{ "version": "puzzles-v1-2026-10-03", "title": "PointCast Puzzles", "asOf": "2026-10-03", "conceptHorizon": "2027", "researchObservationDate": "2026-10-03", "status": "Original artwork concepts; no physical inventory or orders", "routes": { "world": "/puzzles/", "make": "/puzzles/make/", "business": "/puzzles/business/", "studio": "/puzzles/studio/", "shop": "/shop/puzzles/" }, "concepts": [ { "id": "01", "slug": "tidepool-atlas", "title": "Tidepool atlas", "category": "Nature", "pieces": 500, "format": "Landscape · 18 × 12 in study", "audience": "Coastal observers; first-time adult puzzlers", "story": "A whole coast in a few square feet. Follow the water between jewel pools, pebbles, algae and invented sea creatures.", "art": "01-tidepool-atlas.webp", "alt": "Original imagined tide pools filled with colorful sea life, water and varied coastal stones.", "challenge": "Color islands and recognizable organisms give several easy starting points; water reflections add a gentle final stretch.", "print": "Preserve separation between turquoise water and dark rock. Check fine organisms at actual piece size, and keep key creatures away from trim.", "lesson": "Zone maps and color proofing", "pilot": "Strong first proof candidate: accessible scene with multiple footholds.", "image": "https://pointcast.xyz/images/puzzles/01-tidepool-atlas.webp", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionReady": false }, { "id": "02", "slug": "night-greenhouse", "title": "Night greenhouse", "category": "Nature", "pieces": 750, "format": "Landscape · 24 × 16 in study", "audience": "Plant lovers; people who enjoy an evening table ritual", "story": "The garden keeps its lights on. Warm windows, unusual foliage and quiet glass reflections make a little shelter after dark.", "art": "02-night-greenhouse.webp", "alt": "An original glowing greenhouse at blue hour with many different leaves, pots and warm windows.", "challenge": "Architectural lines help establish the frame; foliage texture increases the challenge inside.", "print": "Shadow detail is the risk. Soft-proof blues and greens, then check a matte physical sample under household lighting.", "lesson": "Dark values and false fits", "pilot": "Compare a 500-piece version with the proposed 750 before choosing.", "image": "https://pointcast.xyz/images/puzzles/02-night-greenhouse.webp", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionReady": false }, { "id": "03", "slug": "quiet-terminal", "title": "The quiet terminal", "category": "Imagined places", "pieces": 1000, "format": "Landscape · 27 × 18 in study", "audience": "Speculative-fiction readers; experienced scene puzzlers", "story": "There is time before departure. An invented spaceport offers plants, small travelers, distant stars and a place to sit.", "art": "03-quiet-terminal.webp", "alt": "Original imaginary spaceport waiting hall with silhouettes, plants and cosmic light through large windows.", "challenge": "Big window geometry creates structure; quiet sky regions make this the slowest part of the journey.", "print": "Avoid turning subtle gradients into flat bands. A larger print master and clear differences across sky zones are required.", "lesson": "Narrative landmarks and large quiet regions", "pilot": "A later release; test whether sky area makes 1,000 pieces too demanding.", "image": "https://pointcast.xyz/images/puzzles/03-quiet-terminal.webp", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionReady": false }, { "id": "04", "slug": "saturday-market", "title": "Saturday market", "category": "Community", "pieces": 500, "format": "Landscape · 18 × 12 in study", "audience": "Food lovers; families sharing an adult puzzle", "story": "A small town is made by its market. Follow produce, baskets, bicycles and bright canopies through an invented Saturday morning.", "art": "04-saturday-market.webp", "alt": "Original colorful illustrated coastal farmers market with stalls, produce, bicycles and textiles.", "challenge": "Distinct stalls give several people independent sections to work on, then a shared finish.", "print": "Keep produce clusters readable and simulated print texture subtle. Small marks must not become muddy at final size.", "lesson": "Collaborative composition", "pilot": "Pair with The long table for a community collection.", "image": "https://pointcast.xyz/images/puzzles/04-saturday-market.webp", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionReady": false }, { "id": "05", "slug": "cloud-observatory", "title": "Cloud observatory", "category": "Imagined places", "pieces": 300, "format": "Landscape · 18 × 12 in study; larger pieces", "audience": "Dreamers; adults who prefer a shorter session", "story": "Somewhere above the weather, people measure clouds with improbable orange instruments. An impossible place with a welcoming map.", "art": "05-cloud-observatory.webp", "alt": "Original whimsical weather laboratory on pastel sky islands with warm orange instruments and clouds.", "challenge": "Pastel shapes, architecture and warm landmarks support a lower piece count. Similar clouds still need deliberate contrast.", "print": "Pale tones can disappear on uncoated stock. Require a physical proof; refine cloud boundaries and minimum feature scale.", "lesson": "Lower piece counts without losing imagination", "pilot": "First large-piece study; size and handling need real user testing.", "image": "https://pointcast.xyz/images/puzzles/05-cloud-observatory.webp", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionReady": false }, { "id": "06", "slug": "small-wonders", "title": "Workshop of small wonders", "category": "Community", "pieces": 750, "format": "Landscape · 24 × 16 in study", "audience": "Makers; design students; Buildworks visitors", "story": "A cutaway workshop turns raw material into possibility. Benches, tools, molds and scraps form an invented community of making.", "art": "06-small-wonders.webp", "alt": "Original detailed imagined community workshop with benches, hand tools, materials and small fabrication stations.", "challenge": "Different workstations form separate puzzle zones; many small details reward repeat looking.", "print": "Keep the scene illustrative, not a machinery instruction. Test tool-scale detail and eliminate accidental tiny marks in the print master.", "lesson": "Design for assembly; design for manufacture", "pilot": "Complement to Buildworks: a puzzle about making, not a competing small-object catalog.", "image": "https://pointcast.xyz/images/puzzles/06-small-wonders.webp", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionReady": false }, { "id": "07", "slug": "little-suns", "title": "A thousand little suns", "category": "Pattern", "pieces": 1000, "format": "Landscape · 27 × 18 in study", "audience": "Pattern lovers; confident puzzlers", "story": "Sunlight becomes a paper mosaic. Ochre, cobalt, peach and mint make a rhythm you can assemble one small interval at a time.", "art": "07-little-suns.webp", "alt": "Original geometric paper-textured mosaic of varied sun and wave shapes in ochre, cobalt, peach and mint.", "challenge": "Repeating motifs are intentionally harder. Different sizes and texture bands should prevent every piece looking alike.", "print": "Check saturated color clipping and repeated shape ambiguity. Consider 500 pieces if playtesting exposes too many false fits.", "lesson": "Repeat, variation and difficulty", "pilot": "A specialist concept; do not assume every customer wants 1,000 pieces.", "image": "https://pointcast.xyz/images/puzzles/07-little-suns.webp", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionReady": false }, { "id": "08", "slug": "long-table", "title": "The long table", "category": "Community", "pieces": 300, "format": "Landscape · 18 × 12 in study; larger pieces", "audience": "Hosts; food and ceramic enthusiasts; shared tables", "story": "An overhead feast of vegetables, bowls, linens and hands. There is a place for another person at the table.", "art": "08-long-table.webp", "alt": "Original overhead vegetarian feast with colorful food, ceramics, linens and anonymous hands.", "challenge": "Bowls and food provide obvious anchors. The cloth adds a modest quieter section without dominating the image.", "print": "Inspect generated hands and utensils, correct any anatomy or merged details in a final master, and proof food tones without oversaturation.", "lesson": "Still life and inclusive participation", "pilot": "Test tactile piece handling and contrast with voluntary adult participants.", "image": "https://pointcast.xyz/images/puzzles/08-long-table.webp", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionReady": false }, { "id": "09", "slug": "library-of-tides", "title": "Library of tides", "category": "Imagined places", "pieces": 1500, "format": "Landscape · 30 × 20 in study", "audience": "Book lovers; experienced architectural puzzlers", "story": "The library faces the sea. Shelves, stairs and little lamps hold a thousand imagined stories while the tide turns outside.", "art": "09-library-of-tides.webp", "alt": "Original intricate cross-section of a seaside library with colorful bookshelves, stairs, lamps and ocean windows.", "challenge": "Dense architecture supports extended solving, though repeated shelves require deliberate local variation.", "print": "1,500 is a proposal, not a validated die. Require a much larger master, detail cleanup and an actual-size proof before sampling.", "lesson": "Scale, repetition and visual hierarchy", "pilot": "An advanced edition after demand and print detail have been tested.", "image": "https://pointcast.xyz/images/puzzles/09-library-of-tides.webp", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionReady": false }, { "id": "10", "slug": "after-rain", "title": "After the rain", "category": "Nature", "pieces": 500, "format": "Landscape · 18 × 12 in study", "audience": "Street photographers; people who like quiet cinematic scenes", "story": "The street shines after a coastal shower. Reflections, bicycles and warm windows turn an ordinary invented neighborhood into a small event.", "art": "10-after-rain.webp", "alt": "Original cinematic imagined wet coastal street with colorful puddle reflections, gardens, bicycles and warm windows.", "challenge": "Reflections connect upper and lower sections; garden textures and windows keep the dark pavement from becoming one uniform field.", "print": "Proof dark pavement carefully. Lift blocked shadows without flattening the evening atmosphere; check edges at the intended crop.", "lesson": "Reflection, contrast and crop", "pilot": "A 500-piece visual balance candidate after shadow proofing.", "image": "https://pointcast.xyz/images/puzzles/10-after-rain.webp", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionReady": false } ], "research": { "accessed": "2026-10-03", "scope": "Editorial research for a proposed PointCast jigsaw feature. No purchases, supplier outreach, inventory, production approval, partnerships or order fulfillment occurred.", "sources": [ { "id": "fissler2018", "title": "Fissler et al., Jigsaw Puzzling Taps Multiple Cognitive Abilities", "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2018.00299/full", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Clinical trial, published 2018-10-01; manufacturer funded; no overall short-term cognitive improvement versus counseling." }, { "id": "npg-spilsbury", "title": "National Portrait Gallery: John Spilsbury", "url": "https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp62395/john-spilsbury", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Museum biography dates Spilsbury’s puzzle to 1766; avoid claiming an uncontested inventor." }, { "id": "ravensburger-large", "title": "Ravensburger: Large Piece Jigsaw Puzzles", "url": "https://www.ravensburger.us/en-US/products/collections-larger-puzzle-pieces", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official large-piece range; use physical-design facts, not the page’s health marketing." }, { "id": "galison", "title": "Galison: Jigsaw Puzzles", "url": "https://www.galison.com/collections/jigsaw-puzzles", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official publisher catalog: counts, formats, artists, material statements; vendor claims are not independent certification." }, { "id": "eeboo", "title": "eeBoo: 1000 Piece Puzzles", "url": "https://eeboo.com/collections/1000-piece-puzzles", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official publisher shop; illustrated 1000-piece puzzles and catalog links for other counts." }, { "id": "piecework", "title": "Piecework: All Puzzles", "url": "https://pieceworkpuzzles.com/collections/all", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official publisher shop; still-life imagery and 500/1000-piece categories." }, { "id": "jiggy", "title": "JIGGY: Shop All", "url": "https://jiggypuzzles.com/collections/all", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official artist-crediting shop: 450/500/800-piece formats, personalized options and Puzzle Club." }, { "id": "cloudberries", "title": "Cloudberries", "url": "https://cloudberries.co.uk/", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official shop: 50/100/500/1000-piece counts, ribbon/random cuts and beginner/expert collections." }, { "id": "pomegranate", "title": "Pomegranate Artpiece Puzzles", "url": "https://www.pomegranate.com/collections/puzzles", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official art-puzzle catalog including smaller double-sided sets." }, { "id": "springbok", "title": "Springbok Official Store", "url": "https://www.springbok-puzzles.com/", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official publisher shop; company dates its puzzles to 1963." }, { "id": "artifact", "title": "Artifact Puzzles", "url": "https://www.artifactpuzzles.com/", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official wooden puzzle publisher; separates US-made Artifact/Ecru and Canadian Stumpcraft ranges." }, { "id": "printify", "title": "Printify: Custom Puzzles", "url": "https://printify.com/custom-puzzles/", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official no-minimum print-on-demand overview; samples recommended; actual product/provider options vary." }, { "id": "printify-tin", "title": "Printify: