If people enjoy looking at your writing more than reading it, you might want to think about starting a calligraphy business.

A calligraphy business is a fantastic way to work with various clients, by working alongside these clients you will be able to develop all sorts of wonderful handwritten and unique pieces of art. You might be commissioned to design stationary, or even to do paintings.

There are actually lots of different types of calligraphy; you need to choose the right type so that you will be able to master it. Stick to an individual style so that you can improve your business and make yourself much more professional.

The key to mastering calligraphy is exactly the same as any other art, you need to practice. With enough practice you will be able to get better and also much quicker. This will give you more time to concentrate on selling your skills to other people.

When you are marketing your services you should send prospective clients a letter introducing yourself, you may also like to include a sample if you wish.

It’s also important to include a price list which shows some common prices, these prices should include:

-          Prices for hand lettering items which are then printed or engraved

• Invitations
• Cards
• Reply Envelope
• Other materials included with invitation
• Menus

-          Hand Addressing

• Outer envelope
• Inner envelope
• Place Cards

-          Calligraphy for business related items such as business cards, letterheads etc.

-          Assembly, Postage, Mailing and any extra services which may be offered as extras alongside your main line of work.

Starting a Calligraphy Business

To start your own calligraphy business you need to build up a scrapbook of some of the pieces of work that you are proud of. These should include invitations or anything else that you have done. You should carefully use your portfolio to demonstrate your skills.

Your portfolio should only demonstrate your skills; it should not include price lists because these will vary occasionally. The price list can be slipped inside the portfolio if you want.

Before you start any job you should get an agreement of exactly what’s required from you in writing. This will minimise the problems associated with confusion and poor communication. It can be very stressful to start your own business so you need to be fully organised.

The agreement should be as detailed as possible and should talk about everything that you are expected to provide, the dates that each part of the project is due and how much the project will cost in total.

You should also be asking for 50% payment up front so that you can purchase materials and are covered just in case anything goes wrong. Always wait until you get paid in full before handing everything over.

If you are required to collect sales tax then make sure you include this. You may need to obtain a sellers permit. It’s also important to find out how the sales tax will work and how it should be paid.

If the project includes any assembly then you need to make sure you have the raw materials available when you need them. This will ensure that you can stick to the plan and get the invitations in the box when they are needed.

If you are offering mailing services then you will need to either ask your buyer to pay for the stamps, or alternatively you will need to get the buyer to give you the stamps. This means that it won’t cost you any extra to offer this additional service.

If you are trying to estimate postage then take one of the finished invitations to the post office to get it weighed so that you can be accurate.

Calligraphy Business Ideas

It’s not just invitations that you can do, there are also plenty of other areas that you can use your calligraphy to achieve. You could for example make beautiful pieces of art work, or you may prefer to frame poems or names. Try to get a local store or doctor’s clinic to display the artwork then come to an agreement as to how much commission they will get.

If you are selling artwork which has been framed then you will need to charge more for this because it is slightly more expensive and time consuming. You may not want to have a set price for these, or you might want to charge extra for framing.

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