Supplies for Starting a Calligraphy Business

I’m a big fan of starting small and simple. When you’re starting a calligraphy business, you can definitely do so without breaking the bank. Actually, you may already have the supplies at your home!

If you want to know how to set up a paper-based and handmade calligraphy business for under $200, watch the video below or read on!

ITEM 1: Paper cutter oR PAPER trimmer

If you’re making handmade cards, you’re going to need a paper cutter or trimmer to properly size and score them.

This is the first paper trimmer I got which can also be used to score cards instead of buying them separately.

However, if you’re going to cut a lot of paper at once, you’re probably going to need a different paper cutter since this can only cut a few papers at a time.

The second one I bought was a guillotine-type paper cutter which makes the cards’ edges so much sharper and overall easier to cut several papers at a time.

ITEM 2: Nicer Envelopes

If you want to build up your portfolio for your calligraphy business, getting nicer and thicker envelopes will be very helpful to you (not the normal ones from Walmart or Staples!). You can find them on any paper specialty store or any online store that sells premium envelopes.

A good range for the price point of these premium envelopes is $0.30 to $0.80 cents per envelope. I wouldn’t recommend the ones that are $0.10 cents each!

ITEM 3: Paper

You might already have this in your home, but if you are going to use different kinds of ink, I would recommend a variety of paper to test it out on. Plus, some customers may want different colors and textures which you can use and experiment on.

Dark cardstock papers

These papers would look great if you are using white, silver, or gold ink as they would really pop out. You can also use this for your custom-made work as the texture and overall quality are very good.

vancouver calligrapher dina calligraphy using black cardstock and white ink

watercolor paper

Since the texture of the watercolor paper is thicker, it’s great to use on different projects and they already come in an assortment of colors.

The downside is if you’re going to use a pointed pen, the fibers of the paper can catch on to the nib, so be sure to be careful with that.

vancouver calligrapher Dina Lu watercolor paper supply for calligraphy business

ITEM 4: Pens

Personally, I think you don’t need a hundred pens to start your calligraphy business. A couple of basic ones are great to start with!

Brush pens

There are many brush pens out there in the market, so get the ones that you like and are most accustomed to. Here are some of my favorite brush pens to work with:

Tombow Fudenosuke Hard Tip Brush Pen
Tombow Fudenosuke Soft Tip Brush Pen
Pentel Fude Touch Pen

pointed pens and Nibs

If you’re getting started with pointed pens, you probably need these pen holders:

Oblique pen holder if you are right-handed
Straight pen holder if you are left-handed

For the nibs, here are some choices that are great for beginners:

Nikko G nib
Tachikawa nib
Zebra nib

vancouver calligrapher nibs recommendation nikko g nib tachikawa nib zebra nib

ITEM 5: Ink

The most basic but classic ink colors I would recommend are white, black, and gold.

vancouver calligrapher dina lu inks gold white black

For me, these are the most necessary colors anyone can start with. These are also my top three color choices when I use them for my custom commissions.

ITEM 6: White Poster Board

If you don’t have any white table or background that you can use to take photos of your work, I HIGHLY recommend a white poster board. Because it's so easy to work with, you can add all kinds of different decorations.

It’s a simple and minimalistic backdrop that would look clean in your Instagram feed. On the contrary, black and wooden backgrounds may look a bit messy or dark on your feed.

You can buy one at any dollar store!

vancouver calligrapher dina lu's backdrop white poster board

ITEM 7: Frames

If you are posting custom commissions as part of your portfolio, having frames would be very helpful.

You can also take pictures of your work without frames, but having them makes it look more “finished”.

You can buy them in different colors (black, white, gold) and different sizes (like 5x7 or 8x10).

other fees

If you are going to fully establish your business, other fees like business registration and licenses will cost you separately. You can check with your country, state and/or for the municipality the fees and requirements needed.

Aside from that, if you also want to start a website for your business, it can cost you around $150 for the annual fee.

Wrap Up

With all the supplies mentioned, $200 is a good starting point for setting up a calligraphy business.

just Remember, don’t buy things that you don’t need right now. You can always buy them along the way, when you need them.

Here are the links of some of my favorite calligraphy supplies and equipment:

🎨 BEST calligraphy brush pen for beginners: https://amzn.to/3JliFk0 or https://amzn.to/3m06MaJ

🎨 BEST 2-in-1 pointed pen holder for right-handed and left-handed beginners: https://amzn.to/2XxCjqt

🎨 BEST nib for pointed pen: https://amzn.to/2VWg50H

🎨 CHEAPEST practice paper for pointed pen: https://amzn.to/3ySVkBi

🎨 MOST POPULAR ink for pointed pen beginners: https://amzn.to/3m4KRPu

🎨 MY FAV paper trimmer: https://amzn.to/37JlhHK

I’d love to hear what you thought about this blog post in the comments! Was it helpful? Do you have any questions?

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