Jigsaw Puzzle with Tin", "url": "https://printify.com/app/products/532/generic-brand/jigsaw-puzzle-30-110-252-5001000-piece", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Observed starting prices and shipping do not identify the selected piece count; do not use as a 500-piece quote." }, { "id": "cjp500", "title": "CreateJigsawPuzzles: 500-Piece 19-Inch Square Collage Puzzle", "url": "https://www.createjigsawpuzzles.com/design/fi-8669.html", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official per-set quantity table, MOQ one; default poly bag, configurable board/finish/packaging." }, { "id": "cjpwood", "title": "CreateJigsawPuzzles: Irregular 503-Piece Wooden Puzzle", "url": "https://www.createjigsawpuzzles.com/design/irregular-cut-photo-wooden-puzzle.html", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official per-set quantity table and laser-cut wood specifications; options change price." }, { "id": "cjp-returns", "title": "CreateJigsawPuzzles: Guarantee and Returns", "url": "https://www.createjigsawpuzzles.com/guarantee.aspx", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Personalized returns limited to errors/defects; quality-issue reporting window is three days after arrival." }, { "id": "printful", "title": "Printful: Custom Puzzles", "url": "https://www.printful.com/custom-puzzles", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official no-minimum POD overview; recommends PNG/JPEG at 300 DPI; no verified price extracted." }, { "id": "admagic", "title": "Ad Magic: Custom Jigsaw Puzzles", "url": "https://admagic.com/custom-jigsaw-puzzles/", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official manufacturing/packaging/fulfillment information; flexible minimums described, no fixed MOQ or price disclosed." }, { "id": "ravensburger-photo", "title": "Ravensburger US: Personalized Gifts", "url": "https://www.ravensburger.us/en-US/products/personalized-gifts", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Retail custom-photo prototype option; US delivery restrictions; not a wholesale production quote." }, { "id": "cpsc-toys", "title": "CPSC: Toy Safety Business Guidance", "url": "https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Toy-Safety", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "US toy-safety scope and current ASTM F963-23 effective-date guidance; applicability is SKU and age dependent." }, { "id": "cpsc-parts", "title": "CPSC: Small Parts Ban and Choking Hazard Labeling", "url": "https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Small-Parts-for-Toys-and-Childrens-Products", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "US small-parts rules and exceptions; do not treat every material or adult puzzle as legally identical." }, { "id": "copyright", "title": "US Copyright Office: What Is Copyright?", "url": "https://www.copyright.gov/what-is-copyright/", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Copyright protects original human expression; copying, derivative works, distribution and display require applicable rights." }, { "id": "copyright-ai", "title": "US Copyright Office: AI Report Part 2 Release", "url": "https://www.copyright.gov/newsnet/2025/1060.html", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Published 2025-01-29; human expressive contributions can qualify, prompts alone are insufficient." }, { "id": "ftc-green", "title": "FTC: Environmental Claims Summary of Green Guides", "url": "https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/environmental-claims-summary-green-guides", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Environmental benefit claims need specific, supportable qualifications; certification does not remove substantiation duties." }, { "id": "stripe", "title": "Stripe US Pricing", "url": "https://stripe.com/pricing", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Observed standard domestic-card fee 2.9% + USD 0.30; other payment types and services differ." }, { "id": "spotify", "title": "Spotify: veridis quo surfer dreams", "url": "https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0AegDPw3ddtdk31PHRB1Og?si=7d8cba49633940a6", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official fetch exposes title and creator mhoydich only; no extracted tracks, count or runtime, and no listening occurred." }, { "id": "industrynext-maker", "title": "Industry Next — Permission Lab", "url": "https://www.industrynext.xyz/make/", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official page inspected in Chrome; related making brief with private export and deliberate publishing, not a puzzle partnership." }, { "id": "industrynext-case", "title": "Industry Next — One cent, remembered", "url": "https://www.industrynext.xyz/editorial/the-wild-one-cent/", "accessed": "2026-10-03", "note": "Official case inspected in Chrome. Related lesson on separating functional product evidence from independent customer demand; its financial experiment is not part of this feature." } ], "enjoyment": [ { "id": "progress", "title": "A little progress you can see", "copy": "Each fitted piece gives immediate feedback. A scattered image becomes a finished scene; the appeal can be the process as much as the result.", "sourceIds": [ "fissler2018" ], "evidenceType": "Editorial interpretation of task characteristics; not a measured population-wide preference." }, { "id": "attention", "title": "An image worth spending time with", "copy": "Looking for color, texture and shape gives attention a specific job. Sorting, rotating and matching pieces recruits several visual and spatial abilities.", "sourceIds": [ "fissler2018" ], "evidenceType": "Study-supported cognitive demands; not a promise of cognitive improvement." }, { "id": "ritual", "title": "A pause, a shared table, a personal pace", "copy": "Try a screen-free ritual, an easy conversation around a table, or a quiet solo project. Choose the difficulty for the experience you want and stop whenever you like.", "sourceIds": [], "evidenceType": "Suggested experiences, not medical or prevalence claims." }, { "id": "evidence", "title": "What the research actually says", "copy": "A 2018 trial randomized 100 healthy adults aged 50+ to 30 days of puzzling plus counseling or counseling alone. Puzzlers improved puzzle skill, but not overall visuospatial cognition compared with the control group. Lifetime experience correlations do not establish causation. Ravensburger funded the study and supplied puzzles.", "sourceIds": [ "fissler2018" ], "evidenceType": "Primary study with limitations." } ], "history": [ { "period": "1760s", "title": "Education before entertainment", "copy": "London engraver and map seller John Spilsbury is widely credited with early jigsaw puzzles. The National Portrait Gallery dates his puzzle to 1766. These origins connect naturally to map-based teaching; avoid presenting the identity of the first inventor as settled.", "sourceIds": [ "npg-spilsbury" ] }, { "period": "Today", "title": "A format with many branches", "copy": "Modern publishers offer standard rectangles, panoramic, shaped, double-sided, wooden and specialty finishes. A piece count is one design choice among image complexity, cut style, piece size and finished dimensions.", "sourceIds": [ "galison", "cloudberries" ] } ], "formats": [ { "id": "quick", "label": "Small counts", "pieceRange": "100–300", "guidance": "A manageable first project or a shorter ritual. Dense art or tiny pieces can still make a small puzzle challenging.", "status": "Editorial selection guide", "sourceIds": [ "galison", "cloudberries" ] }, { "id": "standard", "label": "Everyday adult puzzle", "pieceRange": "500", "guidance": "A practical first physical prototype for original illustration. Inspect finished dimensions and actual piece size.", "status": "Proposed product plan", "sourceIds": [ "galison", "cjp500" ] }, { "id": "long", "label": "An extended project", "pieceRange": "1000–2000", "guidance": "More sorting and more table space. Complexity also depends on repeated colors, detail, cut and reference image. Avoid guaranteed completion times.", "status": "Editorial selection guide", "sourceIds": [ "galison" ] }, { "id": "large", "label": "Larger pieces", "pieceRange": "300, 500 or 750 examples", "guidance": "Larger pieces and strong image contrast can make handling and visual matching more comfortable. Counts alone do not establish accessibility.", "status": "Verified commercial format examples", "sourceIds": [ "ravensburger-large" ] }, { "id": "special", "label": "Change the format", "pieceRange": "Varies by product", "guidance": "Try round, shaped, panoramic, double-sided or wooden puzzles. Repeated patterns and irregular outlines create different challenges. Foil or gloss can introduce glare.", "status": "Editorial interpretation of verified formats", "sourceIds": [ "galison", "pomegranate", "artifact" ] } ], "accessibility": { "physicalRecommendations": [ "Offer a 100–300-piece or large-piece option as well as the main 500/1000-piece version.", "Use distinct color-and-texture zones, clear objects, readable reference art and a matte proof to assess glare.", "List finished width/height, actual piece size if known, cut style and required table space.", "Offer sorting trays, comfortable lighting, a movable board and permission to take breaks.", "Test with people who have different visual, dexterity and sensory preferences; do not call an untested design universally accessible." ], "digitalRecommendations": [ "Every piece should have a keyboard-operable placement alternative with an accessible name and visible focus.", "Provide row/column destinations, undo/reset and a full reference image.", "Use an optional timer only; no compulsory racing, flashing feedback or music playback.", "Honor reduced motion and do not use color alone to communicate placement or progress." ], "sourceIds": [ "ravensburger-large" ], "status": "Design recommendations; not validated accessibility claims." }, "manufacturing": { "workflow": [ { "stage": "Brief", "action": "Choose the audience, target age, count, finished dimensions, difficulty, cut style and target retail price. Keep the initial pilot to one or two concepts.", "type": "Project recommendation" }, { "stage": "Rights and art", "action": "Create or commission original art; document the artist agreement and all source licenses. Keep brands, celebrity likenesses, album covers and protected characters out unless separately licensed.", "type": "Project recommendation", "sourceIds": [ "copyright", "copyright-ai" ] }, { "stage": "Prepress", "action": "Use the selected supplier’s exact puzzle and box templates. Keep essential details within safe areas; extend artwork through bleed; proof RGB-to-print color conversion rather than assuming a screen match.", "type": "Project recommendation", "sourceIds": [ "cjp500", "printful" ] }, { "stage": "Print and mount", "action": "Cardboard products may print onto chipboard or laminated paper surfaces; POD methods vary. Confirm board thickness, paper, adhesive, print method, finish and expected durability for the exact SKU.", "type": "Project recommendation informed by supplier examples", "sourceIds": [ "printify-tin", "cjp500", "cjpwood" ] }, { "stage": "Cut", "action": "Compare ribbon/grid and random cuts. Conventional cardboard puzzles use die cutting; wooden examples can use laser cutting. Confirm false-fit risk, edge quality, cut registration and replacement-piece feasibility.", "type": "Project recommendation informed by supplier examples", "sourceIds": [ "printify-tin", "cloudberries", "cjpwood" ] }, { "stage": "Proof and test", "action": "Inspect a physical production sample at final size: color, detail, glare, piece fit, dust, completeness, edge durability, odor and box damage. Have multiple people build it and record confusion and enjoyment.", "type": "Project recommendation", "sourceIds": [ "printify" ] }, { "stage": "Pack", "action": "Specify inner bag, durable right-sized box, reference insert, artist credit, count, completed dimensions, age grading, required warnings, product/batch identification and support instructions. Include inbound freight and outer shipping protection in cost.", "type": "Project recommendation", "sourceIds": [ "cjp500", "cpsc-toys" ] }, { "stage": "Release decision", "action": "Approve the sample, rights, exact SKU testing, landed quote and fulfillment plan before offering a physical product for sale. These PointCast concepts are development proposals.", "type": "Project recommendation" } ], "printNotes": [ { "copy": "The verified 19-inch square CJP SKU specifies at least 150 DPI, RGB or CMYK inputs and 3–6 mm bleed. These are that SKU’s instructions, not universal print rules.", "sourceIds": [ "cjp500" ] }, { "copy": "Printful’s general puzzle page recommends PNG/JPEG at 300 DPI. For a 20 × 15-inch target at 300 DPI, the art area alone is 6000 × 4500 pixels, before supplier bleed. This is a calculation, not a supplier requirement for every product.", "sourceIds": [ "printful" ] }, { "copy": "Web concept images do not automatically meet production resolution. Resampling does not restore missing detail; approve an intended-size physical proof before describing art as print ready.", "sourceIds": [], "type": "Project recommendation" } ], "wasteNotes": [ "Right-size packaging and compare freight volume, material weight, damage rate and replacement rate.", "Ask for traceable board/material documentation and certification scope for the specific SKU. A website statement does not certify a new PointCast product.", "Evaluate coatings, mixed materials, inner bags, adhesives, inks and local disposal instructions together; avoid blanket recyclable, biodegradable, sustainable or eco-friendly claims.", "Use small pilots to reduce unsold inventory and track material loss from setup, cutting, damaged stock and returns." ], "sourceIds": [ "ftc-green" ] }, "rights": { "copy": "Use original human-created work, licensed work with merchandise rights, or verified public-domain material. An artist agreement should cover puzzle manufacture, packaging, online display, territory, duration, editions, attribution, compensation and approval. Preserve source records; purchasing a print or finding an image online does not itself grant merchandise