Make a tattoo gift certificate.
DL card, 210 x 99 mm, 300 dpi. To print at home, set the scale to 100% or Actual size.
Design
A clean sans, one big amount, lots of airThe certificate
Prints as $150 USD, so nobody guesses the currency.
Leave a name blank and a printed card gets a line to write it on.
Number and dates
Number, issue date, expiry
Give every certificate its own number and write it down when you sell it.
Optional. Gift certificate expiry is regulated in many places. In the US, one you sell generally has to stay valid for at least five years, and some states and Canadian provinces ban expiry dates altogether. Check your local rules, or leave it blank.
How to book
@studionine
Add a booking link first.
Terms
4 lines
One per line, up to 6. They print small, so keep each one short.
Labels and mark
For, From, Issued, Book at
Free. No sign-up. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Pricing
What to sell, and for how much
Sell amounts that buy a real tattoo. If your minimum is $150, a $150 certificate gets someone in the chair, and one or two steps above it (a half day, a full day) cover the bigger gifts. A certificate worth less than your minimum is fine, as long as the buyer knows the person holding it may need to add to it.
You can also sell a session rather than an amount: one half day, one flash piece, one small tattoo. It is easier to explain and it survives a price rise, but decide up front what it covers, such as the design time, a size limit and whether touch ups are included.
Take the full payment when you sell it. A gift certificate is money in advance for work you still owe, so treat it as a booking you have not dated yet.
Tracking
Give every certificate a number
A number is what stops a certificate being used twice, or a screenshot being passed around. The tool makes one for you, like GC-2611-7KQ4, and you can type your own.
Log it when you sell it
Number, amount, who bought it, the date and how they paid. A spreadsheet or a page in your notebook is enough.
Keep a copy
Save the PNG you printed or sent, so you can check a certificate against the original when it comes back.
Mark it used
Write down the date it was redeemed and anything left on it. If the tattoo costs less than the certificate, your terms should say what happens to the rest.
Expiry
Expiry dates and the law
Gift card rules are stricter than most artists expect. In the US, a gift certificate you sell generally has to stay valid for at least five years under federal law, and some states go further. Several Canadian provinces, including Ontario and British Columbia, do not allow expiry dates on most gift cards. Other countries have their own rules.
This is not legal advice. If you are not sure, leave the expiry blank. A certificate you give away for free, as a prize or a thank you, is often treated differently from one you sell, so check before you put a date on either.
Redeeming
When someone books with one
Ask for the certificate number with the booking request, check it against your log, and tell the client what it covers before you quote. Most artists put the value toward the deposit first and the rest toward the final price. If the tattoo costs more, the client pays the difference on the day.
The gift is the start of a booking like any other, so run it the same way: the idea, placement, size and references in one place, then a date. The deposit calculator helps if the certificate only covers part of it.
Questions
Gift certificates, answered.
Is the gift certificate maker free?
Yes. There is no account and no email to give, and you can make as many certificates as you like. A small maelo.app mark is on by default, and one switch turns it off.
How do I print a tattoo gift certificate at home?
Pick a print size, press Print, and set the scale to 100% or Actual size in the print dialog. The DL, 1/3 Letter and A5 cards print one to a page with a dashed line to cut along. For thick card or a large run, download the 300 dpi PNG and take it to a print shop.
Can I send a gift certificate by DM or email?
Yes. Choose the Image tab. It makes a 1080 by 1350 picture that reads well on a phone, so the buyer can forward it or print it themselves. On a phone, Share opens your share sheet.
Should a tattoo gift certificate expire?
Often it cannot. In the US a gift certificate you sell generally has to stay valid for at least five years, and some states and Canadian provinces ban expiry dates. Rules differ elsewhere. If you are not sure, leave the expiry blank and check your local rules.
Does Maelo keep track of my gift certificates?
No. Maelo does not sell or track gift certificates, so keep your own log of numbers, amounts and when each one is used. A spreadsheet is enough. Maelo helps with the booking that follows: a request form, a quote with dates, and a deposit paid from a link.