Blind Terms Glossary: Reveal, Drop, Architrave and More

The window itself

Reveal: The inside faces of the window opening, the "tunnel" between the wall and the glass. A reveal fit puts the blind inside it.
Recess: The same thing as the reveal on most forms; "recess fit" and "reveal fit" are the same instruction wearing different hats.
Architrave: The decorative timber trim framing the window on the wall side; older Newcastle homes wear them wide and proud, and face-fit blinds often screw into them.
Sill: The shelf at the bottom of the window; a reveal blind's drop usually finishes at it, a face blind can run past it.
Lintel: The structural timber or steel above the window opening, and the most trustworthy thing to screw a face-fit bracket into on a plasterboard wall.
Out of square: An opening whose corners aren't true right angles, found by comparing the two diagonals; more than about 5 mm of disagreement starts to matter to a blind.

Reveal fit / recess fit: The blind mounts inside the opening and must be narrower than the opening's narrowest point; trim look, small light gaps, needs depth.
Face fit: The blind mounts on the wall or architrave above the opening and overlaps it; better darkness, forgives leaning openings, stands into the room.
Width × drop: The universal order of a blind measurement: horizontal first, vertical second, in millimetres, always.
Drop: The vertical measurement, top of the blind to where it finishes; extra drop hides rolled up, missing drop is missing forever.
Recess size vs blind size: The order form's most important distinction: recess size means "here's my opening, you make the deduction"; blind size means "make it exactly this big, I've done the deducting". Read the form; deduct exactly once.

Chain side / control side: Which end of the blind carries the operating chain, called standing in the room facing the window; pick the reachable side.
Standard roll: Fabric falls off the back of the tube, close to the glass; the default, best for light control.
Reverse roll: Fabric falls off the front of the tube, standing clear of the reveal; the fix for handles and winders that steal depth.
Headrail: The top assembly that carries a venetian, vertical or Roman; the part your brackets actually hold, and the part the level check is really about.
Tension device / tensioner: The small fitting that holds a chain or cord loop taut against the wall; required by the mandatory safety standard, not a suggestion. The rules.
Cleat: A two-horned hook, mounted at least 1600 mm above the floor, that loose cords wrap onto so they can't form a loop a child can reach.
Cordless: Any blind operated without a hanging cord or chain: spring-assist rollers, wand-tilt venetians; the first thing to ask about for kids' rooms.

Blockout: Fabric with an opaque backing that stops light through the fabric itself; the edges of the blind still decide how dark the room really gets.
Light filter: Fabric that softens and diffuses daylight without blocking it; privacy by day, silhouettes by night, so bedrooms usually pair it with something else.
Sheer: Open-weave fabric that keeps the view and knocks back glare; the harbour-apartment favourite, often layered in a double roller.
Double roller / day-night: Two rollers on one set of brackets, typically a blockout behind a sheer or light filter, so one window can do both jobs; needs extra reveal depth.
Pelmet: A box or fascia across the top of a blind that hides the roll and closes the light gap above it; also the tidy fix for the glow over a reveal-fit blockout.

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