rights.", "aiCopy": "US Copyright Office guidance says AI output can qualify only where human authorship determines sufficient expressive elements; prompts alone are insufficient. Record tool provenance and human editing. Describe original generated concept art honestly without promising exclusive copyright or clearance of every possible claim.", "sourceIds": [ "copyright", "copyright-ai" ] }, "safety": { "market": "United States research; reassess each destination market before sale.", "copy": "Decide the actual intended age and materials before selecting tests or labels. CPSC says ASTM F963 covers toys intended for under-14s; third-party testing and Children’s Product Certificates generally apply to toys intended primarily for children 12 or younger. Its current page identifies ASTM F963-23 for toys manufactured after 2024-04-20. Identify applicable sections for the exact SKU rather than relying on a generic supplier badge.", "smallPartsCopy": "CPSC’s small-parts ban concerns relevant products intended for children under three, with stated material/product exceptions. Certain children’s toys with small parts require warnings, including in advertising. Do not make a blanket legal classification for all cardboard, wooden or adult puzzles. An adult label alone is not a substitute for appropriate design and marketing assessment.", "testChecklist": [ "Confirm market and age classification with the manufacturing/testing specialist.", "Ask for exact SKU/batch evidence for applicable material, coating, chemical, edge and mechanical requirements.", "Check completeness, cut/fit, damage in transit and repeated-use performance.", "Keep test reports, material declarations, manufacturer/importer identification and traceability records." ], "sourceIds": [ "cpsc-toys", "cpsc-parts" ], "status": "Educational planning guidance; no PointCast puzzle is certified or approved." }, "suppliers": [ { "id": "cjp500", "name": "CreateJigsawPuzzles", "product": "500-piece, 19 × 19-inch square Five Collage Navy template", "url": "https://www.createjigsawpuzzles.com/design/fi-8669.html", "observed": "2026-10-03", "dateBasis": "Observation date; no quote validity date displayed.", "moq": 1, "displayCurrency": "$", "currencyAssumption": "USD for illustrative modelling; confirm selected account/quote currency.", "prices": [ { "quantity": "1", "perSet": 30.65 }, { "quantity": "30–49", "perSet": 20.35 }, { "quantity": "50–99", "perSet": 18.2 }, { "quantity": "100–249", "perSet": 16.05 }, { "quantity": "500–999", "perSet": 12.3 }, { "quantity": "1000–1999", "perSet": 8.55 }, { "quantity": "5000+", "perSet": 3.55 } ], "scope": "Visible per-set quantity table; poly bag is default; bulk discounts can apply to the same or different prints.", "exclusions": "Not a landed, boxed-retail or PointCast-specific quote. Board, finish, printed box, bag, wrap, insert, freight, tax, duty, art, testing and any custom tooling need scoped confirmation.", "sourceIds": [ "cjp500" ] }, { "id": "cjpwood", "name": "CreateJigsawPuzzles", "product": "503-piece irregular-cut wooden puzzle, 18 × 24 inches", "url": "https://www.createjigsawpuzzles.com/design/irregular-cut-photo-wooden-puzzle.html", "observed": "2026-10-03", "dateBasis": "Observation date; no quote validity date displayed.", "moq": 1, "displayCurrency": "$", "currencyAssumption": "Confirm selected currency in a quote.", "prices": [ { "quantity": "1", "perSet": 147.45 }, { "quantity": "100–249", "perSet": 51.35 }, { "quantity": "1000+", "perSet": 25.7 } ], "scope": "Visible table for laser-cut wood product. Listed print options include paper laminated to plywood or direct UV on plywood; poly bag default.", "exclusions": "Options, shipping, tax/duty, tooling, rights and testing not scoped. Advertised temporary discount not applied to research figures.", "sourceIds": [ "cjpwood" ] }, { "id": "printify-tin", "name": "Printify / Imagine Your Photos", "product": "Jigsaw Puzzle with Tin; 30, 110, 252, 500, 1000 or 2000 pieces", "url": "https://printify.com/app/products/532/generic-brand/jigsaw-puzzle-30-110-252-5001000-piece", "observed": "2026-10-03", "moq": 1, "prices": [ { "description": "Visible starting product price; selected piece count unspecified", "currency": "USD", "perSet": 18 }, { "description": "Visible starting price with paid Printify Premium plan", "currency": "USD", "perSet": 13.67 }, { "description": "Visible starting shipping rate; destination and size unspecified", "currency": "USD", "shippingFrom": 6.59 } ], "scope": "Pre-die-cut chipboard, glossy finish, white metal tin with printed cover.", "exclusions": "Starting prices are not a 500-piece or 1000-piece quote. Size, provider, destination, plan fee, taxes, returns and other services must be selected and confirmed.", "sourceIds": [ "printify", "printify-tin" ] }, { "id": "printful", "name": "Printful", "product": "Print-on-demand photo puzzles", "url": "https://www.printful.com/custom-puzzles", "observed": "2026-10-03", "moq": 1, "prices": [], "scope": "Official page supports ordering one; chipboard, 30–1000-piece options and tin/cardboard packaging described.", "exclusions": "No verified price extracted; do not invent a unit cost or exact fulfillment time.", "sourceIds": [ "printful" ] }, { "id": "admagic", "name": "Ad Magic", "product": "Custom manufacturing, packaging and fulfillment", "url": "https://admagic.com/custom-jigsaw-puzzles/", "observed": "2026-10-03", "moq": null, "prices": [], "scope": "Supplier describes flexible minimums for prototypes and small batches, custom piece counts/shapes/finishes/packaging and fulfillment.", "exclusions": "No fixed MOQ or public price verified. Written scope needed; no outreach occurred.", "sourceIds": [ "admagic" ] }, { "id": "ravensburger-photo", "name": "Ravensburger US", "product": "Retail custom-photo puzzles", "url": "https://www.ravensburger.us/en-US/products/personalized-gifts", "observed": "2026-10-03", "moq": null, "prices": [ { "pieces": 100, "format": "XXL", "currency": "USD", "retail": 39.99 }, { "pieces": 300, "currency": "USD", "retail": 39.99 }, { "pieces": 500, "currency": "USD", "retail": 44.99 }, { "pieces": 1000, "currency": "USD", "retail": 49.99 } ], "scope": "Retail prototype benchmark, not wholesale manufacturing. Official page says one uploaded photo, US delivery excluding territories and international locations.", "exclusions": "USD 8 shipping under USD 50, sales tax and any use/resale terms require checking. No actual order, commercial resale clearance or manufacturing commitment.", "sourceIds": [ "ravensburger-photo" ] } ], "buying": [ { "id": "ravensburger", "name": "Ravensburger", "url": "https://www.ravensburger.us/en-US", "summary": "Broad adult jigsaws, large-piece formats, 3D puzzles and custom-photo gifts.", "formats": [ "standard", "large-piece", "3D", "photo" ], "sourceIds": [ "ravensburger-large", "ravensburger-photo" ] }, { "id": "galison", "name": "Galison", "url": "https://www.galison.com/collections/jigsaw-puzzles", "summary": "Artist-led puzzles in varied counts, shaped, foil, panoramic and double-sided formats.", "formats": [ "standard", "shaped", "foil", "panoramic", "double-sided" ], "sourceIds": [ "galison" ] }, { "id": "eeboo", "name": "eeBoo Piece & Love", "url": "https://eeboo.com/collections/1000-piece-puzzles", "summary": "Colorful illustrated scenes with artist-focused adult puzzle collections.", "formats": [ "illustration", "500-piece", "1000-piece" ], "sourceIds": [ "eeboo" ] }, { "id": "cloudberries", "name": "Cloudberries", "url": "https://cloudberries.co.uk/", "summary": "Design-led art, gradients and imagery; ribbon and random cuts, small counts to 1000 pieces.", "formats": [ "abstract", "gradient", "ribbon", "random" ], "sourceIds": [ "cloudberries" ] }, { "id": "pomegranate", "name": "Pomegranate", "url": "https://www.pomegranate.com/collections/puzzles", "summary": "Art-focused puzzles with credited artists and museums, including smaller double-sided sets.", "formats": [ "fine art", "double-sided" ], "sourceIds": [ "pomegranate" ] }, { "id": "jiggy", "name": "JIGGY", "url": "https://jiggypuzzles.com/collections/all", "summary": "Credited artists, 450/500/800-piece formats, custom photos and a publisher-run puzzle club.", "formats": [ "artist", "450-piece", "500-piece", "800-piece", "photo" ], "sourceIds": [ "jiggy" ] }, { "id": "piecework", "name": "Piecework", "url": "https://pieceworkpuzzles.com/collections/all", "summary": "Photography and playful still-life puzzles, with publisher-created listening pairings.", "formats": [ "photography", "still-life", "500-piece", "1000-piece" ], "sourceIds": [ "piecework" ] }, { "id": "springbok", "name": "Springbok", "url": "https://www.springbok-puzzles.com/", "summary": "Established US puzzle publisher with an official direct shop.", "formats": [ "standard" ], "sourceIds": [ "springbok" ] }, { "id": "artifact", "name": "Artifact Puzzles", "url": "https://www.artifactpuzzles.com/", "summary": "Wooden art puzzles; verify the cut, count and manufacturing origin of each range.", "formats": [ "wood", "art" ], "sourceIds": [ "artifact" ] } ], "business": { "status": "Illustrative classroom assumptions, not forecasts or supplier quotes. No PointCast physical product is offered for sale.", "formula": "Unit contribution = merchandise revenue + shipping collected − product/box/inbound landed cost − shipping paid − pick/pack − payment/channel fees − returns/damage allowance − other variable costs. Break-even units = ceil(fixed launch costs / positive unit contribution). If contribution is zero or negative, there is no profitable unit-volume break-even.", "models": [ { "id": "pilot", "name": "Small physical pilot", "assumptions": "50–99 units, one or two concepts; CJP table $18.20 per unscoped default-bag set is only a benchmark. Add box, reference, inbound freight, testing and defects.", "questions": [ "Does the sample feel good to build?", "Will buyers pay enough after shipping?", "Can missing/damaged units be resolved?" ] }, { "id": "retail", "name": "Direct retail edition", "assumptions": "Illustrative merchandise price USD 32–40; landed product USD 12–22; handling USD 1.50–3; seller-paid postage USD 7–10; return/damage reserve 2–5% of merchandise revenue. These ranges are teaching assumptions, not quoted production costs.", "questions": [ "Which cost is included in the quote?", "Does customer-paid shipping change conversion and contribution?", "What happens at 50%, 75% and 100% sell-through?" ] }, { "id": "wholesale", "name": "Retailers and wholesale", "assumptions": "Test an assumed wholesale price of 50% of a USD 36–40 retail price, then model actual case size, carton freight, payment terms, returns and sales commissions. 50% is a scenario, not a verified universal industry rule.", "questions": [ "Is contribution positive at the wholesale price?", "Can retail partners reorder?", "How much cash is tied up before payment?" ] }, { "id": "licensing", "name": "License the collection", "assumptions": "A manufacturing/publishing partner could pay a negotiated advance or royalty. A 4–8% royalty can be used as a classroom sensitivity example only; no market norm or partner commitment is claimed.", "questions": [ "What is the royalty basis?", "Who approves proofs and controls credits?", "Who owns inventory, testing and product liability?" ] }, { "id": "subscription", "name": "An optional puzzle series", "assumptions": "Test a quarterly series before a monthly model. Include new-art cadence, cohort retention, pauses/cancellations, reserve stock, repeat postage and acquisition cost; do not model every subscriber as permanent.", "questions": [ "Will subscribers want the next edition?", "What happens if an edition is late?", "Can people choose difficulty or opt out?" ] } ], "workedSensitivity": { "status": "Illustrative only; all costs except the cited card-fee formula are assumptions.", "price": 36, "fixedLaunchCost": 1800, "base": { "landed": 16, "handling": 2, "sellerPaidShipping": 8, "fee": 1.344, "returnsReserve": 1.08, "contribution": 7.576, "breakEvenUnits": 238 }, "scenarios": [ { "name": "Landed cost increases USD 4", "contribution": 3.576, "breakEvenUnits": 504 }, { "name": "Merchandise price falls to USD 32; fee and 3% reserve adjusted", "contribution": 3.812, "breakEvenUnits": 473 }, { "name": "Postage increases USD 3", "contribution": 4.576, "breakEvenUnits": 394 } ], "excluded": "Owner pay, acquisition ads, storage, insurance, taxes, unsold units and any additional fixed operating cost. Include them before a real investment decision.", "sourceIds": [ "stripe" ] }, "operatingRecommendations": [ "Record supplier quotes with SKU, count, dimensions, board, finish, box, bag, insert, tooling, freight, duty/tax, sample, testing, defect allowance and lead time separately.", "Model customer-paid and subsidized shipping, domestic and international delivery separately.", "Budget a missing/damaged-piece resolution path; supplier return limits can be narrower than a retailer’s customer promise.", "Track sell-through, cash conversion, unsold inventory, waste, refund rate, acquisition cost and reorder demand.", "Classroom tasks for the UES Business Concentration: customer interviews, channel margin sheet, break-even sensitivity and pilot decision memo.", "Classroom tasks for Design School: image legibility, crop/bleed, cut interaction, packaging prototype and inclusive user test.", "IndustryNext case-study angle: compare POD, bulk die-cut board, wooden laser cuts and art licensing using actual evidence; label it proposed study, not a partnership." ], "sourceIds": [ "cjp-returns", "ftc-green" ] }, "soundtrack": { "url": "https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0AegDPw3ddtdk31PHRB1Og?si=7d8cba49633940a6", "verifiedTitle": "veridis quo surfer dreams", "verifiedCreator": "mhoydich", "verifiedBy": "Official Spotify page title fetched with web tool.", "tracksVerifiedFromPage": false, "copy": "Open the soundtrack chosen by Michael on Spotify. Listening is optional; take the puzzle at your own pace.", "restrictions": [ "No autoplay or compulsory listening.", "No hosted audio, lyrics or copied album covers.", "Do not claim to have listened.", "Do not make healing-frequency, cognitive or medical claims about the music.", "The private UI