How Bookings Work

InkFronts splits every booking into three Square pieces: the appointment (your calendar slot), a payment link (deposit), and an in-person charge (balance + tip). Knowing which is which saves a lot of confusion.

Appointment, deposit, and balance — three separate things

Square Appointment

Holds time on your calendar. Tells Square (and your clients, if you use Square notifications) that a slot is reserved. An appointment has a status: Pending, Accepted, or Cancelled.

Square Payment Link (deposit)

Collects the deposit. For flash bookings, InkFronts generates the link at checkout and sends the client straight to a Square-hosted payment page (card, Apple Pay, Google Pay). For custom work you create it from the booking detail page when you and the client have agreed on a price.

In-person balance (Square POS)

Collects the remaining balance and tip at the appointment. Tap Charge balance in Square on the booking page and Square POS opens on your phone pre-filled with the right amount — tap to pay, insert, or swipe at card-present rates.

Important: The appointment and the deposit are independent in Square. If a client fails to pay the deposit, InkFronts cancels the appointment automatically after 15 minutes and deletes the unused payment link. If you cancel an appointment directly in Square, the deposit link stays live — cancel from InkFronts instead so both sides clean up together.

The flash booking flow

1
Client picks a flash piece from your storefront and clicks Book.
2
InkFronts creates a pending appointment in your Square calendar and generates a Square payment link for the deposit.
3
The client is sent to a Square-hosted checkout page (card, Apple Pay, Google Pay) and has 15 minutes to pay — a countdown is shown on their screen.
4
If they pay within 15 minutes, the booking is confirmed. You'll see it in your Square calendar and in Dashboard → Bookings.
5
If they don't pay in time, InkFronts cancels the appointment, deletes the payment link, and releases the slot.
6
At the appointment, tap Charge balance in Square to open Square POS pre-filled with the outstanding balance — the client adds tip and you tap to pay.

The custom request flow

1
Client fills out the custom request form: placement, size, reference images, and any notes.
2
InkFronts saves the request to Dashboard → Bookings (no calendar hold, no payment yet).
3
You review the request at your own pace and message the client to settle on a price.
4
When you're ready, open the booking and tap Request Deposit — enter the total price and InkFronts creates a Square payment link for your configured deposit percentage. Copy the link and send it to the client however you like.
5
The client pays the deposit. You accept the appointment in Square, and at the session you tap Charge balance in Square to collect the remaining balance and tip.

Unlike flash, custom requests don't have an automatic timer. You manage the pace. We recommend setting expectations with clients upfront about how long your review process takes.

What clients see

After a flash booking, clients are redirected to a confirmation page and receive a Square payment receipt. If you have Square Appointments Plus, they may also receive a Square confirmation email depending on your notification settings.

For custom requests, clients see a confirmation that their request was submitted. They don't receive a deposit link until you send one. Make sure your response time expectations are visible somewhere on your storefront or in your bio so clients aren't left wondering.