Rug design software from Nepal
Toranj and Galaincha
Galaincha is what much of the hand-knotted trade in Nepal and India knows. It turns artwork into a weavable design at any size and quality, prints the graph, and renders the rug with pile height and mixed plies.
Where it is the better choice
- Turning a photo or digital artwork into a weavable design, a job Toranj does only roughly.
- Renderings with pile height, for showing a rug before it is made.
- A longer history in the hand-knotted trade, and weavers who already read its graphs.
Where Toranj is the better choice
- Curves stay curves. The drawing is kept as vectors and woven again at each loom.
- Runs in a browser, with buyers invited by private link.
- Persian numbers and Solar Hijri dates, and the trade's words in Persian.
Side by side
| Feature | Toranj | Galaincha |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs, and what it needs | YesBrowser on Mac or Windows. Nothing to install, no lock. Needs internet | Not statedNot stated |
| Design stays a vector drawing, knots worked out from it | YesYes | Not statedNot stated |
| Another raj or size without redrawing | In partWoven again from a vector drawing, any raj or reed. Not imported maps | In partVendor says any size and quality. Method not stated |
| Raj systems, knot shape and half knots | In part10 to 150 raj per 7 cm, knot shape 0.5 to 2. No half knots, no Turkish or Isfahan raj | In partSize and quality as settings |
| Carpet drawing tools: symmetry, medallion, border, islimi | In partPen, spiral for islimi, symmetry on the carpet or in a motif. Border fill on imported maps only | In partRepeat pattern and trace drawing are listed |
| Motif library | In partYour own motifs, reused and updated in every design. No ready collection | Not statedNot stated |
| Photo or scan into a map | In partJPEG comes in as an approximate map, one pixel to a knot, or as a layer to trace. Scanned grids are not detected | YesConverts artwork to a weavable design |
| Point paper to print | YesPDF, A4 or A3, half or quarter for a symmetric design, yarn numbers if you want | YesGraphs for weaving or tufting |
| Coded, numeric or audio map | NoNo | Not statedNot stated |
| Output for machines | In part8-bit BMP for Jacquard software. No JC5, EP or tufting output | In partGraphs for tufting |
| Weave simulation | In partFlat view and knot view. No pile or room simulation | YesRenderings with pile height, plies and gradients |
| Yarn and colour reports | YesKnots and weight per colour, weaving check, CSV table | In partMaterial estimate is listed |
| Buyer sees it by private link and comments on the design | YesEach person their own link, comments pinned, versions and approvals | Not statedNot stated |
| Language | YesEditor in Persian. Site, dashboard and sharing in Persian and English | Not statedNot stated |
| Free start and price | YesBy invitation for now. Free plan: 2 editors, 5 designs, no time limit, all exports. Paid prices not set yet | Not statedNot stated |
Stay with it if
you start most designs from photos or finished artwork, or your weavers are already used to its graphs.
If you do move
If you can save your design as an 8-bit indexed BMP or PNG, it comes into Toranj knot for knot. We have not tried Galaincha's own files.
Try it on your own work
Toranj is by invitation for now. Ask for access, then draw a design, import a map you already have and judge for yourself.
What we read
Checked on 2 November 2026. Prices are what the vendor's page showed that day.
We have not installed or run these programs ourselves. What is written here comes from the vendors' sites and the sources we list. We found no reliable figures for how widely each is used, so we do not rank them.
If something here is wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
Product names belong to their owners. Toranj has no connection with these companies.