screenshot may support parent context, but is not public site art or a live playlist guarantee." ], "sourceIds": [ "spotify" ] }, "limitations": [ "All vendor prices are observed on 2026-10-03 and may change. They are public website observations, not binding quotations.", "Some direct supplier pages were unavailable or blocked; no unsupported MOQ, bulk price or forecast is included.", "Buying links are curated external referrals. Verify retailer availability, delivery geography, price and return policy on its site. No retailer partnership or affiliate commission is asserted.", "The ten original concepts require final print art, rights records, physical prototypes, applicable testing, quotes and fulfillment decisions before production.", "Source research does not establish medical benefits, worldwide market size, universal accessibility or production readiness.", "No purchases, supplier messages, subscriptions, financial actions or manufacturing orders occurred." ] }, "business": { "generatedAt": "2026-10-03", "title": "PointCast Puzzle Studio — Business and Design Study", "status": "Editorial planning material. No inventory, supplier contract, checkout, class enrollment, partner commitment, or production readiness is claimed.", "summary": "Start by curating reputable puzzle buying links and publishing ten art concepts. Use a small proof-and-playtest sprint to learn which two deserve production. Compare direct retail, wholesale, licensing, and a later repeat-delivery model using the same honest cost vocabulary.", "disclosure": "All business numbers below are illustrative US-dollar planning assumptions as of 3 October 2026, except separately cited published supplier/carrier/payment-provider terms. They are not supplier quotations, market averages, offers, or forecasts. Tax, financing costs, founder salary, ongoing overhead, unbudgeted tooling, and larger-market compliance work require separate estimates. No purchase or supplier outreach occurred.", "routeIntegration": { "businessAnchor": "/puzzles/business/", "studioAnchor": "/puzzles/studio/", "relatedStudy": [ { "title": "University of El Segundo class catalog", "href": "/ues", "purpose": "Existing self-paced learning context; the puzzle outline is related editorial study, not a newly enrolled or accredited concentration." }, { "title": "Public Image Office: Posters, Signs & Civic Invitations", "href": "/ues/public-image-office", "purpose": "Adapt its public-image thinking into puzzle landmarks, readable packaging, and a truthful product card." }, { "title": "Common Table: Hospitality as Civic Infrastructure", "href": "/ues/common-table", "purpose": "Design an optional shared puzzle table with welcome, accessible seating, good lighting, and quiet participation." }, { "title": "AI Studio and authorship practice", "href": "/ues/collective-intelligence-studio", "purpose": "Keep the source-and-process ledger behind the original visual concepts." }, { "title": "Local Broadcast: Publish a Place", "href": "/ues/local-broadcast", "purpose": "Write a release dossier that separates decisions, measurements, and assumptions." } ], "industryNextLinks": [ { "title": "Industry Next — Permission Lab", "href": "https://www.industrynext.xyz/make/", "purpose": "Editorial cross-reference for how a creative brief becomes a scoped experiment.", "verification": "Official live page inspected in Chrome on 2026-10-03: Permission Lab current brief and maker, with private export and deliberate public publishing." }, { "title": "Industry Next — Made stream", "href": "https://www.industrynext.xyz/made/", "purpose": "Optional reading about publishing work with evidence; do not claim the puzzle collection has a published case study there.", "verification": "URL is present in current origin/main; this worker could not fetch its live content." }, { "title": "Industry Next — The Wild: One Cent case study", "href": "https://www.industrynext.xyz/editorial/the-wild-one-cent/", "purpose": "Related product-development case study link already referenced by PointCast block 0590. Verify live content before describing it.", "verification": "Official live case study inspected in Chrome on 2026-10-03. This is a related product evidence case, not a PointCast puzzle sales record." } ], "caution": "Shared UES business hub is maintained separately; this puzzle case links to existing classes without creating a competing hub." }, "businessModels": [ { "id": "curated-shelf", "title": "Curated PointCast store shelf", "stage": "Publish now", "audience": "People looking for a first puzzle, a gift, art-led brands, large-piece formats, or a maker resource.", "offer": "External editorial links to real sellers, alongside explicitly labeled original concepts.", "operations": "Check links and product descriptions; show the seller's name; disclose that seller checkout, stock, shipping, and returns are external.", "planningRanges": { "inventoryUsd": [ 0, 0 ], "monthlyEditorialMaintenanceUsd": [ 50, 300 ], "assumedAffiliateRevenueUsd": 0 }, "economicLogic": "This stage earns trust and reveals interest without pretending PointCast has stock. Count qualified outbound clicks only if privacy-preserving analytics are already authorized. There is no commission unless a real agreement is signed and disclosed.", "evidenceToAdvance": "Collect voluntary feedback on art preference, preferred piece count, usable table size, and price with shipping. Interest is a signal, not an order." }, { "id": "proof-sprint", "title": "A proof sprint before inventory", "stage": "Proposed next experiment", "offer": "Select two concepts from the ten and compare physical proofs with different piece-count or finish options.", "planningRanges": { "conceptsToSample": [ 1, 3 ], "physicalSamples": [ 3, 6 ], "totalLearningBudgetUsd": [ 400, 1500 ] }, "operations": "Budget proof orders, shipping, a small artwork revision, playtest compensation/access needs, and a replacement proof. Reserve time to assemble every sample completely.", "economicLogic": "Treat proof costs as research, not saleable inventory. A pretty full image cannot establish cut quality or whether each small piece has useful clues.", "evidenceToAdvance": "A complete piece count, no unacceptable false fits/delamination, readable print, and feedback from beginner and experienced solvers plus people who choose large pieces." }, { "id": "small-pilot", "title": "A 25–75-unit pilot", "stage": "Planning only", "audience": "An existing small audience willing to pay for a carefully finished art product.", "offer": "One or two adult-oriented puzzle designs; limited batch scope announced only after proofing and verified supplier capacity.", "planningRanges": { "plannedBatchUnits": [ 25, 75 ], "productPriceUsd": [ 42, 55 ], "shippingCollectedUsd": [ 6, 10 ], "landedProductUsd": [ 18, 32 ], "fixedPilotUsd": [ 600, 2000 ] }, "baseCase": { "plannedUnits": 50, "productPriceUsd": 48, "shippingCollectedUsd": 7, "receiptsUsd": 55, "landedPuzzleBoxInsertUsd": 26, "mailerUsd": 1.25, "handlingUsd": 2.5, "postageUsd": 8, "artistRoyaltyUsd": 1.5, "replacementReserveUsd": 1.5, "paymentFeeUsd": 1.895, "variableCostUsd": 42.645, "contributionUsd": 12.355, "fixedPilotUsd": 1200, "breakEvenUnits": 98, "resultAt50SoldBeforeTaxAndOngoingOverheadUsd": -582.25 }, "economicLogic": "The small pilot can lose money while producing valuable learning. In this illustrative base case, selling all 50 units leaves a $582.25 launch deficit. Set a learning-budget cap before ordering.", "operationalNeeds": [ "One verified written specification and sample approval", "A realistic delivery window and refund mechanism before any paid preorder", "Time for support, missing-piece claims, packing, and address corrections", "Separate product-page labeling for prototype, concept, preorder, and in-stock status" ], "unknowns": "The planned batch range is not a supplier MOQ. Artwork price, piece count, box branding, shipping, tax, and lead time remain unquoted." }, { "id": "retail", "title": "A 250–500-unit direct retail edition", "stage": "Only after pilot evidence", "offer": "One validated 500-piece design with retail box, reference insert, a practical mailer, and a clear missing-piece process.", "planningRanges": { "plannedBatchUnits": [ 250, 500 ], "productPriceUsd": [ 28, 40 ], "shippingCollectedUsd": [ 6, 10 ], "landedProductUsd": [ 8, 14 ], "outerMailerUsd": [ 1, 2 ], "handlingUsd": [ 2, 4 ], "postageUsd": [ 6, 11 ], "fixedLaunchUsd": [ 3000, 12000 ], "paidAcquisitionUsd": [ 0, 10 ] }, "economicLogic": "Existing-audience direct sales leave more room than wholesale, but postage, defects, marketing, and unsold inventory can absorb the margin. The worked case below has no paid acquisition; adding it changes the outcome sharply.", "evidenceToAdvance": "Actual paid demand, quote-level landed cost, a passed proof and shipment test, funded support and insurance, and a plan for the unsold portion of the lot.", "unknowns": "Custom tooling, tests, imports/duties, carton storage, tax, and operator salary can exceed these illustrative ranges." }, { "id": "wholesale", "title": "Wholesale to independent shops", "stage": "Later channel experiment", "audience": "A small set of gift shops, museum-style shops, bookshops, or design retailers; none is committed.", "planningRanges": { "proposedWholesaleUnitRevenueUsd": [ 14, 22 ], "assumedSuggestedRetailUsd": [ 28, 44 ], "plannedUnits": [ 500, 2000 ], "landedProductUsd": [ 7, 12 ], "caseFreightHandlingAndAllowanceUsd": [ 2, 5 ] }, "baseCase": { "wholesaleRevenueUsd": 18, "assumedSuggestedRetailUsd": 36, "landedProductUsd": 8.5, "cartonAllocationUsd": 0.5, "handlingUsd": 0.75, "allocatedFreightUsd": 1.25, "artistRoyaltyUsd": 0.9, "creditRiskAndCollectionUsd": 0.35, "returnsAndDamageReserveUsd": 0.75, "variableCostUsd": 13, "contributionUsd": 5, "fixedLaunchUsd": 4500, "breakEvenUnits": 900 }, "economicLogic": "The example assumes trade revenue equals half the suggested retail price for teaching. It is not a universal retailer rule. At $5 contribution, 500 sold wholesale units do not cover $4,500 fixed launch costs.", "contractQuestions": [ "Opening order and reorder quantities; which party pays freight", "Payment before shipment versus agreed credit terms", "Returns, damaged stock, chargebacks, markdown support, and cancellation", "Retail barcode, carton pack, country-of-origin and safety information", "No exclusivity or consignment unless its cash exposure is modeled" ], "cashRisk": "A paper purchase order is not cash. Inventory may be paid before shipment, and credit sales may settle much later. Model bad debt and late payment separately." }, { "id": "licensing", "title": "License the art to an established publisher", "stage": "Alternative to owning inventory", "offer": "A rights-cleared, proofable artwork pack and documented intended audience/format; publisher would handle manufacturing under a real agreement.", "planningRanges": { "hypotheticalRoyaltyRatePercent": [ 4, 8 ], "hypotheticalNetWholesaleUnitBaseUsd": [ 12, 20 ], "forecastLicensedUnits": [ 1000, 10000 ], "artistAndLegalPreparationUsd": [ 1000, 4000 ] }, "baseCase": { "illustrativeGrossWholesaleUnitBaseUsd": 16, "assumedContractualReturnsDeductionPercent": 10, "netRoyaltyUnitBaseUsd": 14.4, "assumedRoyaltyRatePercent": 6, "royaltyPerUnitUsd": 0.864, "illustrativeUnits": 5000, "royaltyRevenueUsd": 4320, "preparationAndAdministrationUsd": 2000, "remainderBeforeTaxAndFurtherCostUsd": 2320 }, "economicLogic": "Every number is a negotiated-contract scenario, not an industry norm or promised revenue. A royalty percentage means little without its precise sales base, deductions, territory, term, reporting, and audit rights.", "contractQuestions": [ "What expressive work and rights are actually owned, including AI-assisted material", "Exclusivity, territory, formats, term, print-run approval, and minimum performance", "Royalty base and permitted deductions; whether an advance is recoupable", "Reporting cadence, audit, payment deadlines, source-file control, returns reserve", "Unused-stock sell-off period, reversion, and quality approvals" ], "boundary": "No publisher has accepted these concepts, and generated pixels are not automatically an exclusive copyrighted asset." }, { "id": "subscription", "title": "A quarterly puzzle letter", "stage": "Only after repeat-purchase evidence", "offer": "One approved puzzle plus a short original field letter every quarter; a nonrecurring option should remain available.", "planningRanges": { "shipmentRevenueUsd": [ 38, 52 ], "productAndFulfillmentUsd": [ 23, 37 ], "quarterlyEditorialAndAdminFixedUsd": [ 1000, 4000 ], "customerAcquisitionUsd": [ 0, 25 ] }, "baseCase": { "shippingIncludedRevenueUsd": 42, "landedProductUsd": 10.5, "mailerUsd": 1.5, "handlingUsd": 2.5, "postageUsd": 8.5, "artistRoyaltyUsd": 2, "replacementReserveUsd": 1.5, "perShipmentEditorialUsd": 2, "paymentFeeUsd": 1.518, "variableCostUsd": 30.018, "contributionBeforeAcquisitionUsd": 11.982, "quarterlyFixedUsd": 1500, "activeShipmentsForQuarterlyBreakEven": 126, "perShipmentAcquisitionAllocationUsd": 5, "activeShipmentsWithAcquisitionForBreakEven": 215 }, "economicLogic": "Recurring cash brings recurring obligations. Measure completion, storage burden, repeat demand, skips, churn, and support load before planning multiple deliveries.", "retentionExercise": { "disclosure": "A teaching formula with constant per-quarter retention, no discount rate, no capacity limits, and no evidence of real retention.", "formula": "Expected shipments = 1 / (1 − quarterly retention); expected contribution = shipments × $11.982, before acquisition and fixed cost.", "cases": [ { "retentionPercent": 65, "expectedShipments": 2.857, "contributionBeforeAcquisitionUsd": 34.23 }, { "retentionPercent": 80, "expectedShipments": 5, "contributionBeforeAcquisitionUsd": 59.91 }, { "retentionPercent": 90, "expectedShipments": 10, "contributionBeforeAcquisitionUsd": 119.82 } ] }, "operations": "Forecast cash per shipment; keep a refund reserve; communicate delivery windows; provide explicit recurring terms, informed consent, skips, and a simple cancellation path; check current applicable laws before launch.", "sourceIds": [ "rosca", "ftc-orders" ] } ], "unitEconomics": { "title": "Work the puzzle before buying the