As an artist, do you lot send invoices to your collectors?

Well, hither's why you should:

First, creating invoices is a surefire manner for creatives running modest businesses to get paid, both quickly and on fourth dimension.

Second, invoices assist proceed your finances in order and so you can run your art business (and handle tax season) more smoothly.

Finally, non simply volition y'all look more professional person to your fine art buyers, but yous'll exist able to provide them with a better customer experience. Much similar a Certificate of Authenticity, invoices foster trust past providing collectors with exact details and documentation of what they are paying for. And, collectors similar coming back to artists they can trust to deliver proficient work, from start to finish.

That existence said, creating your ain invoice can exist daunting, to say the least.

How does anyone who didn't get to business organization school know what they are doing? From the clarification of the total costs to the right contact information, there are so many important details y'all need to include. A pocket-sized misstep and your payment could be delayed or *gasp* as well little.

Yes, an invoice template tin can brand things easier. But the ease of using Artwork Archive to create your invoice is similar night and day! It pulls from the information y'all've already recorded for your art business organization and links straight to your PayPal, so with the click of a few buttons, your invoice is created and on its style to being paid fast.

Apply Artwork Archive to create your invoice, send it direct to clients, accept payments online, and tape this income instantly in your art biz hub, and so you can stay organized and get paid. Ready to become started?

How to create an invoice:

Step 1: Hook upward your PayPal account

Getting paid online is super easy for small business owners these days, specially with a PayPal account. It's gratis and piece of cake to make, and when you link your PayPal account to your Artwork Annal, you tin take online payments for your artwork!

All yous take to do is click "Setup Paypal Integration" at the top of the Invoices tab, then enter the email address yous employ for your PayPal account. Easy peasy! This volition allow united states to procedure payments for your Invoices. The payments will go directly to your PayPal business relationship and will exist recorded as payments on your invoices on Artwork Archive.

That means Artwork Archive takes no fees from the payments! But just a note, standard PayPal fees do apply and will depend on your currency and location.

Step 2: Select your client

Tired of wasting fourth dimension digging through paper piles to find that one business menu? Or scouring e-mail bondage to see exactly what that collector wanted to buy?

Logging Contacts and Sales in Artwork Annal is something you need to do anyway to stay organized and on top of your business, but information technology will also make sending invoices a breeze and help yous get paid faster. Here's how it works…

After clicking "New Invoice" from the top menu, select the Contact to whom you'll be sending the invoice. From the drop-down card, you'll encounter all of your Contacts saved in Artwork Archive (along with their contact information stored without a second thought).

Y'all tin ever add a new collector by going to Contacts in the left-side bill of fare, and then yous're ready to create your invoice.

Footstep iii: Pick your payment schedule

At present we are getting downward to the good stuff! In other words, when do you lot desire to get paid?

Typically, it's best practice to send an invoice earlier you start any commissioned project or your client receives any artwork—as an assurance that you volition become paid for your hard work, and that the client volition pay y'all faster in social club to become your artwork in their hands faster!

Only information technology depends on the sale, of course. For instance, when purchasing artwork from your website, you can beak the clients in full and enquire for payment immediately, and then you tin can send the artwork to eager buyers ASAP.

On the other paw, it's customary to ask for an initial deposit upfront for projects similar commissions, so clients don't suddenly dorsum out and you're left without compensation for the hard work and time yous've already put in. Then, yous can develop a schedule for futurity payments based on how much of the projection you've completed, time intervals based on the expected completion date, twice a month if you're charging by the hour, etc.

Again, every sale'southward payment schedule might be different. It's a lot to keep track of mentally and physically (and oftentimes why information technology takes then long for artists to become paid), but with Artwork Archive's invoicing feature, you no longer have to worry! Just enter these key dates and our system will proceed track of everything for you.

For the Invoice Appointment, simply select the date you plan to send the invoice. This should always exist the date you send the invoice, not the engagement it's created.

For the Due Date, utilize the drop-down calendar to option which day you lot want to get paid by. Fun fact: even if it doesn't actually thing to you, giving clients a firm deadline will telephone call them to action more quickly than if in that location is no deadline. Fine art buyers won't mind, only your bank account volition love it!

Are y'all allowing partial payments on the total amount due? Only cheque the box at the bottom yep.

