Studio Terms of Service

Last updated: 2026-09-25

These Studio Terms govern access to and use of InkPanel by Studios, artists, practitioners, businesses and their authorised users. By creating or operating a Studio account, purchasing an InkPanel subscription or accepting payments through InkPanel, you agree to these Studio Terms.

1. Scope

These Studio Terms govern access to and use of InkPanel by Studios, artists, practitioners, businesses and their authorised users.

By creating or operating a Studio account, purchasing an InkPanel subscription or accepting payments through InkPanel, you agree to these Studio Terms.

2. Relationship Between the Parties

InkPanel provides software, booking, communication, payment-facilitation, marketing and related platform functionality.

The Studio operates an independent business.

Nothing in these Terms creates an employment relationship, partnership, joint venture or general agency relationship between InkPanel and the Studio.

The Studio is the supplier of its Studio Services to Customers.

3. Studio Responsibilities

The Studio is solely responsible for operating its business lawfully.

This includes responsibility for:

  • appropriate registrations and licences;
  • professional qualifications;
  • insurance;
  • health and safety;
  • hygiene and infection-control requirements;
  • age restrictions;
  • customer identification;
  • informed consent;
  • consultation procedures;
  • suitability assessments;
  • Studio personnel;
  • pricing;
  • advertising claims;
  • taxes;
  • appointments;
  • cancellation policies;
  • provision of Studio Services;
  • aftercare; and
  • complaints concerning Studio Services.

The Studio must maintain any insurance reasonably appropriate or legally required for its activities.

4. Accurate Listings

The Studio must ensure that information published through InkPanel is accurate, current and not misleading.

The Studio is responsible for its prices, descriptions, images, appointment availability and policies.

5. Customer Contract

Unless expressly stated otherwise, the contract for a Studio Service is between the Studio and Customer.

The Studio must honour applicable consumer rights and must not use InkPanel to impose unlawful or unfair terms.

6. Booking Prepayments

A Studio may request a Booking Prepayment.

The Studio determines the amount requested and is responsible for ensuring that the amount and its cancellation treatment comply with applicable law.

The Studio must not describe a Booking Prepayment as absolutely non-refundable in circumstances where such a restriction would be unlawful or unfair.

Where appropriate, the Studio should make clear:

  • what the prepayment is for;
  • whether it is credited against the final service price;
  • the cancellation notice required;
  • rescheduling conditions;
  • no-show consequences; and
  • circumstances in which repayment may be available.

7. Customer Cancellations

The Studio may establish reasonable cancellation and no-show terms.

The Studio acknowledges that contractual wording does not override mandatory consumer law.

Any amount retained following cancellation must be legally justifiable.

The Studio is responsible for its cancellation policy and for claims arising from that policy.

8. Platform Fees

InkPanel may charge Customers a Platform Fee in addition to the Studio Amount.

Unless InkPanel expressly agrees otherwise, the Studio has no entitlement to the Platform Fee.

InkPanel may use Platform Fee revenue to meet payment-processing and other operating costs and may retain the remainder as revenue.

9. Stripe Connect

InkPanel uses Stripe Connect or related Stripe services to facilitate payments.

The Studio must create and maintain any Stripe connected account required by InkPanel and provide accurate information required for onboarding, verification and compliance.

Use of Stripe is also subject to applicable Stripe terms.

The Studio authorises InkPanel and Stripe to process transactions and transfers in accordance with the InkPanel payment model and applicable payment-provider rules.

Stripe may impose verification, reserve, payout, fraud-prevention or other requirements outside InkPanel's control.

10. Studio Amounts

A Customer may pay a Studio Amount plus an InkPanel Platform Fee.

Subject to deductions, reversals and applicable payment-processing arrangements, the Studio Amount will be allocated or transferred to the Studio through the payment infrastructure used by InkPanel.

The Studio is responsible for the Studio Amount even where InkPanel technically processes the Customer's overall transaction.

11. Refunds

Where a refund of a Studio Amount is legally due or agreed by the Studio, the Studio is financially responsible for that Studio Amount.

InkPanel may process or facilitate the refund.

The Studio authorises InkPanel to recover the corresponding amount from:

  • amounts otherwise payable to the Studio;
  • future Studio transactions;
  • future payouts;
  • balances available through relevant payment infrastructure where permitted;
  • any reserve maintained for the Studio; or
  • the Studio directly.

12. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

The Studio accepts financial responsibility for payment disputes, chargebacks, reversals and similar claims arising from the Studio Amount or Studio Service, except to the extent caused solely by InkPanel's own breach, error or unlawful conduct.

If Stripe, a card network, bank, payment provider or Customer reverses or disputes a transaction connected with the Studio, the Studio must cooperate promptly.

The Studio must provide requested evidence within any deadline specified by InkPanel.