lot", "definition": "Contribution is receipts before sales tax minus costs that vary with an order. It is not net profit. Break-even units = fixed launch cost / positive contribution, rounded up.", "numericPolicy": "Calculations retain full precision, then format dollars to cents. The published fee input is 2.9% + $0.30; the fee applies here to product plus shipping, excluding tax for simplicity. Real charged tax also affects fees. Purchase taxes and recoverable tax treatment need separate analysis.", "assumptions": { "currency": "USD", "country": "US illustrative case", "format": "One adult-oriented 500-piece art puzzle", "productPriceUsd": [ 28, 40 ], "landedProductUsd": [ 8, 14 ], "postageUsd": [ 6, 11 ], "replacementAndReturnReserveUsd": [ 0.75, 3 ], "paidAcquisitionUsd": [ 0, 10 ], "fixedLaunchUsd": [ 3000, 12000 ], "batchPlanningOnly": "250–500 units; no supplier MOQ or availability is implied." }, "baseCase": { "productPriceUsd": 32, "shippingCollectedUsd": 7, "receiptsBeforeTaxUsd": 39, "costsUsd": { "landedProduct": 9.5, "mailer": 1.25, "handling": 2.5, "outboundShipping": 8, "artistRoyalty": 1.5, "defectAndReturnReserve": 1.25, "customerAcquisition": 0 }, "paymentFeeUsd": 1.43, "variableCostUsd": 25.43, "contributionUsd": 13.57, "contributionBeforeRoundingUsd": 13.568999999999999, "fixedLaunchUsd": 4500, "breakEvenUnits": 332 }, "costNotes": [ { "field": "landedProduct", "definition": "Puzzle plus retail box/reference insert delivered to the operator; a real quote must include or separately model factory price, inbound freight, duties, defects, and nonrecoverable tax." }, { "field": "mailer", "definition": "Outer shipping package; the retail box is already in landed product, so it is not counted twice." }, { "field": "handling", "definition": "Illustrative paid picking, packing, labeling, and shipment preparation labor; this is not unpaid founder time." }, { "field": "outboundShipping", "definition": "An assumed carrier cost, not a quote. Weigh and measure the packed sample and calculate actual origin-to-destination charges." }, { "field": "artistRoyalty", "definition": "A planned compensation input, not a signed royalty contract. If art is paid entirely up front, adapt this line and the fixed budget consistently." }, { "field": "defectAndReturnReserve", "definition": "A pooled per-sale allowance for replacements, refunds, extra shipping, and support. It is not an asserted return-rate benchmark; avoid also subtracting the same expected losses elsewhere." }, { "field": "customerAcquisition", "definition": "Paid promotion or attributable acquisition spend divided by acquired orders. Zero only means the example assumes an existing audience and excludes paid acquisition." } ], "fixedLaunchBudget": [ { "label": "Artwork preparation / licensed or human-authored contribution", "usd": 1000 }, { "label": "Proof copies and proof shipping", "usd": 300 }, { "label": "Package design / prepress", "usd": 350 }, { "label": "Quality and access test budget", "usd": 800 }, { "label": "Product photography / store and service setup", "usd": 750 }, { "label": "Administration / insurance / rights and compliance estimate", "usd": 1300 } ], "fixedBudgetLimit": "The $4,500 total is an assumed launch budget. It does not establish adequate coverage for legal work, mandated laboratory testing, a custom die, or manufacturing a new format. Replace these placeholders with scoped quotes. Ongoing overhead and operator salary are not included.", "sensitivity": [ { "label": "Base: existing audience; no paid acquisition", "productPriceUsd": 32, "shippingCollectedUsd": 7, "receiptsBeforeTaxUsd": 39, "costsUsd": { "landedProduct": 9.5, "mailer": 1.25, "handling": 2.5, "outboundShipping": 8, "artistRoyalty": 1.5, "defectAndReturnReserve": 1.25, "customerAcquisition": 0 }, "paymentFeeUsd": 1.43, "variableCostUsd": 25.43, "contributionUsd": 13.57, "contributionBeforeRoundingUsd": 13.568999999999999, "fixedLaunchUsd": 4500, "breakEvenUnits": 332 }, { "label": "Free shipping while keeping the $32 product price", "productPriceUsd": 32, "shippingCollectedUsd": 0, "receiptsBeforeTaxUsd": 32, "costsUsd": { "landedProduct": 9.5, "mailer": 1.25, "handling": 2.5, "outboundShipping": 8, "artistRoyalty": 1.5, "defectAndReturnReserve": 1.25, "customerAcquisition": 0 }, "paymentFeeUsd": 1.23, "variableCostUsd": 25.23, "contributionUsd": 6.77, "contributionBeforeRoundingUsd": 6.7719999999999985, "fixedLaunchUsd": 4500, "breakEvenUnits": 665 }, { "label": "Landed puzzle cost increases to $14", "productPriceUsd": 32, "shippingCollectedUsd": 7, "receiptsBeforeTaxUsd": 39, "costsUsd": { "landedProduct": 14, "mailer": 1.25, "handling": 2.5, "outboundShipping": 8, "artistRoyalty": 1.5, "defectAndReturnReserve": 1.25, "customerAcquisition": 0 }, "paymentFeeUsd": 1.43, "variableCostUsd": 29.93, "contributionUsd": 9.07, "contributionBeforeRoundingUsd": 9.068999999999999, "fixedLaunchUsd": 4500, "breakEvenUnits": 497 }, { "label": "Postage increases from $8 to $11", "productPriceUsd": 32, "shippingCollectedUsd": 7, "receiptsBeforeTaxUsd": 39, "costsUsd": { "landedProduct": 9.5, "mailer": 1.25, "handling": 2.5, "outboundShipping": 11, "artistRoyalty": 1.5, "defectAndReturnReserve": 1.25, "customerAcquisition": 0 }, "paymentFeeUsd": 1.43, "variableCostUsd": 28.43, "contributionUsd": 10.57, "contributionBeforeRoundingUsd": 10.568999999999999, "fixedLaunchUsd": 4500, "breakEvenUnits": 426 }, { "label": "Paid acquisition costs $5 per order", "productPriceUsd": 32, "shippingCollectedUsd": 7, "receiptsBeforeTaxUsd": 39, "costsUsd": { "landedProduct": 9.5, "mailer": 1.25, "handling": 2.5, "outboundShipping": 8, "artistRoyalty": 1.5, "defectAndReturnReserve": 1.25, "customerAcquisition": 5 }, "paymentFeeUsd": 1.43, "variableCostUsd": 30.43, "contributionUsd": 8.57, "contributionBeforeRoundingUsd": 8.568999999999999, "fixedLaunchUsd": 4500, "breakEvenUnits": 526 }, { "label": "Replacement and return reserve rises to $3", "productPriceUsd": 32, "shippingCollectedUsd": 7, "receiptsBeforeTaxUsd": 39, "costsUsd": { "landedProduct": 9.5, "mailer": 1.25, "handling": 2.5, "outboundShipping": 8, "artistRoyalty": 1.5, "defectAndReturnReserve": 3, "customerAcquisition": 0 }, "paymentFeeUsd": 1.43, "variableCostUsd": 27.18, "contributionUsd": 11.82, "contributionBeforeRoundingUsd": 11.818999999999999, "fixedLaunchUsd": 4500, "breakEvenUnits": 381 }, { "label": "Product price falls from $32 to $28", "productPriceUsd": 28, "shippingCollectedUsd": 7, "receiptsBeforeTaxUsd": 35, "costsUsd": { "landedProduct": 9.5, "mailer": 1.25, "handling": 2.5, "outboundShipping": 8, "artistRoyalty": 1.5, "defectAndReturnReserve": 1.25, "customerAcquisition": 0 }, "paymentFeeUsd": 1.32, "variableCostUsd": 25.32, "contributionUsd": 9.68, "contributionBeforeRoundingUsd": 9.684999999999999, "fixedLaunchUsd": 4500, "breakEvenUnits": 465 }, { "label": "Combined stress: $28 price; $14 goods; $11 postage; $5 acquisition; $3 reserve", "productPriceUsd": 28, "shippingCollectedUsd": 7, "receiptsBeforeTaxUsd": 35, "costsUsd": { "landedProduct": 14, "mailer": 1.25, "handling": 2.5, "outboundShipping": 11, "artistRoyalty": 1.5, "defectAndReturnReserve": 3, "customerAcquisition": 5 }, "paymentFeeUsd": 1.32, "variableCostUsd": 39.57, "contributionUsd": -4.56, "contributionBeforeRoundingUsd": -4.564999999999998, "fixedLaunchUsd": 4500, "breakEvenUnits": null }, { "label": "Favorable planning case: $40 price; $8 goods; $7 postage; $0.75 reserve; no paid acquisition", "productPriceUsd": 40, "shippingCollectedUsd": 7, "receiptsBeforeTaxUsd": 47, "costsUsd": { "landedProduct": 8, "mailer": 1.25, "handling": 2.5, "outboundShipping": 7, "artistRoyalty": 1.5, "defectAndReturnReserve": 0.75, "customerAcquisition": 0 }, "paymentFeeUsd": 1.66, "variableCostUsd": 22.66, "contributionUsd": 24.34, "contributionBeforeRoundingUsd": 24.337, "fixedLaunchUsd": 4500, "breakEvenUnits": 185 } ], "inventoryCash": { "plannedLotUnits": 500, "landedCostPerUnitUsd": 9.5, "inventoryOutlayUsd": 4750, "fixedLaunchUsd": 4500, "totalInitialInventoryAndFixedOutlayUsd": 9250, "cashAvailablePerSaleAfterOtherVariableCostsUsd": 23.07, "cashRecoveryUnits": 401, "disclosure": "Assumes all inventory is paid up front; other variable costs are paid only as sales occur. Reserves are treated as cash set aside. No credit terms, tax, debt, ongoing overhead, or markdowns. Unsold stock is valued at assumed landed cost and may need write-down.", "sellThrough": [ { "soldUnits": 300, "sellThroughPercent": 60, "unsoldUnits": 200, "unsoldInventoryAtCostUsd": 1900, "contributionLessFixedLaunchUsd": -429.3, "cashRecoveredNetOfAllUpfrontOutlayUsd": -2329.3 }, { "soldUnits": 400, "sellThroughPercent": 80, "unsoldUnits": 100, "unsoldInventoryAtCostUsd": 950, "contributionLessFixedLaunchUsd": 927.6, "cashRecoveredNetOfAllUpfrontOutlayUsd": -22.4 }, { "soldUnits": 500, "sellThroughPercent": 100, "unsoldUnits": 0, "unsoldInventoryAtCostUsd": 0, "contributionLessFixedLaunchUsd": 2284.5, "cashRecoveredNetOfAllUpfrontOutlayUsd": 2284.5 } ], "lesson": "The 332-unit contribution break-even is lower than the 401-unit cash-recovery threshold because the full lot was paid for, including the unsold units. Buying more cheaply can still require more cash and leave more waste." }, "excludedCosts": [ "Sales/income tax and bookkeeping treatment", "Debt interest or investor return", "Ongoing studio rent, software, insurance, and support capacity beyond the assumed launch budget", "Founder salary and general management time beyond the handling line", "Custom tooling or major new compliance work", "International shipping, duties, and international returns", "Inventory obsolescence and exceptional recalls" ], "sourceIds": [ "stripe-us", "usps-ground", "usps-rates" ] }, "onePageBusinessPlan": [ { "heading": "Audience and job", "prompt": "Who wants this image, in what setting, and why would they choose a puzzle rather than a print or book?", "deliverable": "One primary audience; occasion; table footprint; preferred format; five observed needs." }, { "heading": "Product promise", "prompt": "What experience does the image, piece plan, finish, and reference aid create?", "deliverable": "One puzzle specification and a truthful concept/prototype status." }, { "heading": "Demand evidence", "prompt": "Which signals are observed, which are opinions, and which are still guesses?", "deliverable": "A short source and interview ledger; avoid converting compliments into purchase forecasts." }, { "heading": "Channels", "prompt": "Would external curation, direct sales, wholesale, or licensing fit the resources available?", "deliverable": "One primary channel and one comparison; customer journey with shipping and returns." }, { "heading": "Rights and responsibility", "prompt": "Who owns the source art, who manufactures/imports, and who handles defects?", "deliverable": "Rights ledger, responsibility matrix, product classification, and required tests." }, { "heading": "Unit economics", "prompt": "What remains after a delivered order, and what happens if shipping, cost, or acquisition worsens?", "deliverable": "Base, favorable, and stress case with contribution and break-even." }, { "heading": "Cash and inventory", "prompt": "When is money paid, when is it collected, and what happens to the unsold lot?", "deliverable": "A dated cash schedule, reserve, sell-through scenarios, and storage/waste plan." }, { "heading": "People and operations", "prompt": "What must be done by an accountable person rather than left as an automation assumption?", "deliverable": "Paid time budget for art approval, QA, packing, accessibility, customer service, and bookkeeping." }, { "heading": "Decision and next test", "prompt": "What evidence permits proceeding, and what would make us revise or stop?", "deliverable": "A bounded experiment with budget cap, success criteria, failure criteria, and decision owner." } ], "operations": [ { "id": "materials", "title": "Materials and waste are part of the design", "actions": [ "Request paper/board, ink, adhesive, coating, bag, box, and insert composition in writing.", "Compare durable reusable packaging with package weight and freight cost; avoid an oversized premium box without a reason.", "Track production spoilage, trim waste, damaged cartons, replacements, and unsold stock as separate quantities.", "Ask whether offcuts and coated/laminated materials enter real local recovery streams.", "Prefer precise substantiated material descriptions over broad eco-friendly claims." ], "exercise": "Make a bill of materials with mass in grams. Estimate waste at assumed 2%, 5%, and 10% spoilage, then replace with observed factory and fulfillment data.", "sourceIds": [ "ftc-green" ] }, { "id": "quality", "title": "Test the assembled object and the shipped box", "actions": [ "Approve a complete full-size printed-and-cut proof, not just a digital mockup.", "Count and assemble every piece; record false fits, fit pressure, dust, bent tabs, image adhesion, delamination, and loose edges.", "Check dark areas and delicate textures under ordinary room light and glare; compare screen art to the physical print.", "Ask diverse solvers to locate pieces without relying on color alone; look for shape and image landmarks.", "Weigh and measure the packed parcel; run a practical drop/compression/moisture-risk trial and re-inspect the contents.", "Keep batch identifiers and a retained sample; define defect acceptance with the manufacturer before production." ], "boundary": "These practical quality exercises do not substitute for mandated safety tests or an accredited laboratory." }, { "id": "safety", "title": "Age grading follows the actual product", "actions": [ "Document intended user, piece dimensions, materials, added accessories, packaging, and marketing.", "Do not use an adult label to bypass a child-oriented product's classification.", "Identify applicable US safety requirements and responsibility for testing/certification before sale.", "Keep warnings and required online advertising notices consistent with actual classification.", "Treat any children's edition, wooden pieces, magnets, coatings, or bundled accessories as a new product review rather than recycling a cardboard-puzzle assumption." ], "sourceIds": [ "cpsc-children", "cpsc-toys", "cpsc-small" ] }, { "id": "fulfillment", "title": "Promise a delivery you can support", "actions": [ "Use measured parcel weight/dimensions and destination mix for carrier budgeting.", "Set production, inspection, packing, and dispatch buffers; distinguish dispatch estimates from delivery estimates.", "Document address corrections, failed delivery, loss, damaged arrival, and international exclusions.", "Fund support time and a replacement reserve; retain enough stock for missing-piece or full-puzzle replacement where feasible.", "Before any paid preorder, establish a reasonable shipment basis and the required delay-consent/refund process." ], "sourceIds": [ "usps-ground", "usps-rates", "ftc-orders" ] }, { "id": "returns", "title": "Write a missing-piece and returns policy before launch", "actions": [ "Separate ordinary change-of-mind returns, personalized customer mistakes, manufacturing defects, damage, and missing pieces.", "Tell buyers how to make a claim and what photos/order/batch data are useful; keep the process proportionate.", "Budget a complete replacement where a single piece cannot be matched safely to the cut batch.", "Confirm who pays return freight and whether supplier credits arrive before customer refunds.", "Do not copy a custom manufacturer's no-return policy onto a general retail product." ], "sourceIds": [ "puzzleyou-returns" ] }, { "id": "rights", "title": "Keep art provenance next to the cost sheet", "actions": [ "Use original art, confirmed public-domain material, or a written license for puzzle merchandise.", "Record creator, source URL/file, license scope, modifications, consent for recognizable people/property, and restrictions.", "Keep human-authored composition, typography, editing, and process records for AI-assisted concepts.", "Avoid brand characters, album artwork, lyrics, contemporary art imitations, and unexplained trademarks.", "Distinguish permission to use an image from exclusive copyright ownership and from a manufacturer's printing terms." ], "sourceIds": [ "usco-ai" ] } ], "curriculum": { "title": "Puzzle Product Studio: a business and design concentration study outline", "label": "Proposed editorial study outline, available to follow privately. It is not a new accredited program, enrollment offer, named partnership, or claim that students have completed the work.", "frame": "Use one of the ten original concepts as the same case across six modules. Business asks whether the promise can be sustained; design asks whether assembling the image fulfills that promise.", "pacing": "Six self-guided modules at any pace; roughly 90–150 minutes each, with an optional longer physical proof exercise.", "access": "No account, purchase, supplier contact, public post, live attendance, or payment is required. Digital/paper mockups and supplied hypothetical scenarios are sufficient. Physical sample testing is an optional later extension.", "finalOutcome": "A private product dossier with an original puzzle direction, format/access rationale, print proof plan, rights/material record, channel comparison, base/stress unit economics, and a proceed/revise/stop memo.", "modules": [ { "number": 1, "title": "Who is the puzzle for?", "businessQuestion": "Which occasion, need, and buyer makes this product worth making?", "designQuestion": "What image clues welcome that solver?", "activity": "Choose one concept and write a primary-audience card. Compare a beginner with a confident solver and a solver who prefers large pieces. Record table size, lighting, hand comfort, desired session length, and image preferences without medical promises.", "noContactAlternative": "Use these hypothetical profiles: A wants a shared table activity with low-pressure stopping points; B likes sorting detailed architecture; C wants larger pieces and clear texture/shape clues.", "receipt": "Audience card, three needs, two unresolved assumptions, and one optional interview plan.", "sourceIds": [ "sba-plan" ], "relatedCourse": "/ues/common-table" }, { "number": 2, "title": "Compose an image people can assemble", "businessQuestion": "What makes this edition distinct enough to choose?", "designQuestion": "Where do color, texture, direction, and object landmarks make pieces identifiable?", "activity": "Divide a concept into a 6×4 study grid. Label distinctive zones and repeated textures. Identify three ambiguous regions. Compare a 300-piece large-piece edition with a 500-piece edition at the same finished size.", "designTools": "Use a paper grid or any image editor. Inspect at estimated physical piece size, not only as a full-screen poster. Add shape and luminance differences where color is doing all the work.", "receipt": "A revised composition map, piece-count rationale, reference-aid plan, and a short challenge description.", "relatedCourse": "/ues/public-image-office" }, { "number": 3, "title": "From pixels to a proofable object", "businessQuestion": "What exactly does the supplier need to quote?", "designQuestion": "What must survive printing, cutting, packaging, and shipping?", "activity": "Draft a specification: finished dimensions, target piece count and approximate piece size, board/finish preference, artwork file size, packaging/insert, quantity options, age intent, dispatch destination, and proof approval. Use the supplier's actual template when available rather than inventing universal bleed values.", "noPurchaseAlternative": "Mark a paper mockup with a border/safe area and simulate seams across tiny text, faces, and landmarks. Create a bill of materials with unknowns left visible.", "receipt": "Specification sheet, physical-proof checklist, and list of questions awaiting a written quote.", "sourceIds": [ "puzzleyou-wholesale", "cpsc-children", "cpsc-toys" ], "relatedCourse": "/ues/collective-intelligence-studio" }, { "number": 4, "title": "Price the delivered experience", "businessQuestion": "What remains per order, and how much cash must be committed before sales?", "designQuestion": "Which package choices increase freight or protect quality?", "activity": "Use the supplied $32 + $7 case. Recompute contribution after $5 acquisition, $11 postage, and a $3 replacement reserve. Compare contribution break-even with the cash recovery of the paid 500-unit lot.", "worksheet": "Receipts − landed product − mailer − handling − postage − compensation − payment fees − reserve − acquisition = contribution. Divide fixed cost by positive contribution; if contribution is zero/negative, increasing units cannot cure it.", "receipt": "Base and stress sheet, maximum cash exposure, and a packaging change with its cost/quality tradeoff.", "sourceIds": [ "stripe-us", "usps-ground", "usps-rates" ] }, { "number": 5, "title": "Channels, rights, and aftercare", "businessQuestion": "Who sells, manufactures, holds inventory, and absorbs returns?", "designQuestion": "What information makes the box and product page trustworthy?", "activity": "Compare direct retail, one wholesale scenario, and one licensing scenario. Draft a product card that shows status, finished dimensions, intended audience, piece plan, art credit, material information, and seller/returns context.", "boundaryExercise": "Explain why a label alone does not decide child-product classification and why generated art does not automatically grant exclusive copyright.", "receipt": "Channel responsibility map, rights ledger, truthful product card, and missing-piece service outline.", "sourceIds": [ "cpsc-children", "usco-ai", "ftc-orders", "puzzleyou-returns" ] }, { "number": 6, "title": "Publish the decision, not the fantasy", "businessQuestion": "What evidence supports proceeding, revising, or stopping?", "designQuestion": "Does the final dossier reveal the actual user experience?", "activity": "Assemble the dossier. Distinguish confirmed observations, published supplier terms, original decisions, and unknowns. Write a 150-word decision memo with a budget cap and next test. A stop or revision decision can be the strongest outcome.", "receipt": "Private dossier, six evidence notes, and proceed/revise/stop memo. Optionally publish a rights-cleared case study without personal participant data.", "relatedCourse": "/ues/local-broadcast" } ], "assessment": [ { "dimension": "Audience and access", "weightPercent": 20, "standard": "Shows specific user needs, format tradeoffs, readable cues, and an equivalent private/no-purchase path." }, { "dimension": "Image and object design", "weightPercent": 20, "standard": "Composition map, piece-plan rationale, proof criteria, and packaging choices agree." }, { "dimension": "Economics and cash", "weightPercent": 25, "standard": "Costs are labeled, formulas are correct, negative contribution is recognized, and unsold inventory is included." }, { "dimension": "Rights, materials, and responsibility", "weightPercent": 20, "standard": "Provenance and product classification questions are explicit; no unearned safety, eco, or partnership claims." }, { "dimension": "Evidence and decision", "weightPercent": 15, "standard": "The memo separates evidence from assumptions and proposes a bounded next test." } ], "suggestedIndustryNextCaseStudy": { "status": "Proposed editorial brief; no article, partner, or completed student work is claimed.", "title": "One image, five business models: what a puzzle launch teaches", "sections": [ "The audience and why this art was selected", "The original concepts and rejected hypotheses", "Image composition at physical piece size", "Proofing and manufacturing specification", "Direct / wholesale / licensing / recurring-delivery economics", "Unsold inventory, returns, material claims, and rights", "What the evidence changed and the next bounded test" ], "publishRule": "Use only actual measured results and clearly labeled assumptions. Show prototype images as prototypes. Do not use mockups as evidence of manufacturing capability." } }, "pilotDecisionGates": [ { "gate": "Demand", "go": "A defined audience and observed willingness to pay for the delivered product.", "reviseOrStop": "Only compliments, undated market-size claims, or interest with no price/shipping context." }, { "gate": "Art and access", "go": "Rights ledger, understandable piece cues, and full-size proof reviewed by different solver preferences.", "reviseOrStop": "Unclear image permissions, excessive repeated texture, unreadable print, or inaccessible piece/box information." }, { "gate": "Manufacturing", "go": "A written scoped quote, approved proof, realistic capacity/lead time, and an accountable quality process.", "reviseOrStop": "An assumed MOQ, a generic price screenshot, or no final print-and-cut sample." }, { "gate": "Financial", "go": "Positive contribution under a plausible stress case and a funded learning/inventory/cash cap.", "reviseOrStop": "A profitable base case that depends on free labor, no defects, free shipping, or selling every unit immediately." }, { "gate": "Service and responsibility", "go": "Documented product classification, required testing, truthful material claims, dispatch/refund process, and support capacity.", "reviseOrStop": "Unassigned manufacturer/importer responsibilities, no missing-piece policy, or unsupported safety/ecological claims." } ], "researchLimits": [ "No supplier was contacted and no quote or purchase was made.", "No actual local customers, retailers, publishers, students, or manufacturing partners were recruited.", "The ten visual concepts are original editorial directions; physical print/cut behavior remains to be tested.", "Industry Next live content could not be retrieved in this worker; existing URLs are verified only against origin/main references.", "The economics are teaching assumptions and omit material overhead/tax/financing costs described above.", "The documented CPSC/FTC guidance is a starting point for the product's specific review, not certification or production approval." ], "sources": [ { "id": "sba-plan", "title": "SBA — Plan your business", "url": "https://www.sba.gov/counseling/plan-your-business/", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "government guidance", "supports": "Customer research, competitive analysis, startup cost planning, and business-plan structure. The page distinguishes lean and traditional planning; it does not validate puzzle demand or any PointCast forecasts." }, { "id": "stripe-us", "title": "Stripe — US pricing", "url": "https://stripe.com/pricing", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "provider price schedule", "supports": "Standard domestic-card fee displayed as 2.9% plus $0.30 per successful transaction. This is a comparison input, not an implemented PointCast payment provider. International cards, conversion, disputes, extra products, and country-specific pricing can differ." }, { "id": "usps-ground", "title": "USPS — Ground Advantage", "url": "https://www.usps.com/ship/ground-advantage.htm", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "carrier guidance", "supports": "Charges depend on package weight, dimensions, and zone. Commercial rates may differ from retail. The service's advertised delivery estimate is generally 2–5 days, with exceptions; no exact PointCast shipping quote was calculated." }, { "id": "usps-rates", "title": "USPS — Notice 123 price list", "url": "https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "publishedAt": "2026-07-12", "type": "carrier price schedule", "supports": "Page displays an effective date of July 12, 2026. Use the actual packed weight, dimensions, origin, destination, and available service before replacing the model's assumed $8 postage." }, { "id": "puzzleyou-wholesale", "title": "puzzleYOU — Wholesale and corporate gifts", "url": "https://www.puzzleyou.com/wholesale-corporate-gifts", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "supplier published terms", "supports": "Typically 20 puzzles of one size/image sent to one destination qualify for wholesale. A sample may be ordered as one unit. The page lists a typical 1–3-week lead time from purchase, retains its box logo, and says wholesale is unavailable during peak holiday season. Price requires an inquiry; none was made." }, { "id": "puzzleyou-retail", "title": "puzzleYOU — Custom photo jigsaw puzzle catalog", "url": "https://www.puzzleyou.com/shop-all-custom-photo-jigsaw-puzzles", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "supplier