Large Piece Puzzle
Yes one of my grandchildren love puzzles and this was a simple project so why not?
Supplies
Artwork
Find a high resolution image that you would like to use. Use GIMP to enhance or edit it.
Now open it up in Inkscape, creating two layers. On the top layer put the puzzle template (this needs to be a red stroke of 0.001mm) and on the bottom layer put the image.
Scale everything to fit on an A4 page (you can apparently also get A3 labels).
Print the image with the puzzle layer hidden.
Cutting the Puzzle
Peel the backing off of the layer and stick the printed label to acrylic.
Line the laser-cutter and image up so that the puzzle will cut in the correct place
One would think that you simply hide the image when cutting the puzzle template. I however discovered that for our laser cutter that this did not work. I therefore had to delete the image layer and then cut it.
Final Touches
Once complete, apply two to three coats of clear varnish to protect the surface.
Print a second image on normal paper and laminate it. This will be used to assist your child in putting it all together.
Have fun :)
I think I will try an A3 one next time. I also need to find more puzzle cutouts.
And finally another big thanks to the University of Auckland's Unleash Space that made this possible.