To learn about the available customizing choices, and to determine the cost of your puzzle, follow the easy steps on this page. After you finish selecting your choices, you will reach a Calculate button which when clicked will display a nicely formatted Report summarizing your choices and telling you how much your puzzle will cost, if you decide to place an order. In the report there will be a comment area where you can request a specific month you want your puzzle made. Ready?

Round down to nearest available number for pricing purposes.

If you have a digital image, I will print it on archival quality paper and use archival quality inks. I can print images up to 23" wide and up to 32" long. Large puzzles with low piece counts may incur printing / mounting fees.

Contact me if you have any questions about large puzzles, particularly corporate and trade show puzzles. Puzzle with both dimensions greater than 23" can present special challenges, due to limitations of my equipment. I can make large trade show puzzles with dimensions on the order of 30" x 20". Extremely large puzzles may be cut into panels.

Photos to be scanned are returned if requested. See "Notes about your puzzle picture" at the end of this section for further information about types of puzzle images, for example collages.

Puzzles may be cut in special shapes other than rectangle, for example, a Heart. This option and others are addressed further along this page.

(†) 1 square inch = 6.4516 square cm. The puzzle piece size is approximate.

(*) Cost Per Piece.

When requesting a particular Puzzle Piece Size, the estimated number of pieces will be calculated and presented in the Custom Puzzle Pricing Report, when you click on the "Calculate Puzzle Cost" button in the last step. I try to come close to the estimated number and I very rarely go under.

Grid Line style demands a number of pieces that can form into a grid (pieces in row times number of columns). At this time, this puzzle price calculator is not smart enough to adjust the number of piece requested or initially calculated to form the restrictions imposed by the Grid Line style. I will manually figure out the actual number of pieces and adjust the price accordingly, if necessary and send an email regarding the matter.

For puzzles with pieces larger than an average of 4 square inches, contact me regarding pricing.

Figure Pieces - Enter the names of Figure pieces you want in your puzzle.
Examples: Puzzle pieces shaped like a "shooting star", "turtle", "heart", the letter "A", the digit "5"... (You may email Figure Piece sketches to me and I'll be happy to work out designs to your satisfaction - I design new ones per customer request quite frequently!)

The first three Figure Pieces you request are free, beyond this they are $4.00 each.
(There is more room for comments, figurals, on the order placement form that will come up in the last step)

- Count the number of Figure pieces.
- Click on this selection button and select your count.
None 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

Word Pieces - Word pieces are grouped letters cut as a single piece. Example: The phrase "Happy 50th Birthday" is 3 Word Pieces

The first Word Piece you request is free, beyond this they are $14.00 each.

- Count the number of Word Pieces.
- Click on this selection button and select your count.
None 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Note: Words will be cut in upper / lower case, as entered.

Note: Single letter word pieces [as in "I love you"] will be price adjusted as Figurals (lower cost) by John after your order is placed.

Note: Word Pieces can be rather fragile, particularly if the words are long. The puzzle pieces that fit next to the Word Pieces may have sharp points or delicate and awkward extensions, although I take great care to cut the pieces nicely. Word Pieces are not recommended for assembly by young children.

Note: In "collage puzzles", placing the word pieces in a nice location may be a challenge, so you may think about suggesting where to place the word pieces if ordering this kind of puzzle.

Note: I may not necessarily use the font shown in the example, above. I decide on a font after examining the words and how they may be cut as puzzle pieces. I normally make all words within a given puzzle have the same font, and will discuss the issue with you if I see a problem.

If you will be sending a photograph to be scanned or a digital file (from a digital camera, Photoshop, etc.), I can include Printed Text, within your puzzle's picture at no charge. If you are ordering a Marriage Proposal puzzle, I strongly suggest you request the phrase "Will you marry me?" as Printed Text instead of Word Pieces, so you can easily hide your surprise message, as I will include the printed text within one "ordinary" piece

Regular Signature Piece

Random Signature Piece

I want the Regular Signature Piece - The signature piece will be signed, dated, and numbered on the back.

I want a Random Signature Piece - A random, interesting piece will be signed dated, and numbered on the back.

• Indirect Interlocking Edges John's Judgement None Some Lots All I frequently include at least a few Indirect Interlocking Edges in my puzzles, sometimes about half of the edges, maybe all! They increase the difficulty in assembling a puzzle. If you select "All", I can't guarantee 100%, but I'll try. Indirect Interlocking Edges interlock via interior pieces.

• Edge Style: Regular Scalloped Wavy I normally cut borders as having straight edges (or according to the Special Shape of the puzzle). Scalloped or Wavy Edges increases the difficulty in assembling a puzzle with smaller pieces. There is a surcharge for ordering puzzles with Scalloped or Wavy Edges at the rate of 20 cents per perimeter inch.

• Trick Edges No Yes I normally do not include trick edges in my puzzles. If you select this option, I'll see what I can do. This option has no meaning if a Scalloped or Wavy Edge Style is selected.

• Special Puzzle Shape
Most of my puzzles are rectangular. If you have a special puzzle shape in mind (Heart, Circle, Oval, etc.) make your request here. Note: One variable in pricing is the number of pieces. Unless you have specified the number of pieces, above, the number will be determined based on selected puzzle piece size and the calculated area based on width times height. If you select an alternate shape, I will use the same number of pieces.