retail listing", "supports": "Catalog advertises custom products starting at $29.99 and 48–2000-piece options. This starting retail price is not a quote for a 500-piece PointCast puzzle, wholesale pricing, freight, or a specific box configuration." }, { "id": "puzzleyou-make", "title": "puzzleYOU — Manufacturing", "url": "https://www.puzzleyou.com/manufacturing", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "supplier description", "supports": "Supplier says standard puzzles and gift boxes are produced in Williamsport, Pennsylvania using materials sourced from Europe; some specialty products are made by its European sister company. These are supplier claims, not PointCast verification or a domestic-material claim." }, { "id": "puzzleyou-returns", "title": "puzzleYOU — Return policy", "url": "https://www.puzzleyou.com/return-policy", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "supplier customer policy", "supports": "Supplier excludes ordinary returns for personalized products but describes replacement for missing pieces, shipping damage, and supplier defects, generally requested within 90 days. This illustrates why a custom supplier's policy is not a complete PointCast retail returns policy." }, { "id": "cpsc-children", "title": "CPSC — Children's products", "url": "https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Childrens-Products", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "government safety guidance", "supports": "Classification considers intended use, marketing, consumer recognition, and age guidelines. A printed age label alone does not determine classification. Children's products are primarily intended for ages 12 and younger; applicable testing/certification must be evaluated for the actual product." }, { "id": "cpsc-toys", "title": "CPSC — Toy safety business guidance", "url": "https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Toy-Safety", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "government safety guidance", "supports": "CPSC lists ASTM F963-23 for toys manufactured after April 20, 2024. The applicable sections depend on the product. Children's toy testing and certification differ from the standard's under-14 scope; review the product's actual intended age and components." }, { "id": "cpsc-small", "title": "CPSC — Small parts business guidance", "url": "https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Small-Parts-for-Toys-and-Childrens-Products", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "government safety guidance", "supports": "Explains the small-parts ban for relevant products intended for under-three-year-olds, warnings on certain children's products and ads, certification, and exclusions. Do not assume all cardboard puzzles are exempt or that a generic warning settles the analysis." }, { "id": "ftc-orders", "title": "FTC — Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule", "url": "https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/business-guide-ftcs-mail-internet-or-telephone-order-merchandise-rule", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "government consumer guidance", "supports": "A seller needs a reasonable basis for its shipping promise. Without a stated timeframe, the general rule is 30 days. Delays require the specified consent/refund process. These obligations matter before accepting preorder money; a prototype is not evidence of delivery capacity." }, { "id": "ftc-green", "title": "FTC — Environmental claims: Green Guides summary", "url": "https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/environmental-claims-summary-green-guides", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "government marketing guidance", "supports": "Recycled-content and recyclability claims must be specific and supported. Unqualified recyclability requires appropriate facilities available to at least 60% of consumers or communities where sold; packaging, coatings, adhesives, and location can affect the claim." }, { "id": "usco-ai", "title": "U.S. Copyright Office — AI copyrightability report announcement", "url": "https://www.copyright.gov/newsnet/2025/1060.html", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "publishedAt": "2025-01-29", "type": "government copyright guidance", "supports": "Copyrightability of AI-assisted work depends on sufficient human expressive authorship; prompts alone do not establish it. Maintain original source files, human edits, asset permissions, and process notes; do not promise exclusive copyright in unmodified generated pixels." }, { "id": "rosca", "title": "FTC — Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act", "url": "https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/statutes/restore-online-shoppers-confidence-act/online-shoppers-enrolled.pdf", "checkedAt": "2026-10-03", "type": "US statute", "supports": "Section 4 addresses online negative-option offers: clear material terms, express informed consent, and a simple way to stop recurring charges. This is one federal baseline; state and other applicable rules still need checking before any subscription launch." } ] }, "artProvenance": { "asOf": "2026-10-03", "count": 10, "records": [ { "id": "01", "slug": "tidepool-atlas", "title": "Tidepool atlas", "generator": "OpenAI built-in imagegen", "generatedAt": "2026-10-03T18:35:41.235Z", "originalDimensions": { "width": 1536, "height": 1024 }, "prompt": "Use case: stylized-concept\nAsset type: original landscape artwork for an adult jigsaw puzzle concept, about 1536x1024 pixels.\nPrimary request: Tidepool atlas, a top-down imaginative coastal mosaic of interlocking natural tide pools.\nScene/backdrop: full-bleed shoreline viewed straight down. Many differently shaped shallow pools with jewel turquoise and indigo water, coral-like branching forms, russet kelp, green algae, violet anemones, orange starfish, shell fragments, smooth patterned pebbles, rippled wet sand and narrow stone paths between pools.\nStyle/medium: richly detailed original painted natural-history-inspired illustration, tactile gouache textures and crisp organic edges, not a scientific diagram. Delightful tiny discoveries.\nComposition/framing: landscape 3:2; the entire rectangle filled with varied recognizable regions, no large empty sea or repeated pattern. Small and large pools mixed, rock textures and vegetation create strong local landmarks; saturated water offset by warm stones.\nLighting/mood: clear sunlit shallows, calm and curious.\nConstraints: one single complete artwork, not a grid or contact sheet. No text, letters, numbers, labels, logo, brand, signature, watermark, frame, box mockup, visible jigsaw cuts or pieces. Original imaginary environment; do not imitate a named artist.", "revisionPrompt": null, "sha256": "9f4f2778fea6429da993ee8ce648566516aa2e26744e295dfd188c62b95b7487", "webAsset": "/images/puzzles/01-tidepool-atlas.webp", "pixelInspection": "Passed actual-pixel inspection via view_image. Jewel water, shells, algae, pebbles and tide-pool boundaries create many recognizable local landmarks. No visible text, logo, watermark or cut overlay.", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionMaster": false }, { "id": "02", "slug": "night-greenhouse", "title": "Night greenhouse", "generator": "OpenAI built-in imagegen", "generatedAt": "2026-10-03T18:34:33.208Z", "originalDimensions": { "width": 1536, "height": 1024 }, "prompt": "Use case: illustration-story\nAsset type: original landscape artwork for an adult jigsaw puzzle concept, about 1536x1024 pixels.\nPrimary request: Night greenhouse, a glowing botanical greenhouse at blue hour.\nScene/backdrop: an imaginative glasshouse seen from inside, rich with different leaves, warm terracotta and cobalt pots, seedling benches, hanging plants, arched windows, a narrow patterned tile walkway, garden tools and subtle lanterns. Through the windows, a deep blue evening sky and silhouettes of garden trees. Windows and plants divide the image into varied distinguishable zones.\nStyle/medium: luminous original digital painting with fine botanical detail, painterly surfaces, jewel-toned plants, elegant architectural geometry.\nComposition/framing: wide 3:2 landscape; balanced asymmetric interior perspective; layered leaves, different pot shapes and window frames from edge to edge, no large blank sky, no central blank space. Varied cool leaf shapes against amber window light and warm ceramic details.\nLighting/mood: blue-hour calm, warm golden pools of light, enchanting but believable.\nConstraints: one full-bleed complete artwork, no contact sheet. No text, letters, numbers, labels, logo, brand, signature, watermark, frame, box mockup, visible jigsaw cuts or pieces. Original imaginary environment; do not imitate a named artist.", "revisionPrompt": null, "sha256": "edc237e67cabcd7e60a31d1f38fdf4c33ccd4ec208772f5a5a400321ab77237b", "webAsset": "/images/puzzles/02-night-greenhouse.webp", "pixelInspection": "Passed actual-pixel inspection via view_image. Distinct leaves, pot shapes, lamps, ornate window ribs and patterned pathway provide varied landmarks. No visible text, logo, watermark or cut overlay.", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionMaster": false }, { "id": "03", "slug": "quiet-terminal", "title": "The quiet terminal", "generator": "OpenAI built-in imagegen", "generatedAt": "2026-10-03T18:38:07.536Z", "originalDimensions": { "width": 1536, "height": 1024 }, "prompt": "Use case: stylized-concept\nAsset type: original landscape artwork for an adult jigsaw puzzle concept, about 1536x1024 pixels.\nPrimary request: The quiet terminal, an imaginative spaceport waiting hall with travelers, plants, wide windows and cosmic light.\nScene/backdrop: a spacious retro-futurist spaceport interior. Wide curved window walls show a luminous imaginary planet, small distant spacecraft and a softly striped lavender cosmos. Inside: a few tiny anonymous traveler silhouettes with luggage, sculptural seats in distinct clusters, indoor trees and planters, warm coral benches, teal columns, mosaic floor patterns, delicate architectural ribs, a quiet café-like counter without signs.\nStyle/medium: original clean cinematic illustration with textured color fields, crisp architecture and soft cosmic gradients. Invented design language, no references to existing franchises.\nComposition/framing: landscape 3:2, full bleed. Tall windows and architectural forms divide the sky into local zones; floor tiles, furniture groups, plants and varied colored light create recognizable landmarks across the rectangle. No broad featureless area, enough clear geometry to support a 500–750-piece puzzle.\nLighting/mood: contemplative, futuristic, pale violet daylight and warm ochre interior light.\nConstraints: one individual complete artwork. No text, letters, numbers, labels, signs, logos, brands, signatures, watermark, frame, box mockup, visible jigsaw cuts or pieces. No recognizable celebrity, characters, copyrighted franchise vehicles, uniforms or architecture. Original imaginary environment; do not imitate a named artist.", "revisionPrompt": null, "sha256": "31a1184f2fdc854d3b74f254a2e7df41b6b1ea010a9fe33404f5aed6cb9d3301", "webAsset": "/images/puzzles/03-quiet-terminal.webp", "pixelInspection": "Passed actual-pixel inspection via view_image. Coral seating, teal columns, plants, floor geometry and cosmic windows provide clear zones; travelers are anonymous. No visible text, logo, watermark or cut overlay; no obvious franchise reference.", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionMaster": false }, { "id": "04", "slug": "saturday-market", "title": "Saturday market", "generator": "OpenAI built-in imagegen", "generatedAt": "2026-10-03T18:39:08.094Z", "originalDimensions": { "width": 1536, "height": 1024 }, "prompt": "Use case: illustration-story\nAsset type: original landscape artwork for an adult jigsaw puzzle concept, about 1536x1024 pixels.\nPrimary request: Saturday market, a rich illustrated imaginary coastal farmers market.\nScene/backdrop: a lively invented seaside market along a sloping pedestrian street. Varied produce crates, citrus pyramids, flowers, fish-like food shapes in baskets, jars, patterned textiles, woven baskets, bicycles leaned against stalls, striped canopies, small trees, colorful storefront geometry without lettering, little anonymous shoppers and vendors. Hints of a turquoise harbor visible beyond the market.\nStyle/medium: original risograph-like editorial illustration with flat overlapping ink colors, visible warm paper grain, charming simplified figures and richly detailed objects. Limited but colorful palette of coral, cobalt, mustard, mint and cream; do not imitate a named artist.\nComposition/framing: wide landscape 3:2, full bleed. Many clear distinct stalls and story details across the whole image; asymmetric layout with different textiles, crate patterns, flowers, bicycle wheels and canopy colors. No broad blank sky or repeated identical produce rows.\nLighting/mood: playful bustling Saturday, sunny and inviting.\nConstraints: one individual complete artwork, no contact sheet. No text, letters, numbers, labels, logos, brands, signatures, watermark, border, frame, box mockup, visible jigsaw cuts or pieces. No celebrity or copied character designs.", "revisionPrompt": "Use case: precise-object-edit\nEdit target: the provided Saturday market illustration.\nPrimary request: Remove every tiny accidental written mark, number, letter, price tag and sign from this artwork. In particular remove the small white price card above the foreground orange basket on the left, the little white price card near the center-right market stalls, and the dark scribbled marks on the foreground wooden flower crate at the lower left. Replace each card with the surrounding produce or natural material; make the marked crate plain textured wood. Remove any other pseudo-lettering on jars, crates or cards.