Dubsado Review for Calligraphers and Stationers

I’ve been using Dubsado, a CRM for creative businesses, since my first year as a calligrapher —  and it’s still one of the best decisions I made. Before Dubsado, I was piecing everything together with HelloSign, PayPal, and email threads. It worked…but it was time-consuming for me and wasn’t a great experience for my clients. My business wasn’t exactly giving off a high-end service vibe.

If you’re a calligrapher or stationer looking for a CRM that helps you look more polished, get booked faster, and save hours on admin every week, keep reading. I’m breaking down the most impactful features I use inside Dubsado —  and why I still use it and recommend it to this day!

If you’re interested in trying Dubsado, click here to get 20% off !

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What is Dubsado?

Dubsado is a client management system (CRM) built for creative businesses like ours. It helps you streamline your client experience from inquiry to invoice. You can create proposals, send contracts, get paid, automate reminders, and keep everything organized in one place — without hopping between different platforms. 

For me, as a calligrapher, the visual element was the game-changer. Yes, not having to send my clients 3 different links made me feel “like a real business owner,” but I love being able to send a polished proposal with inspiration images and actual photos of my work, walk the client through each step, and guide them from “inquiry” to “booked” without a bunch of back-and-forth. 

Top Features I Use in Dubsado as a Calligrapher

There’s a lot inside Dubsado — and I use nearly all of it! What I love most is how it keeps things running smoothly behind the scenes, so I can spend less time on admin tasks and more time creating or marketing my business.

1. Proposals

Dubsado’s proposals are one of the biggest reasons I switched from my patchwork system of PayPal, HelloSign, and email. I used to send a few photos over email, attach a PDF quote, and hope the client connected the dots. It technically worked, but it added extra steps for both the client and me that slowed everything down and felt clunky, rather than being the seamless experience I prided myself on delivering.

Now, I send one link that walks the client through everything from the proposal to the contract to the invoice. They move through it step by step and can book instantly. Dubsado also lets me include photos and mockups throughout the proposal. This is a game-changer that you need to start doing! Let’s say you’re quoting a wedding welcome sign. Showing examples of previous work as they go through the process helps clients visualize what their order could look like. Once I started doing this, I noticed more yeses and faster bookings! We have such a visual craft, and when clients see the quality of work baked right into the proposal, it makes a huge difference.

2. Automated Reminders

Chasing payments and sending deadline nudges isn’t fun. But if you’re in the wedding industry, you know that sometimes, couples need a nudge to make a decision. They’re juggling a million decisions too, so being able to set a proposal expiration date and build in a reminder helps everyone. 

Dubsado lets you schedule automatic reminders for things like upcoming payments and proposal deadlines. If an invoice is due in three days, it can send a friendly reminder. If a proposal is expiring soon, the client gets a heads-up before it disappears. It’s all handled for you in the background. Plus, if your client is on a payment plan, you can also set up your invoices to be on automatic payments for their future payments! It feels so good when you get those payment notifications without having to manually chase clients down! 

3. Workflows

One of the biggest downsides to using multiple free tools to do the job of one is that you are the one keeping track of what needs to happen at what time during a client’s project. That takes a lot of mental energy when you have 20-30+ clients a year! Dubsado’s workflows are what keep me on track during busy wedding seasons, without losing my mind. A workflow can help you map out everything that needs to happen during a project — from sending an email check-in to reminding you to go buy supplies. I use them to automate reminders for important milestones, like sending out the design questionnaire or following up for a review a month after the wedding.

Photo of Dubsado’s Workflow feature within my account

You can set up templated emails to go out automatically, which saves a ton of time. But since most of my projects are custom, I prefer to let Dubsado remind me when it’s time to reach out - that way I can tweak the message and make sure it fits where the client is in the process. But I’m not starting from scratch; I create templated emails I can use over and over again, but I still have the freedom to keep it personalized to each client. This elevates your client experience and makes them feel very taken care of.

Photo of the Dubsado contact form on my calligraphy website, Monstera Gold.

4. Forms

Inside Dubsado, “Forms” are used to collect and share information at every stage of the client journey — and I use all of the different form types. If you’re still gathering client details by email or trying to manage everything in a spreadsheet, this is one of the easiest ways to get organized fast.

There are a few different types of forms. I use questionnaire forms to capture all the important design details from my clients (like style preferences, ink color choices, and the text for their signage), and also in my mentoring program as part of the onboarding process and check-ins. I use sub-agreements when I need to send out rental agreements in addition to their primary contract (another form type). And my lead capture form is embedded on my website so that inquiries come in with all the basic info I need upfront, like their wedding date, venue, and budget.

Each form is easy to customize, and there’s no more digging through email chains or forgetting to ask something important - it’s all right there on the client’s project. I also love that you can keep everything on brand. All of my forms are branded to match the rest of my business, so my clients’ experience feels consistent from start to finish — whether they’re coming from my Instagram or website. 

5. Packages

The Packages feature is one of the most useful tools for selling services and products. It allows you to store your pricing, product descriptions, and even dimensions in the system, so you’re not rewriting the same info every time.

I’ve saved my most common products in Dubsado so I can build an invoice in minutes, and I save each signage type as its own package. For example, let’s say a client wants a Welcome Sign. I’ll add my Welcome Sign package, which includes my most popular options, like wood, mirror, acrylic, etc, and delete the options they don’t need. Similarly, I’ll continue adding packages for each signage item they’re interested in, to build an accurate, professional custom package in minutes.

You can also use packages in public proposals to sell semi-custom products, like adding a personalized name and date to an existing venue illustration, or purchasing semi-custom invitations on your website. You can build an open proposal that walks the client through options, collects their details, and lets them purchase seamlessly — without having to do anything to get the sale. It's a great way to streamline product orders while still collecting the specifics you need to fulfill them. No need to invest in another checkout software!

Should Calligraphers and Stationery Pros Use Dubsado? Absolutely!

If you’re a calligrapher or stationer looking to elevate your client experience and save serious time behind the scenes, Dubsado is 100% worth considering. Whether you're booking clients or selling semi-custom products, it streamlines your process, reduces time spent on admin tasks, and helps you stay organized without juggling five tools.

The less time you spend chasing invoices or rewriting emails, the more time you have to focus on the things that actually grow your business — like creating new offers or networking. 

If you're ready to try Dubsado out for yourself, click here to claim your free trial, plus get 20% off when you use code MONSTERAGOLD at checkout!