Custom made blinds is made to measure. Each window is measured for it's width and height to the nearest 1/8" and the blind is built to fit the opening. The light gap, reveal, on each side is about 1/4" and the bottom rail (bottom of the window shades) comes right to the window sill. Custom blinds are made with better materials and hardware. The come from well known companies such as Hunter Douglas, Levolor, Graber and Bali.Cold Lamination Film They are usually warranted for as long as you own the home. The color choices range from several shades of white to the most common stained wood tones. The material choices are PVC blinds, wood composite blinds, and real wood blinds. These custom made blinds can be purchased at most retailers and internet companies such as Shades Shutters Blinds. They are usually slightly more expensive than the grab & go blinds.
Mini Blinds Mini blinds are made in several slat widths, 1/2", 1", 2". The slats of this blind are made from several different gauges (thickness) of aluminum. Some of the Grab & go mini blinds use plastic slats to further lower their cost. The higher the gauge the better. Mini blinds were very popular in homes about 10 years ago and are still used extensively in commercial building. Color choices for mini blinds are unlimited. For affordable mini blinds. See Mini Blinds.
Venetian Blinds
Venetian blinds is a large category in blinds. The original Venetian blinds were made with wide curved metal slats much like a mini slat. Over time the slats have evolved to different materials, sizes and shapes. Venetian blind slats are made from plastics, woods, and combinations of plastics & wood. They are made in 1, 2, 2 1/2, & 3 inch slat widths. Venetian Blind's shapes can be curved, flat or elliptical. Most window covering manufacturers buy slats from the same 3 or 4 companies that produce them. To confuse things further, the window blind manufacturers have made their own names for the same materials, same sizes, and same shapes (a 2 1/2 " composite blinds slat can have as may different names as there are companies using them). Hopefully this site can simplify this for you. We will attempt to break down this mess to 4 basic types, PVC blinds, Composite blinds, and wood blinds. See products.