\nConstraints: change only these small accidental text-like marks. Keep exactly the same composition, landscape aspect ratio, color palette, people, produce, bicycle, canopies, harbor, flowers, textiles and painting texture. No crop. Keep no readable or unreadable text, letters, numbers, logos, labels, signs, signatures, watermark, borders or puzzle-cut overlays anywhere. One full-bleed original artwork.", "sha256": "f6d4816511376f741e44e76ca5161a4407251cd629f4b910c0392698bca7c7f7", "webAsset": "/images/puzzles/04-saturday-market.webp", "pixelInspection": "Original generation contained tiny pseudo-price labels and crate scribbles. A targeted builtin edit removed them; the final PNG passed actual-pixel inspection via view_image. Produce, canopies, textiles, flowers and bicycle remain distinct. No visible text, logo, watermark or cut overlay.", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionMaster": false }, { "id": "05", "slug": "cloud-observatory", "title": "Cloud observatory", "generator": "OpenAI built-in imagegen", "generatedAt": "2026-10-03T18:40:07.548Z", "originalDimensions": { "width": 1536, "height": 1024 }, "prompt": "Use case: stylized-concept\nAsset type: original landscape artwork for an adult jigsaw puzzle concept, about 1536x1024 pixels.\nPrimary request: Cloud observatory, a whimsical architectural cloud-weather laboratory among pastel sky islands.\nScene/backdrop: an original imaginary airborne weather laboratory, many small architectural towers and dome rooms attached to floating rock-and-cloud islands, slender bridges between islands, warm orange brass-like telescopes and wind instruments, rain-catching bowls, rotating vane shapes, colored tubing, climbing garden vines. Varied lavender, peach and pale turquoise cloud layers in the distance. Scientific playfulness without labels or scientific claims.\nStyle/medium: polished original storybook architectural painting with subtle watercolor texture and crisp finely drawn mechanical details; whimsical and sophisticated.\nComposition/framing: 3:2 landscape full bleed. Complex laboratory buildings and instruments populate all major areas of the rectangle; colorful cloud bands, islands, bridges and unique roofs make distinct puzzle landmarks. Broad enough scene for discovery, avoid a huge blank expanse of sky. Dominant pastel cools with warm orange instrument accents.\nLighting/mood: airy dawn, adventurous and thoughtful, soft diffuse illumination.\nConstraints: one individual complete artwork, not a contact sheet. No text, letters, numbers, labels, logos, brands, signatures, watermark, border, frame, box mockup, visible jigsaw cuts or pieces. No famous buildings, vehicles or franchise motifs. Original imaginary environment; do not imitate a named artist.", "revisionPrompt": null, "sha256": "03046f37988df022963a4d56ea9f6783b116a1353fecccba8381e4aab4b951d1", "webAsset": "/images/puzzles/05-cloud-observatory.webp", "pixelInspection": "Passed actual-pixel inspection via view_image. Ornate glass domes, floating islands, brass instruments, bridges and layered pastel clouds create distinct zones. No visible text, logo, watermark or cut overlay.", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionMaster": false }, { "id": "06", "slug": "small-wonders", "title": "Workshop of small wonders", "generator": "OpenAI built-in imagegen", "generatedAt": "2026-10-03T18:35:01.069594+00:00", "originalDimensions": { "width": 1536, "height": 1024 }, "prompt": "Use case: illustration-story\nAsset type: original full-bleed landscape artwork for a jigsaw puzzle concept titled Workshop of small wonders (the title must not appear in the artwork).\nPrimary request: A detailed cutaway view of an imaginary welcoming community fabrication workshop, with distinct areas for woodworking, clay and mold making, hand tools, materials, and shared workbenches.\nStyle/medium: Polished intricate illustrative concept art, tactile color and natural wood textures, crisp edges and readable small objects.\nComposition/framing: One continuous landscape image, approximately 1536 x 1024, broad open architectural cutaway. The workshop fills the frame; varied bench shapes and tools create many unique visual clues. A coherent place rather than a collage.\nLighting/mood: Warm afternoon light through large windows, calm human creative atmosphere.\nColor palette: Terracotta clay, honey wood, teal storage, indigo shadows, small orange and green accents.\nConstraints: Original imaginary setting. All artwork is full bleed. No text, letters, labels, signs, logos, brands, signatures, border, packaging, mockup, or puzzle-piece cut overlays. No named artist imitation. Each zone should have distinct colors and varied detail suitable for a 500 to 1000 piece jigsaw. Avoid giant blank areas and repetitive identical objects. No prominent people.", "revisionPrompt": null, "sha256": "a01837913781c75606641965906a108fbe255183b696ff31c3f4890a37f054cb", "webAsset": "/images/puzzles/06-small-wonders.webp", "pixelInspection": "Inspected saved 1536×1024 PNG at original resolution with view_image. Distinct woodworking, pottery, shelving and window zones with dense object detail. No visible text, logo, signature, puzzle-cut overlay or packaging. Fine tool detail and dark shelf areas need printed proof.", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionMaster": false }, { "id": "07", "slug": "little-suns", "title": "A thousand little suns", "generator": "OpenAI built-in imagegen", "generatedAt": "2026-10-03T18:38:54.806Z", "originalDimensions": { "width": 1536, "height": 1024 }, "prompt": "Use case: stylized-concept\nAsset type: original full-bleed landscape artwork for a jigsaw puzzle concept titled A thousand little suns (the title must not appear in the image).\nPrimary request: An original geometric mosaic of varied suns, arcs, waves, dots, circles and subtle striped forms, inspired by the broad visual language of mid-century paper design.\nStyle/medium: Sophisticated layered cut-paper artwork with tactile paper grain, slight shadows between layered pieces, elegant handmade shapes. Not an imitation of any named artist.\nComposition/framing: One continuous full-bleed landscape artwork, approximately 1536 x 1024. A playful but composed arrangement, grouped into clearly different zones with shifting shape sizes and rhythms. Several different sun designs and interlocking waves create many recognizable landmarks across the image.\nColor palette: Warm ochre, cobalt blue, peach, mint, cream, rust and deep navy. Strong zone distinctions with sufficient luminance contrast.\nConstraints: Entire frame contains artwork. No text, letters, numbers, labels, logos, brands, signatures, border, box, mockup, or puzzle-cut overlays. Original arrangement suitable for a colorful 300 to 500 piece jigsaw. No giant blank areas; no exact repeated tile pattern.", "revisionPrompt": null, "sha256": "d21a9531135be1c466ab7fd05d26b776506ba329da4af8a76b49af603dba56c2", "webAsset": "/images/puzzles/07-little-suns.webp", "pixelInspection": "Inspected saved 1536×1024 PNG at original resolution with view_image. Original tactile geometric landscape with strong ochre, cobalt, peach and mint zones; several sun designs and varied arcs. No visible text, logo, signature, puzzle-cut overlay or packaging. Repeated stripe zones need a cut-layout playtest.", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionMaster": false }, { "id": "08", "slug": "long-table", "title": "The long table", "generator": "OpenAI built-in imagegen", "generatedAt": "2026-10-03T18:37:11.756Z", "originalDimensions": { "width": 1536, "height": 1024 }, "prompt": "Use case: photorealistic-natural\nAsset type: original full-bleed landscape artwork for a jigsaw puzzle concept titled The long table (the title must not appear in the image).\nPrimary request: A welcoming overhead feast table of colorful vegetarian food, varied handmade ceramic dishes, warm linen, bread, seasonal vegetables and fruit. A few anonymous hands at the edges share food without showing any identifiable people.\nStyle/medium: Artful editorial still-life photography with realistic food textures, pottery glaze, linen weave and warm natural light.\nComposition/framing: Strict overhead view, one continuous landscape image approximately 1536 x 1024. A long table fills the frame, with many distinct dishes and place settings. Food and ceramics occupy varied zones across the frame for enjoyable puzzle landmarks. No central blank area.\nLighting/mood: Generous, calm, welcoming shared meal; softly directional late afternoon daylight.\nColor palette: Tomato reds, leafy greens, citrus yellow, purple beets, blue glazed pottery, terracotta, cream linen.\nConstraints: All food is vegetarian. Hands only at frame edges; no faces or identifying people. No text, letters, labels, branded packaging, logos, signatures, border, box, mockup or puzzle-cut overlay. Original imaginary food composition suitable for a 500 piece puzzle. Avoid duplicate dishes and distorted utensils or hands.", "revisionPrompt": null, "sha256": "a6b59278f61e858544b5e4f4a67c713ecbc468632292e89d820b824554ab11e3", "webAsset": "/images/puzzles/08-long-table.webp", "pixelInspection": "Inspected saved 1536×1024 PNG at original resolution with view_image. Overhead photographic still life with varied vegetarian food, ceramics and linens. Anonymous hands at edges; no faces or identifying people. No visible text, logo, signature, puzzle-cut overlay or packaging. Food texture, ceramic highlights, and fine hand detail need production review.", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionMaster": false }, { "id": "09", "slug": "library-of-tides", "title": "Library of tides", "generator": "OpenAI built-in imagegen", "generatedAt": "2026-10-03T18:38:15.924Z", "originalDimensions": { "width": 1536, "height": 1024 }, "prompt": "Use case: illustration-story\nAsset type: original full-bleed landscape artwork for a jigsaw puzzle concept titled Library of tides (the title must not appear in the image).\nPrimary request: An imaginary elaborate seaside library shown as an architectural cross-section, with colorful book shelves, staircases, reading nooks, varied lamps, timber and tiled floors, and beautiful ocean-facing windows.\nStyle/medium: Intricate polished narrative illustration, rich color, precise architectural geometry and enchanting but physically legible spaces.\nComposition/framing: One continuous full-bleed landscape artwork approximately 1536 x 1024. Wide architectural cutaway revealing multiple connected floors, rooms and stairs. Different rooms use distinct shelf colors, floor patterns and lighting to create many unique puzzle clues. Ocean visible through several windows, with no huge blank sky or water region.\nLighting/mood: Gentle evening coastal atmosphere, warm lamps inside balanced with blue and turquoise outside.\nColor palette: Teal, coral, ochre, indigo, mint, warm timber, soft cream.\nConstraints: Original imaginary architecture, no existing copyrighted fictional location. Books may have colored spines but no readable text. No letters, labels, signs, logos, brands, signatures, border, packaging, mockup or puzzle-cut overlay. Suitable for an intricate 1000 piece jigsaw. Avoid maze-like impossible geometry and monotonous repeated shelves.", "revisionPrompt": null, "sha256": "0e7001ff1ac0490ed30576a1901f8948c6bbcee3996c5891250db44e4e651a5c", "webAsset": "/images/puzzles/09-library-of-tides.webp", "pixelInspection": "Inspected saved 1536×1024 PNG at original resolution with view_image. Colorful imaginary architectural cutaway with distinct reading rooms, lamps, stairs and sea windows. No readable book text, visible logo, signature, puzzle-cut overlay or packaging. Fine shelf and rail detail need a larger print master and proof.", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionMaster": false }, { "id": "10", "slug": "after-rain", "title": "After the rain", "generator": "OpenAI built-in imagegen", "generatedAt": "2026-10-03T18:39:50.741Z", "originalDimensions": { "width": 1536, "height": 1024 }, "prompt": "Use case: photorealistic-natural\nAsset type: original full-bleed landscape artwork for a jigsaw puzzle concept titled After the rain (the title must not appear in the image).\nPrimary request: A cinematic near-realistic imaginary coastal residential street just after rainfall, with vivid puddle reflections, small gardens, bicycles, textured buildings and warm lit windows. The sea is gently glimpsed at the far end.\nStyle/medium: Atmospheric art photography, lifelike natural materials and believable perspective, high detail and rich but realistic color.\nComposition/framing: One continuous full-bleed landscape image approximately 1536 x 1024. Street perspective with distinct houses, flowers, bicycles and reflection shapes along both sides. Foreground paving has varied texture and reflections. Buildings occupy most of the frame; avoid a large featureless sky.\nLighting/mood: Blue hour after a shower, quiet and restorative, warm window lights contrasting with cool wet surfaces.\nColor palette: Deep coastal blue, amber windows, sage and leafy greens, coral and cream facades, violet shadows.\nConstraints: Entirely imaginary location. No people, signs, text, letters, street names, logos, brands, signatures, border, packaging, mockup or puzzle-cut overlay. Original image suitable for a 500 to 1000 piece jigsaw. Avoid uniform dark zones and large smooth puddles; retain detail in shadow areas.", "revisionPrompt": null, "sha256": "a38b6bc7e8daaa00c7792498b8e8d50c25246a9782f3ad222cccdffdd81c2476", "webAsset": "/images/puzzles/10-after-rain.webp", "pixelInspection": "Inspected saved 1536×1024 PNG at original resolution with view_image. Imaginary blue-hour coastal street with varied facades, gardens, bicycles, cobbles and reflections. No people, signs, text, logos, signature, puzzle-cut overlay or packaging. Deep blues and amber reflection contrast need a physical proof; reduce difficult shadow zones if testing warrants.", "commercialStatus": "concept-not-for-sale", "productionMaster": false } ], "rights": "Original imagined subjects; no visible commercial branding or named-artist imitations. Pixel inspection is not comprehensive legal clearance. Commercial manufacture needs human edits, a rights record, adequate print masters and physical proofs." }, "playlist": { "url": "https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0AegDPw3ddtdk31PHRB1Og?si=7d8cba49633940a6", "title": "veridis quo surfer dreams", "creator": "mhoydich", "audioReviewed": false } }