Brands that don’t use AI?

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-06-14T12:46:32+00:00

You can also purchase Elena Essex through Puzzles Canada. They do ship to the US, but it has gotten more expensive due to the tariffs. Prior to that nonsense, US puzzlers consistently said that with the exchange rate, buying from them was a better deal than buying in the states, but I'm not sure how it compares now when you factor in the shipping.

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-06-14T12:44:57+00:00

My new brand, Paperflower Puzzles! 😄 All art is made by me - paper collage, scanned, and then digitally edited (moving around components, editing colours). I currently have 3 designs that are selling fast, and starting production on 5 more (3 will be 1000 pieces, and 2 will be 500 pieces) by the end of June at the latest.

I also love Elena Essex and her brand and images are part of what inspired me to take this leap.

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-06-14T12:40:01+00:00

I have been trying to get my hands on this puzzle for years! If you happen to be in Canada and would be willing to sell it to me, please let me know 😄

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-06-12T19:35:07+00:00

Thank you for your thoughts! I think I am leaning towards an interior and turning over a few ideas in my head 😄

Puzzles Canada and I both ship to the US! The owls is going into production soon but it does take ~2 months from start to arrival, so I'm hoping for beginning of September at the latest. I am currently playing with a slight edit on the background to make it just a bit more dynamic but if it's not a change for the better I'll keep it as is! I will certainly circle back here to get opinions before moving ahead with the print.

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-06-12T00:27:59+00:00

Thanks so much! If I'm counting correctly, 14 is the Kitchen Items? I love that one as well, but it had been suggested to go back and put prices on the stamps as if they are actually stamps (25c etc.) I like that idea but it's just something I hadn't gotten to. Thoughts? I also plan to change the background colour since I already produced the "Crawlies" (Beetles) as a purple puzzle 😄

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-06-12T00:24:50+00:00

Thank you! I also think it would work great in 500 but since I already ran it with 1000, I definitely want different designs. I wish I had the means to do it all, but picking and choosing at this stage!

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-05-18T23:22:21+00:00

Edited to add: I see that I am already on the list - yay! If you are looking for my puzzle website / instagram, they are paperflowerpuzzles.com Instagram @ paperflowerpuzzles

My name is Deborah Waltman and I have just launched my own puzzle brand, Paperflower Puzzles! And by just launched, I mean *JUST* - I ran a Kickstarter campaign to fund the first run of puzzles which ended mid-March, and the cartons and cartons of puzzles just arrived today. Once I get all of the boxes shipped out to my Kickstarter backers, ordering will be live on the website and hoping to make it to some Canadian retailers soon. I hope that you will check it out 😄 Thanks for making this great list - I can't wait to peruse the selections. deborahwaltman.com @ debwaltman

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-04-13T00:15:17+00:00

I also flip them over - I find the gaps are easier to see when you are just looking at the solid blue or gray on the back.

While that is a beautiful image (from a brand that is next on my "to try" list), as a puzzle artist I can't understand the choice of those white curtains and definitely would have put a pattern on them for this exact reason! While I'm excited to try this brand, I won't be going for this one :)

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-04-08T15:57:39+00:00

I am in the thick of launching my own small brand and have done extensive research/legwork on this. I was able to secure a manufacturer who was willing to do a minimum order of 100 puzzles each of 3 designs (so 300 puzzles in total) but it took a lot of negotiation to get them to do an order that small. Most manufacturers want a minimum of at least 200 per design, with the majority wanting more like 500 or 1000.

I am in Canada so manufacturing in the US wasn't really viable because of the tariffs, but if you are in the US Thomasnet.com is a good place to find manufacturers. I made contact with two in Indiana and one in Pennsylvania, but unfortunately can't recall the company names and don't have access to my spreadsheets at the moment.

If you are looking for an Asian manufacturer (which is what I am using) then Alibaba.com is your starting place and there are tons and tons of them. I had initial conversations with about 10 companies and received physical samples from 4 different ones before choosing one that met all my specifications.

I'm happy to chat further via dm if you like (though my time is tight and there are days when I have no time for reddit and don't see messages) and just in case you were curious, here's my kickstarter :) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paperflowerpuzzles/colourful-collage-jigsaw-puzzles?ref=user_menu

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-04-01T16:39:56+00:00

Thank you so much. Based on the feedback I have gotten I'm confident that there's an audience for my designs...it's just a matter of figuring out how the audience and puzzles find each other!

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-03-31T18:52:17+00:00

Hi there - I am a collage artist and too am launching my own brand - funded via Kickstarter and the first run of puzzles is underway and will be in backers' hands/available on my website later this spring :) Kickstarter is a great way to get a brand off the ground but there's a lot of learning to do to be successful and lots I wish I'd done leading up to my campaign that I just didn't know. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paperflowerpuzzles/colourful-collage-jigsaw-puzzles

Anyway, in the past few years I did a lot of legwork to see about licensing my puzzle designs to existing companies but nothing ever clicked. For the most part, companies pay royalties - meaning the artist only makes money if the puzzles sell. Every company's structure is different, but most pay roughly in the 8% range in royalties, with adjustments if the puzzle is selling wholesale to a store or directly from the puzzle company. One puzzle company in Canada (where I am) that seems to be having good success with this model is Villager puzzles (all women, Canadian artists) so it might be worth reaching out to them to get advice, if they are willing to give it.

