> What’s interesting is that once the manufacturer sets a jig, they will produce many different puzzles with different pictures having the same shaped pieces. Thus, pieces from one puzzle may be interchangeable with corresponding pieces from another puzzle.
Not necessarily true the other way.
I had a vintage puzzle I got off ebay that was missing a piece. I figured, what the heck, I’ll buy another one (they didn’t cost too much) - what are the chances they’re both missing the same piece?
The two weren’t the same cut at all
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### Author:  [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/14 "2021-01-31T20:45:54Z")
I did an “Old map of the world” puzzle once without looking at the box, but that was because my brother gave it to me for Christmas with just the bag of pieces and said I could have the box when I was finished. It was a struggle even for something with that much information.
My most recent puzzle was on owl shaped one of an owl, and the bulk of the puzzle consisted of just four general types of puzzle piece, with annoyingly little variation in the details, and the owl feathers did not have all that much variation either. It was a slog even when using the box for reference!
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### Author:  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/15 "2021-01-31T23:09:33Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> Huh.
>
> I collect hand cut wooden jigsaw puzzles, and other “fancy” jigsaw puzzles. And I go to a “puzzle parley” for jigsaw fanciers from time to time. In that crowd most people avoid looking at the picture, and many puzzles are sold without pictures on the box. (There’s a picture on the web site, or the puzzle may be assembled to sell it, because of course people want to know they will like the picture when they are done. But not conveniently handy-by while solving.)
>
> On the other hand, I’m not even certain what you are referring to when talking about it being controversial to “put all the pieces out”. It’s controversial to take all the pieces out of the box while solving?
The British wooden puzzles typically didn’t come with a picture. The Liberty ones sold in the US do.
I have a bunch of them, which I am slowly donating to my daughter.
The controversy is whether you put all the pieces out before you start solving. I never do, since it causes chaos, especially if you are doing a 3,000 piece puzzle. I may be in the minority.
It seems that the people in the jigsaw puzzle movie “Puzzle” put them all out - but that is so the heroine can put in pieces very quickly thanks to a PA putting the right pieces right by her hand.
(I noticed, people!)
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### Author:  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/16 "2021-01-31T23:13:02Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#):
>
> Not necessarily true the other way.
>
> I had a vintage puzzle I got off ebay that was missing a piece. I figured, what the heck, I’ll buy another one (they didn’t cost too much) - what are the chances they’re both missing the same piece?
>
> The two weren’t the same cut at all
I believe I read in the NY Times At Home article on puzzles that Ravensburger prides themselves on unique pieces. Cheaper puzzles have the same cut. I have a collection of 10 puzzles in a box where all the 500 piece ones had the same cut. Kind of boring. Plus, the pieces were not all that distinct, so errors are easy to make.
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/17 "2021-01-31T23:15:46Z")
We don’t look at the picture, and usually have a puzzle going. One problem we have, however, is that some puzzles are poorly cut, and you can get multiple shape matches in similar-looking spots. Eventually we figure it out, but it’s still annoying.
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### Author:  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/18 "2021-01-31T23:16:58Z")
I think I’ve read that expensive wooden puzzles, like by Stowe, can be rented, since they are too costly for normal people to buy. Never tried it. However my daughter gave me a puzzle Netflix service - they send you a puzzle, you do it, mail it back in a free mailing envelope, and get a new one. You can select the difficulty and the them to some extent. I’m on my fourth now, they are pretty good at sending a new one quickly.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2021, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/19 "2021-01-31T23:59:48Z")
> [@Voyager](#):
>
> The Liberty ones sold in the US do.
The liberty ones do because they sell them retail, in shops, and people want to know they will like the picture when they finish the puzzle. If you buy a custom puzzle from Liberty, they ask whether you want the picture on the cover or not.
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### Author:  [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2021, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906/20 "2021-02-01T00:13:36Z")
I just got the Christmas presents from my sister a few days ago, because she didn’t send any out due to the mail issues. Anyway, I’ll admit that I’m not a big puzzle aficionado, but this one looks intriguing, to say the least. However, the pictured puzzle has a “regular” puzzle cut, and not the way it’s advertised.
> **[299 Cats & A Dog Cat-Shaped 300-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
| Collections Etc.](https://www.collectionsetc.com/products/299-cats-and-a-dog-cat-shaped-300-piece-jigsaw-puzzle/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid_srch&utm_campaign=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQiAx9mABhD0ARIsAEfpavQepM1SqZLol2CUIijdwYlk--F-ptH1RkYAyP-TCsHIGpncY4ilmWAaAjX1EALw_wcB)**
>
> Have you got what it takes to assemble all 299 cats (and one dog for good measure) into the purr-fect puzzle? In this challenging cluster puzzle, there are no regular jigsaw pieces – each piece has a unique cat shape, except for the one dog…good luck...
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jigsaw-puzzle-poll/931906.md?page=2)