FedEx Third Business Day $14.00
FedEx Second Business Day $21.00
FedEx Standard Overnight $35.00

You will be emailed a FedEx tracking number with FedEx tracking web link when I ship your puzzle. All FedEx shipments are insured.

International Orders

FedEx International Economy - Rate to be determined depending on country
Global Express Mail - Rate to be determined depending on country
Other - Rate to be determined depending on method and country

I will contact you regarding shipping method and cost for International orders.

Note: FedEx is more expensive than Global Express Mail. However, Global Express Mail does not track beyond the borders of the United States, FedEx tracks to the point of delivery.

Puzzle to be shipped outside California (no State sales tax)
Puzzle to be shipped inside California (7 3/4% State sales tax)

Click on this button for the cost of your custom puzzle.

The Custom Puzzle Pricing Calculator will present your pricing Report on a nicely formatted page. Clicking on this button will not send an order - you will have an option to send your Report as an order to me using a "Send to John" button on the Pricing Report page that comes up after you click on this button. "Send to John" will send your order to me via email and I'll contact you with any questions and payment methods. Click on your browser's "back" button to return to this page if you want to edit anything you entered.

All orders will be acknowledged as quickly as possible via email (be sure to include your email address). If I don't get back to you right away, I may be in my shop cutting a puzzle! If you have any questions, contact me via email or the Contact form. Thank you.

Note: Puzzles are shipped in very nice boxes.

If you have a digital camera picture, Photoshop file or other digital image file, you have a choice of four ways to get the image to me:

1) Email the file as an attachment to an email, or embed it within an email. Send your email to: john@custompuzzlecraft.com. I can accept images up to about 5 megabytes via this email address..
2) Place your image on a CD (images up to about 200 megabytes). Scroll down for my mailing address.
3) Pass me the link (http://www.etc.) of the file and I'll download it
4) I also have a gmail address which I can provide on request for digitally sending files up to about 100 megabytes in size.

I can handle several popular file types: .tif (tiff), .jpg (jpeg), .bmp, .psd (PC or Mac) as well as other formats, like PowerPoint. The higher the resolution and the less compression, the better. I will not download copyrighted images from other websites without a written copyright release.

If your digital file was made by scanning a printed photo, if you send me the photo as well as the digital file, I can use it to see that your scan is printed in colors closer to your print. I will return your photo if requested.

Photos to be Scanned

I can scan printed photographs, as well as slides and negatives. Some matte photos when viewed under considerable magnification have tiny white dots at the tips of their mottled surfaces which will show up if enlarging the scanned print more two times (four times the area), as is frequently the case for large wedding reception puzzles. I have been able to scan matte finished photos successfully for images which will not be enlarged more than two times. For large puzzles, as a general rule, glossy finished photos will scan better.

I can crop my scan of your photo as needed to fit your puzzle's size if the ratio of dimensions are different. I can do touch up work (like remove "red eye") at no charge. I can do more extensive modifications at $30 an hour. Send your photo to me in a sturdy envelope or use cardboard backing to avoid bending in the mail. I will return your photo if requested. Custom Puzzle Craft excels in personalized photo puzzles.

Do not send copyrighted photos to be scanned without a written copyright release.

Photos to be Used As Is

If you are going to send a photo to be used as is, directly on the puzzle board, matte finish photos are better than glossy photos, as you may find that the glare from the glossy puzzle pieces is unacceptable during puzzle assembly, particularly if the puzzle has a lot of pieces. Fingerprints tend to show up on glossy photos, something that will happen when handling the puzzle pieces. Kodak, Fuji, Mitsubishi and other fine photo papers work very well for puzzles. Note, Epson Prints are not photos and may not cut as well and may require lamination - if you can, try to get your photo printed on real photo Silver Haloid paper.

Prints

I can make puzzles from prints you have purchased. Some paper works better than other paper for puzzles, I will have to decide on a case by case basis. Almost all poster prints I have worked with have had no problems, for example Museum Art Gallery prints. Computer prints, particularly ink jet prints, may need to be laminated to protect the print - if so, I will inform you as to any extra charges. The newer Glicée prints generally do not cut as well as lithographic prints.

Collages

If your puzzle is going to be a collage of images that you want me to design for you, I charge $5.00 per image; the total charge will be added to the calculated cost. Normally customers do their own design work.

Prints to be Scanned

I can scan children's drawings, sketches, etc. up to 8" x 14" in size and can enlarge as needed. I do not scan art prints (greeting cards, etc.) without copyright permission. I normally do not charge for scanning a single image. If the image has a lot of dust or scratch marks which need to be cleaned up in Photoshop, I charge a rate of $30 per hour, and will discuss this with you if I think work needs to be done in this regard.

Where to send prints, photographs, CD's, and drawings

You may send your puzzle picture, plus the "Calculate Puzzle Cost" Report (normally sent via email) and payment (if paying by check or money order) via regular mail to:

I accept credit cards via Custom Puzzle Craft's Credit Card Gateway. In addition to credit cards, I accept checks made out to Custom Puzzle Craft, money orders, and electronic payment via PayPal to "john@custompuzzlecraft.com".

See Payment Methods for all methods of payment.

Enthusiast Puzzles, Marriage Proposal Puzzles, Wedding Reception Puzzles, Team Building Puzzles, Birthday, Family, Anniversary, Holiday Gift Puzzles and more!