A pinch pleat is a drapery header that involves pinching together two to five measured out pleats and sewing them together so that they synch together at the top. The most common pinch pleat is a three-finger pinch pleat, or a French pleat, which takes three measured out pleats and pulls them together to form soft ripples. However, with printed drapery a two-finger pinch pleat is more common as it does not disrupt the print as much. The pleats can be enforced using pleater tape and pleater hooks which ensure that the pleat stays in place and lays properly. The pleater hooks are dual purpose, as they synch together the fabric to form and keep pleats, while also having a loop at the opposite end that allows it to be attached to a rod. Curtains with pinch pleats can be hung using hardware such as a rod and rings, an exposed track, a hidden track with cornice, or a curved track.
