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To protect the graphic against the severe wear it's likely to get, you 
really ought to sandwich it inside the hard plastic.

Otherwise, a simpler, less expensive option is to find a sign-maker with a 
machine for printing onto the tough, self-adhesive vinyl that's used for 
vehicle signs etc. Check the machine prints to a sufficiently high 
dot-resolution for your fine detail. Supply the artwork as computer image 
files (preferably vector graphics such as *.ai files), with a thin line 
showing the outline of each jigsaw piece. Specify transparent, 
self-adhesive vinyl, and ask for the outlines to be pre-cut by the machine 
so they peel off the backing paper like stickers.

The same sign-maker should also have a machine for cutting out Plexiglass 
(Perspex) letters from supplied computer graphic files. So they should also 
be able very quickly and inexpensively to cut out the hard jigsaw pieces. 
Then you just have to apply the 'stickers'. But make the sticker outlines 
slightly smaller than the 'pieces' leaving a narrow border so they don't 
catch against fingers and begin to peel. If you try to cut the jigsaw after 
applying the vinyl, the edges will be more likely to peel.

This should be durable enough for a while, and it will be easy to make 
several replacement sets at negligible extra cost.


[log in to unmask] * http://www.interactives.co.uk
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Give people facts and you feed their minds for an hour.
Awaken curiosity and they feed their own minds for a lifetime.
*
Ian Russell 

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