When choosing your next puzzle adventure you might encounter the words random-cut or irregular-cut in the description of a certain shape of jigsaw puzzle pieces. If you are unsure what that means, worry not, because in this post you learn what random-cut aka irregular-cut jigsaw puzzles are and how they whimsically differ from regular-cut puzzles.
There are traditionally two ways to cut and divide jigsaw puzzle piece shapes. The type you most commonly find would be ribbon-cut puzzles, which are puzzles cut in grid shapes. These ribbon cuts create clear vertical and horizontal lines in your puzzle and allow you to complete your puzzle line by line with fairly consistent piece sizes. The rarer random-cut puzzles (also known as irregular-cut), do not follow this grid structure. Here you find individually shaped pieces that do not align in a line and that can vary in size from big to small. These random-cut pieces are also more often pieced together in clusters rather than the traditional line-by-line.
Random-Cut VS Ribbon-Cut Jigsaw Puzzles
The Different Shapes Of Random Cut Puzzle Pieces
Random-cut puzzles can be cut in a wide array of shapes, hence the name. You can find random cut pieces shaped according to figures found in the puzzle, such as a piece cut in the shape of an animal or a flower. These figural cut pieces are beautiful works of art, reflecting the individuality of the art used in the puzzle. However, the more and the larger figural pieces cut in a puzzle, the easier it becomes to solve. Because of this, puzzle brands sometimes cut their figural pieces into smaller fragments to keep the beauty whilst increasing the difficulty.
You can also find random-cut pieces that are exactly that, randomly cut in shapes with no rhyme or reason. Here at mai mo ‘a colourful bonanza’ was our first random-cut jigsaw puzzle and in this colourful example, you can see and experience beautifully irregular pieces that live their own life on this puzzle.
Why You Should Give Random Cut Puzzles A Go
Puzzles always make for a good time but there is something special about random-cut puzzles that make hearts beat just a bit faster. Whether the puzzle is whimsically cut or features figural pieces, the process of piecing these intricate pieces together is a great way to unwind after a long day and unlock new space in your mind. And while jigsaw puzzles are already known to have plenty of cognitive and creative benefits, the added challenge of doing a random-cut puzzle really adds to its beauty.
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