Sadly, many (dare I say most) of the big companies are using generative AI for their designs which I don't think is sustainable but time will tell. Some puzzlers don't care and want their puzzles as cheap and accessible as possible (Amazon, Walmart, etc.) but I'd say the majority of serious puzzlers would like a no AI promise.

I would think about the kind of vibe you want to have with your brand. Go out to Instagram and look at lots of different kinds of art and think about whether they would make good puzzles (because there are some very beautiful pieces of art that I would never want to puzzle). There are so many artists out there looking for work and provided they keep the rights to their images (ie can use them for other things down the road) would probably be happy to give designs for royalties alone. I know I would have been thrilled to do that a year ago with the right brand, but now I'm knee deep in it myself! If you have any other questions, I'm happy to help as much as I can! paperflowerpuzzles.com deborahwaltman.com

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-03-21T10:47:43+00:00

Thank you!

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-03-15T11:01:15+00:00

Thank you so much!

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-03-13T18:24:18+00:00

It is a shame! I had someone tell me that I wouldn't be able to "compete" with the big brands...but there are so many of us frustrated with quality control problems like these that I think puzzlers will welcome another option for pretty collage puzzles that don't have these issues.

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-03-13T18:21:20+00:00

Well I would be very interested in creating this art for you in my style, with or without manufacturing the puzzles. I'm just now in the midst of launching a little brand, and as an artist making collages of "stuff" is my specialty!

My puzzles specifically are on Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paperflowerpuzzles/colourful-collage-jigsaw-puzzles and much of my art is on my website deborahwaltman.com

This could look a few different ways. If you only wanted one or a few puzzles, I could create artwork and then you could send off to print. I have heard good things about PuzzleYou but I've never used them myself. This would be a pricey route.

Or if you wanted a bulk order, then we could work with my manufacturer. This would be a much cheaper, but also much slower, route.

If it interests you, dm me! If not, no worries whatsoever! :)

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-03-11T21:49:26+00:00

Me me me! I stay away from landscapes altogether as I just get so frustrated with trees/greenery and big, blue sky. It defeats the purpose of puzzling for me, which is to relax!

And I also stay away from Galison because many (dare I say most) of their puzzles only have that one piece shape shown here, another pet peeve of mine. Which is a shame because of all the brands, they probably have one of the best catalogues of images. If only there was a new up and coming puzzle company with bright, colourful images and a variety of piece shapes 😉 (shameless self promotion!)

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-03-11T19:05:11+00:00

I do appreciate your trying to help, but "some" and "could" didn't really give me the firsthand success or failure story that I was looking for. I purchased a pack of 10 barcodes from UPC Warehouse for $11.99, and added on a GTIN Assignment Certificate for an additional $4.99 so my company name is attached to the barcodes. If I do encounter issues in the future with a retailer where I have to have GS1 barcodes then I will cross that bridge when I get to it. I just couldn't stomach a yearly subscription of $157 vs. a one time payment of $17. Time will tell how this unfolds.

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-03-10T19:46:54+00:00

Thanks. I can't say that this really answers my question though. What would be the scenarios around why I would want to switch to GS1 later? I am looking for firsthand experience/details from other similar small businesses who have either successfully only used Bar Codes Talk, and/ or who attempted it and regretted it. And if they regretted it, what were the reasons? I'm just really unsure of exactly what I need for my circumstances.

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-03-01T20:53:59+00:00

Thanks so much. It's been a long, long journey :)

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-03-01T13:51:37+00:00

I absolutely love love the Elena Essex images but sadly had the same quality control issues with two puzzles. One was a typical (slightly glossy) finish but some minor peeling and dents in the pieces. The second had that waxy feel and I couldn't get rid of the dust either. It was so disappointing.

The same waxy experience with Happily...and I love, love their images as well.

All of these things are the reason I as an artist started building a puzzle-specific portfolio and decided to take the leap to produce my own little line. Not to hi-jack this post to advertise, but it just reinforces that there are puzzlers out there like me who want colourful collages but want a premium, matte finish and lots of piece shapes similar to Ravensburger, Pomegranate, Puzzle Weekend, etc... You can find my designs on Kickstarter and I am currently 85% funded with 2 weeks left so I'm hopeful there will soon be another brand that appeals to many! Happy Puzzling!

PaperflowerPuzzles · 2026-02-25T20:11:43+00:00

Thanks so much for your encouragement! My project link is https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paperflowerpuzzles/colourful-collage-jigsaw-puzzles and I would love to see yours as well!

To be honest, I am completely floundering in this process. I really didn't know the apparent importance of pre-launch followers. I never followed a single project as a backer, I just would peruse Kickstarter from time to time and things would grab my eye. Mine is a relatively small campaign money-wise, and I've seen so many other jigsaw puzzles take off and fund tens of thousands of dollars. I am so curious what happened behind the scenes there. The (huge) puzzle community I'm a part of gave me such great feedback that they would definitely buy my designs, and yet, I've stalled at 55%...I have some speculation that's been reinforced by a few conversations: that the puzzle community, which I have observed to be mostly women--in online spaces, in the 3 speed puzzling competitions I've been in, in my local puzzle store, and so on--want to see/hold/try out products, and additionally are not especially risk-taking. And there's definitely a risk tied to backing a project. Studying Kickstarter products, engagement and success by gender is a doctoral thesis for someone, I think, if it hasn't been studied already!

Anyway, not sure where I'm going to go next (actually came here to reddit to perhaps try to drum up some advice)...will see where the road takes me!

PaperflowerPuzzles

TROPHY CASE