Step iv: Choose the right sale

Are you ready for more than of the magic that comes with an spread-out inventory site like Artwork Annal? Now all you have to do is select the Sold Piece or Pieces from the drop-downwards menu that you want to pecker for. Y'all'll see the Original Toll, Discount (if whatsoever), Auction Price, and Tax information pop up that you've already recorded in Sales, and in seconds you're set up to become!

No more typing these numbers for the hundredth fourth dimension and risk getting them wrong in your invoice. Instead, you'll save valuable time that could be better spent in the studio.

And, you tin always edit this sale info if annihilation has changed, or easily add a new Sale for this collector. Artists demand to log their sales for things like taxes, sales insights, and art marketing efforts anyway, so now with this easy invoicing feature, it's like killing two, three, peradventure fifty-fifty four birds with 1 stone!

Step v: Fill in the last remaining details

All that'southward left for you to input in the invoice template are aircraft costs yous want to accuse for based on the size and weight of the piece of work (this expense typically falls on the buyer) and any notes yous may have for the buyer (instructions for your payment schedule, types of payment you have, etc.).

Everything else pulls from what you've already recorded! The invoice number updates automatically for clients with each invoice. Yous'll come across the payment totals spelled out so both you and your client know exactly what is being paid for. The payment status is ready to pending and can be updated as necessary.

Pace 6: Accept online payments

The truthful secret to getting paid faster? Go far as easy as possible for your collector to pay you!

With Artwork Archive, your buyer can pay you directly from the invoice, all you lot have to do is check the bottom box YES to "Include Payment Buttons."

When they receive the web invoice, they'll be able to review all of the invoice details and pay with the click of a button using either a credit/debit card or a PayPal account. Since your own PayPal account is linked and ready to get, the coin volition get straight to you and your artwork can get straight to a happy buyer.

It'south not just the fastest way to get paid these days, but information technology'south also secure and provides an easier buying experience for the customer, which doesn't hurt if they ever desire to do business with you again!

Stride vii: Send using Artwork Annal

One of the last steps, but also one of the most important! And it can take up quite some fourth dimension if you're not using Artwork Archive.

Once your invoice has been created, you can edit any details, preview what the customer volition see, and transport it onwards to your client. Over again, the beauty of sending a web invoice is that y'all tin become paid online right away with a debit/credit card or PayPal!

Here are your options:

i. Send it directly through Artwork Archive - Using Artwork Annal to ship your invoice is but like regular email, simply skips the eye man! You lot'll have a chance to cull a Contact stored in Artwork Archive, enter new electronic mail addresses, and include a message to your clients.

2. Copy the URL of the web invoice - If you'd need to, paste the online invoice link into your own e-mail and send it yourself.

3. Generate a PDF of the invoice - With this option, yous tin then view the PDF of the invoice, download information technology to your device, copy and paste its URL, or share the PDF through Artwork Archive similar in option one. (Only annotation that you won't exist able to accept online payments in this form, then keep in mind that you may not become paid as quickly as the online options.)

Step 8: Track your invoice'due south payment status

Say cheerio to the days of forgetting which invoices accept been paid and which buyers you demand to track down! On the Invoice page, Payment Status shows on each invoice and volition update automatically when the invoice is paid online.

Invoice payments processed through PayPal volition be organized neatly for your viewing pleasance in the Processed Payments section, besides equally appear in your Revenue and Expenses section for you lot to have a complete picture of your income as an creative person.

Another cool characteristic?

Y'all can run into whatever requests to purchase your artwork from Artwork Archive in the Purchase Requests tab. Because there are a LOT of ways for collectors to go in contact – your Public Profile on Discovery, embedding this profile on your ain creative person website, Private Rooms—this way you tin make sure you never miss a request.

See which slice they are curious almost, and you'll be able to easily create a reply message and transport an invoice when the bargain is finalized.

In the stop…

There's nothing incorrect with wanting to get paid for your creative talents, time, and hard work. But for many reasons, artrepreneurs often experience uncomfortable asking for the coin they deserve for their passions. But making a living doing what you dear requires you to do exactly that, and the correct buyers will understand and value this creative gift. As a pocket-size business owner, you simply have to go far as easy every bit possible for yourself to get paid.

Desire to get paid for your artwork—and get paid fast? Try Online Invoicing with your free trial of Artwork Archive.