Short answer: a tufted rug is made by punching yarn through a backing fabric, so it has a raised, plush pile you can feel and bold, graphic designs. A printed photo rug has the design printed onto a flat, soft surface, so it can show photos and fine detail. Tufted rugs win on texture and presence; printed rugs win on detail and easy washing.

Tufted vs printed at a glance

	Tufted rug	Printed photo rug
How it's made	Yarn punched through a backing, then trimmed	Design printed onto a flannel surface
Feel underfoot	Thick, cushioned, textured pile	Flat, soft and smooth
Best designs	Bold shapes, lettering, logos, cut-to-shape outlines	Photos, faces, pets, gradients and small text
Shapes	Any outline – the rug can follow the design	Round, square or rectangle
Cleaning	Vacuum and spot-clean only	Machine washable
Best for	Statement pieces in bedrooms, gaming rooms and studios	Personal gifts, photo doormats, logo mats

How a tufted rug is made

Tufting uses a handheld tufting gun to push loops of yarn through a stretched backing cloth, following a design drawn onto it. The loops are then cut and sheared to an even height, a second backing is glued on to lock the yarn in place, and the edges are trimmed. Because the design is built from yarn, colours are solid and outlines are crisp, and the rug can be cut to the exact shape of the artwork.

Every ready-made Rugzi rug is hand-tufted from premium polyester plush with an anti-slip cotton backing – see designs like the Meltdown Bloom Rug or the cut-to-shape Duck'd Out Rug.

How a printed photo rug is made

A printed rug starts as a blank soft-surface mat. Your image is printed directly onto the top layer, which means anything a photo can show – faces, pets, gradients, small text – comes through. The trade-off is texture: the surface is flat and smooth rather than plush.

Rugzi's custom rugs are printed this way. You upload a photo or logo, frame it inside a round, square or rectangle shape, and check out.

Which one should you choose?

• Choose tufted if you want a rug that feels premium underfoot and works as the centrepiece of a room, and your design is bold and graphic.
• Choose printed if you want your own photo or a detailed image, need it to be machine washable, or want a personal gift.

Still deciding? Browse all Rugzi rugs or read our FAQ.