Wow, it has been a while. For many of you, the last big update from us was Colorado: our first USA production site. That was about 13 months ago, which in internet time is roughly one lifetime. Since then, we have been quietly rebuilding Puzzery behind the scenes: new production sites, a new customizer, better puzzles, premium boxes, screen-free reference images, and a shipping setup that finally feels ready for what comes next. Let's jump in.
What's in this update:
Where we have been
When we launched our Colorado site, it was a big moment for us. It gave us a real USA production home, more control, and a much stronger foundation than we had before.
Since then, most of our work has happened on the behind-the-scenes part of the business: production processes, supply lines, internal tools, documentation, and the customizer itself. Hundreds of hours of coding went into this version of Puzzery, and I am quietly proud of what we built. Now that's it's live, it's time to share.
If you emailed us this year, then you were talking directly with me. If you made a feature request in our chats, then that update is likely live right now.
Three new production sites
The biggest operational change is that Puzzery is no longer leaning so heavily on one production site. We have added three new production sites:
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago now handles the majority of our orders and gives us the strongest foundation we have ever had in the USA.
Portland, Oregon
Portland helps with West Coast orders and gives us extra capacity when volume starts to climb.
Victoria, BC
Victoria supports research and development, local retail orders, and another place for us to test what comes next.
More local production means faster shipping, more redundancy, and a better shot at getting the details right. If one site is busy, delayed, or solving a production issue, then we have options. It also means many orders travel a shorter distance, which helps lower the carbon impact before we offset the remaining emissions on every order.
When the holidays show up (did I mention that 80% of our annual sales happen in December!?), this gives us a much better way of handling big surges without everything depending on one location.
Better puzzles
The puzzle updates are the kind of changes you feel more than you notice.
The new puzzles are still our 1.9mm / 0.075" thickness, but they are now made with premium ESKA puzzle board. They feel sturdier, cleaner, and more finished in your hands.
We also changed the puzzle sizes so they fit within standard frames, and we improved the cut patterns. Some of our smaller puzzles used to have repeating sections in the cut. Not anymore. The cuts are now fully random.
What changed with the puzzle itself:
- Premium ESKA puzzle board with a sturdier, more finished feel.
- Standard-frame sizing so finished puzzles are easier to display.
- Fully random cut patterns with no repeating sections on smaller sizes.
If you ever sent a suggestion or a complaint: thank you. Those messages helped shape our new puzzles.
New puzzle boxes
The boxes deserve their own section because, for me, they are the crown jewel of this whole update.
Our old machinery made it hard to get the kind of solid, premium box I wanted. I thought a better box would be straightforward: new material, better fold, done. Sadly, not a chance.
A great puzzle box is its own adventure. I won't bore you with the details, but I now know more about boxes than I care to. The upside is we now have sturdy, thick, premium boxes. I know people will feel the difference the moment one lands in their hands.
Bonus points: I can finally stop having a tiny internal twitch every time I see one of our boxes.
Bye, QR codes
There is one more box change I am excited about: every puzzle now includes a pack-in reference image.
Previously, we used a QR code because the print options we tested were surprisingly wasteful. We now have printers, ink, and paper that let us include a physical reference image at the quality level we want without doubling every order's carbon footprint.
That means kids, seniors, and everyone in between can solve with the puzzle box and the pack-in image beside them. More time making memories, and less time looking at a screen.
Shipping updates
Another boring but impactful update for y'all. For a while, we were locked into using FedEx by contract. That was eye-opening in terms of consistency and delivery quality. AKA: Yikes.
With the new sites, we have moved to UPS for most shipments. Orders going to Hawaii and Alaska will now ship with USPS. This should mean a better shipping experience overall, and faster deliveries.
We also added a express option for the folks who, like me, occasionally look at the calendar and realize a gift deadline is closer than expected.
What changed with shipping:
- Express shipping and priority production are now available for mainland USA orders with fewer than 6 puzzles.
- $10 USD flat rate shipping to Alaska is now available for single puzzle orders
- Free shipping to Alaska is now available for multi-puzzle orders.
Alaska shipping used to be $20 USD flat rate, so this is a much better setup, especially for families ordering more than one puzzle.
What happens next
We're going to get back to it. If you have thoughts on our new puzzles, we'd love to hear from you. We'll keep improving, as long as you keep puzzling. And on that note: Father's Day is coming up - does anyone special need a custom puzzle?
And yes, you can put a dad joke on the box
Turn a special memory together in to a custom puzzle. Plus, you get to do it together. When was the last time you did something like that?
Thank you for sticking around, for sharing feedback, and for caring enough to help us make Puzzery better.
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