How To Set Your Prices As A Calligrapher

photo by Angelica Marie Photography

When I started my business, I had no idea how to price my calligraphy services. Coming from the tech world, I didn’t know how to price an envelope, let alone custom wedding signage! Deciding how much to charge is one of the most stressful parts of getting started. Everyone’s rates are different. So, when you try to do market research, you’re left wondering, “Am I charging too much? Or selling myself short?”

It’s so confusing! After years of working with other calligraphers and fine-tuning my own pricing strategies, I’ve learned that pricing is personal. It’s about setting rates that support your goals and your life. And I’m here to help you figure out how to set your prices confidently - without the stress.

The #1 Pricing Mistake Beginner Calligraphers Make

First, let’s address something I see new calligraphers do - copying someone else’s pricing. I was guilty of this too, and it’s so tempting to take what someone else is charging, and lower it by the slightest bit to be competitive! It’s not that we want to copy someone maliciously, but looking to others seems like the logical place to start learning about pricing. It’s so easy to hop on Etsy, check out what others are charging, and think, “I’ll just price my work around that.”

But that’s a trap! 

Copying someone else’s pricing doesn’t take into account your specific costs for materials, the time you spend on each project, and how much you need to make for your business to be sustainable. This can lead to underbidding yourself. You’ll be left doing a lot of work for a lot less than what you deserve. (Haha, ask me how I found that out the hard way!)

So, let’s agree to ditch the copy-paste pricing mentality here, and move on to figuring out how to charge for your calligraphy so you’re paid fairly.

How Much To Charge for Your Calligraphy Work

Step 1: Decide Your Revenue Goals

Before setting your prices, get clear on how much you want to earn. Whether you’re selling on Etsy, doing wedding calligraphy full-time, or just as a side hustle, your revenue goals will shape your pricing decisions.

Setting your income can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re used to a steady paycheck. If you need help, try my Pricing Toolkit. It includes everything you need to set your pricing, including an income planning worksheet to help you set and break down revenue goals so you’re set up for success. And because you’ve read my blog, use the code TOOLKIT20 at checkout to get 20% off the entire Toolkit bundle!

Step 2: Choosing Your Hourly Rate For Calligraphy (and Why You Should Keep It to Yourself)

Now that you’ve established a revenue goal, it’s time to set your hourly rate for calligraphy. Your hourly rate is how you account for the time, effort, and experience you put into each project. This is where you start creating pricing based on math, rather than pricing based on feelings.  When you can explain (to yourself!) how you got to your pricing, that’s when you start being confident about your pricing. 

You’ll use your hourly rate for every project, product, and live event you do. 

But here’s a tip - your hourly rate is for your eyes only when it comes to custom projects and weddings. 

Just imagine saying something like, “It’ll take me two hours, and my rate is $50 an hour,” to a wedding client. That’s a bit awkward and you’re setting yourself up for unwanted follow-up questions like…

“What if it doesn’t take two hours? Will you adjust the price or give me a partial refund?”

“How do I know it really takes that long?”

Trust me, you don’t want that headache. 

The key is to keep your hourly rate in the back of your mind as a reference point to ensure you’re not undervaluing yourself. Then use it along with the cost of materials and other factors, to come up with a price per project or per product. By quoting based on the project rather than the hours, you ensure that you’re paid fairly for the work and cost of material, no matter how quickly or slowly it gets done. 

Presenting a fixed price to your clients will go over a lot better than giving them a complicated hourly price that makes them question whether they’ll end up paying more than expected.

Step 3: Use a Simple Pricing Formula

To calculate your hourly rate for calligraphy we’ll need to do some math. But don’t let it intimidate you! Here’s a basic formula I like to use:

Hourly Rate x Time + Cost of Materials = Your Starting Price

This formula allows you to factor in the cost of materials, complexity, special requests, and the overall value of what you’re creating. 

This is just the starting point, though. It’s important to revisit your pricing as you grow and get faster at completing orders.  And if you want more help figuring this out, check out my Pricing Toolkit or Episode 11 of my podcast where I walk you through the importance of having a minimum, why you should have a design fee for every project, and reveal common calligraphy pricing mistakes that you can avoid.

Step 4: Track Your Time

You’ll notice there’s a place in the formula for Time. You have to know how long projects take you. Otherwise, you’ll end up making less the faster you get at calligraphy! And I’ll tell you why...

All Too Real Scenario:

Let’s say you’re creating custom wedding signage. You might think, “Oh, this will only take me an hour.” But then you realize the client wants specific details, and suddenly that one hour turns into five. You’ve just paid yourself less per hour than you intended.

By tracking your time for different tasks - like design, prepping materials, or final touches - you get a clearer picture of how long things actually take. This helps you adjust your pricing so you’re not undercharging.

Tools like Toggl are great for this. They’re simple, free, and do all the tracking for you. And remember, as you get faster at certain tasks, you’ll want to raise your rates accordingly to avoid making less money just because you’re more efficient!

Step 5: Plan for Taxes

Don’t forget the taxes when creating your base price! Whether you’re a full-time calligrapher or doing it on the side, you’ll need to pay taxes on your income. I recommend setting aside 20-30% of your earnings for taxes, and the actual percentage should be informed by your personal income level. It’s not glamorous, but it’ll save you a lot of stress later.

Handling Extras: Preparing for Rush Fees & Upsells

As your calligraphy business grows, you’ll start getting requests for last-minute changes or add-ons. These are great to increase how much you make per client. You also might see last-minute requests, so it’s good to think about it now.

photo by Meagan Suzuki Photography

Dealing with Rush Fees: 

Don’t hesitate to charge a rush fee when clients need work on short notice. My rush fees typically start at 30% of the standard pricing. It’s important because these jobs often require extra effort like paying for expedited shipping or rearranging your schedule. You deserve to be compensated for that!

photo by Angelica Marie Photography

Upsells for Your Calligraphy: 

It’s also a good idea to start thinking of upsells you can offer to provide an extra special touch for your clients, such as luxurious ribbon, wax seals, or handmade paper. These are usually items clients wouldn’t normally think to ask about, but valuable touches that elevate your products and turn them into keepsakes,- and clients are willing to pay for that. In my free masterclass, 3 Steps to Booking Your Dream Wedding Clients, I talk about what wedding clients actually buy and will spend money on. By having the full picture of their needs, you’ll be able to propose any items they might be missing, leading you to book bigger, often four-figure deals.

Finally, Get Used to Sharing Your Prices Confidently

I remember being so nervous the first time I quoted someone! The best advice I have for you is to just send the email! You may get some follow-up questions, and don’t be surprised if some clients decline. That’s not a reflection of your talent or pricing. Remember that you won’t win every client and that’s normal!

You won’t be the perfect fit for everyone, and you don’t need to be. The key is to stick to your pricing and present it confidently. If you’re worried about clients ghosting you after you send a quote, grab my free Ghostbusting Guide for tips on how to follow up without being pushy.

And don’t forget - even though pricing is personal, you have some help. Say the word and I’ll send you my podcast episode where my co-host and I get honest about pricing strategies and how to navigate setting your own prices. Sometimes, hearing examples and stories from other calligraphers in the industry can help things click in a way that reading can’t.