Built for tattoo shops and solo artists
You got into tattooing to make art.
Not to answer DMs.
Blacklines turns the link in your Instagram bio into a proper booking system. Clients see your artists, work and flash, send a request with their idea and references, and pay a deposit. You pick a time and get back to the chair.
- No app for clients to download
- Stripe deposits
- Set up in minutes
Link page
Artists, work, flash, FAQs
Requests
Ideas, refs, preferred days
Schedule
Hours, time off, books open
Deposits
Stripe pay links, no chasing
Client pages
Messages, no account needed
Your team
One shop, every artist
Features
Your whole shop, in one tab.
The things a tattoo shop actually runs on, done properly. No salon software pretending to understand custom work.
Link page
One link in your bio. Your whole shop behind it.
Every shop or solo artist gets a page at their own handle: banner, photo, socials, each artist with their pricing, a gallery tagged by artist, flash with a “Book this” button, FAQs and contact details. It even pops out of Instagram's in-app browser so clients don't get stuck.
Ink & Co Tattoo
blacklines.co.uk/inkandco
Booking requests
Requests with everything you need, not twelve DMs.
Clients describe the idea, placement, size and budget, add reference pictures and pick a few of the artist's available days. You accept by choosing a time, and it goes straight on the calendar. Or decline, kindly, in one tap.
New request · for Ari
New“Small swallow on my inner wrist, fine line, maybe a little colour on the wings.”
Preferred days
Schedule
Clients can only pick days you actually work.
Set working hours, time off and whether your books are open. Close them until a date, or only take requests up to a date. Fully booked days disappear on their own, and an artist working at two shops can't be double-booked.
Ari's working hours
- MonOff
- Tue11:00 – 7:00
- Wed11:00 – 7:00
- Thu11:00 – 7:00
- Fri10:00 – 6:00
- Sat10:00 – 4:00
- SunOff
Deposits & payments
Deposits paid before the time is theirs.
Connect Stripe for the shop, or let each artist connect their own. Accepting a request can ask for a deposit: the slot is held until it's paid through a pay link. At the end of the session, take the balance with a pay link or QR code, or just record cash.
Deposit
£50.00
Swallow, inner wrist · with Ari · Thu 16 Oct, 1:00pm
Your time is held until the deposit is paid
Private client pages
Every email links to a page where clients see their booking, message the artist, add pictures, change days or cancel. No account, no password.
Emails that send themselves
New-request alerts for artists. Received, accepted (with time, quote and note), declined and a 48-hour reminder for clients.
Built for the whole shop
Invite artists with a link. Owners see everything; artists see their own requests, bookings and schedule.
Gallery & flash
Upload work tagged by artist and flash that clients can book directly from your page.
Analytics
Visitors, gallery opens, booking starts and where people came from, so you know how many visits turn into requests.
Spam kept out
Rate limits, an optional CAPTCHA and every uploaded image re-encoded with its metadata stripped.
How it works
Taking bookings before your next session.
From a DM inbox to a booking system in four steps.
- Step 01
Set up your shop
Sign up as a solo artist or a shop. Add your photo, some work, your hours and your pricing. Invite your artists with a link.
Profile & bannerGallery · 12 piecesWorking hoursDeposit policy - Step 02
Put it in your bio
Your page lives at your own handle. Paste it into Instagram or TikTok and every “how do I book?” has an answer.
@inkandco.tattoo
Fine line & blackwork · Brighton
blacklines.co.uk/inkandco
- Step 03
Pick from real requests
Requests arrive with the idea, size, placement, budget, references and days that suit. Accept with a time or decline.
7
new requests
3
booked this week
- Step 04
Get paid, show up, tattoo
Deposits are taken before the slot is confirmed and reminders go out on their own. Take the balance by QR code after.
Tonight · 7:12pm
Last client done. Balance paid. 4 reminders sent for tomorrow.
Why switch
Built for the studio.
Not a hair salon.
Most booking software is made for 30-minute appointments with fixed prices. Tattooing is custom work, with references, quotes and deposits. Blacklines is built around that.
Booking through DMs
With Blacklines
“Price?” “Availability?” “Do you do colour?”
Pricing, availability and FAQs on your page before they ask
Reference pics scattered across three threads
Idea, size, placement, budget and pictures in one request
Back-and-forth to find a day
Clients pick from days you actually work
Chasing deposits by bank transfer
Stripe pay link; the slot is held until it's paid
No-shows you never heard from
Automatic 48-hour reminders and a page to cancel or move
Spam and timewasters in your requests
Rate limits, CAPTCHA and books you can close
Roadmap
Built with tattooers, shipped often.
We listen to artists and shop owners, then we build. Here's what Blacklines does today and what's next.
Live
Available today
- Link page at your own handle
- Artists with pricing
- Gallery tagged by artist
- Bookable flash
- Booking requests with references
- Working hours & time off
- Books open / closed
- Stripe deposits & balance
- Client booking pages
- Message threads
- Email alerts & reminders
- Team invites
- Link page analytics
Coming soon
On the way
- Digital consent forms
- Aftercare emails
- Healed-photo requests
- Multi-session projects
- Waitlist for closed books
- Calendar sync (iCal)
- SMS reminders
- Guest spots
Got something on your wishlist? Email hello@blacklines.co.uk. We read everything.
Pricing
One plan. No surprises.
Everything included. No add-ons, no per-booking fees, no “pay extra for reminders”.
Early access
Blacklines
£0/ month while in early access
Join now and get everything free while we're in early access. Deposits go straight to your own Stripe account and we take no cut. Stripe's standard card fees apply.
Get early accessNo contracts. No card needed to start.
Everything included
- Link page at your own handle
- Unlimited booking requests
- Calendar, hours & books open/closed
- Stripe deposits & balance payments
- Client booking pages & messages
- Email alerts & reminders
- Gallery, flash & FAQs
- Unlimited artists in your shop
- Analytics
FAQ
Things people ask before they sign up.
Do my clients need to create an account?
No. Clients send a request from your page and every email links to a private booking page. From there they can see their booking, message you, add pictures, change their days or cancel. No login, no password, no app to download.
Does it work for a shop with several artists?
Yes. Owners invite artists with a link, choose who's listed on the page and in what order, and see every artist's calendar and requests. Artists see their own bookings, requests and schedule. Solo artists get the same, just without the team part.
How do deposits work?
Connect Stripe once, for the shop or for each artist. When you accept a request you can ask for a deposit: the client gets a pay link and the time is held until it's paid. After the session, take the rest with a pay link or QR code, or record it as cash or card reader.
Does the money go to you first?
No. Payments go straight into your own Stripe account. Blacklines takes no platform fee; Stripe's standard card fees apply.
What if my books are closed?
Close them with one switch, optionally with a date they reopen or a date you're taking requests up to, plus a note shown on your page. Clients can only pick days you work, aren't on time off and aren't fully booked.
Will I get flooded with spam requests?
The request form has per-visitor and per-shop limits, an optional CAPTCHA, and every uploaded picture is re-encoded with its metadata stripped. Client reference pictures are never public; only your team can see them.
Does it work from Instagram's in-app browser?
Yes. Your page is built for the tap from your bio, and it offers to open in the phone's real browser so clients don't lose their request halfway through.
Swap the DMs for a booking link.
Set up your page tonight, put it in your bio, and let tomorrow's requests arrive with everything you need.