Evidence may include:

  • booking records;
  • customer communications;
  • cancellation terms;
  • proof that terms were presented;
  • appointment confirmations;
  • proof of attendance;
  • signed consent documentation;
  • proof of service;
  • refund correspondence; and
  • any other relevant records.

Failure to provide evidence on time may result in a dispute being lost.

13. Recovery of Chargebacks

Where InkPanel is debited, charged or otherwise suffers a financial loss because of a refund, chargeback, dispute, reversal or claim attributable to a Studio transaction or Studio Service, the Studio owes InkPanel the relevant amount to the extent permitted by law and these Terms.

This obligation applies even if the Studio has already received and withdrawn its payout.

InkPanel may recover amounts owed by set-off against present or future sums payable to the Studio.

Where sufficient funds are not available, InkPanel may require the Studio to repay the outstanding balance directly.

The Studio must pay a valid undisputed amount requested under this section within 7 days of written demand unless InkPanel specifies a longer period.

14. Negative Balances

A Studio must not deliberately withdraw or move funds for the purpose of avoiding a known or reasonably anticipated refund, dispute or chargeback.

Where a Studio has a negative balance or owes InkPanel money, InkPanel may restrict payment functionality, withhold future payouts, suspend the account or take reasonable recovery action.

15. Reserves and Withholding

Where reasonably necessary to manage an identifiable financial risk, InkPanel may temporarily delay or withhold amounts otherwise payable to a Studio or establish a reasonable reserve.

Relevant circumstances may include:

  • unusually high dispute rates;
  • suspected fraud;
  • significant numbers of future bookings;
  • repeated refund complaints;
  • anticipated chargebacks;
  • a negative balance;
  • insolvency concerns;
  • payment-provider requirements; or
  • material breach of these Terms.

Any reserve or withholding should be proportionate to the reasonably anticipated risk.

16. Dispute Fees and Costs

Where Stripe or another provider charges InkPanel a fee directly attributable to a Studio payment dispute, reversal or chargeback, InkPanel may recover that fee from the Studio where permitted by law.

InkPanel may also recover reasonable external debt-recovery or enforcement costs where legally recoverable.

InkPanel will not impose punitive charges unrelated to its loss or reasonable costs.

17. Fraud

The Studio must take reasonable measures to prevent fraudulent transactions.

InkPanel may block transactions, delay payouts or suspend payment functionality where reasonably necessary to investigate suspected fraud or payment abuse.

18. InkPanel Subscriptions

Certain InkPanel functionality requires a paid Studio subscription.

Available plans, prices and included functionality will be displayed before purchase.

Subscription functionality may include features such as:

  • automated customer-retention tools;
  • SMS functionality;
  • marketing functionality;
  • enhanced booking features; and
  • other premium platform features.

19. Subscription Billing

Paid subscriptions may renew automatically for the billing interval selected by the Studio until cancelled.

The price, billing interval and applicable taxes will be shown when the Studio subscribes.

The Studio authorises InkPanel or its payment provider to charge the selected payment method for recurring subscription fees until cancellation takes effect.

20. Subscription Cancellation

A Studio may cancel its subscription through the available account controls or by contacting InkPanel where account cancellation controls are unavailable.

Unless otherwise stated when purchasing a plan, cancellation stops future renewal and access to paid features continues until the end of the current paid billing period.

Subscription payments already relating to a commenced billing period are ordinarily not refundable except where required by law or expressly agreed by InkPanel.

This provision applies to business subscriptions and does not remove any mandatory statutory right that applies in a particular case.

21. Failed Subscription Payments

If a subscription payment fails, InkPanel may retry payment and may suspend premium functionality until outstanding charges are paid.

InkPanel may downgrade or terminate a subscription following continued non-payment.

22. SMS Services

Where InkPanel enables SMS functionality, the Studio is responsible for the content and lawful basis for messages it instructs InkPanel or an integrated provider to send.

The Studio must comply with applicable privacy and electronic-marketing law.

The Studio must not use InkPanel to send spam or unlawful marketing.

Where marketing consent is required, the Studio is responsible for ensuring valid consent or another applicable permission exists and for honouring opt-outs.

23. Automated Retention Marketing

InkPanel may provide tools enabling Studios to automate customer communications and retention campaigns.

The Studio determines whether and how it uses those tools.

The Studio must configure campaigns lawfully and must not instruct InkPanel to send communications that breach applicable direct-marketing, privacy or consumer-protection law.

InkPanel may suspend campaigns reasonably believed to be unlawful, abusive or likely to damage platform or messaging-provider reputation.

24. Customer Data

Each party must comply with applicable data-protection law.

Depending on the feature and processing activity, InkPanel and the Studio may each have separate responsibilities as controllers, or InkPanel may process information on the Studio's behalf.

Where InkPanel acts as a processor for a Studio, any applicable data-processing terms incorporated into the InkPanel service will apply.

The Studio must only access and use Customer information for legitimate and lawful purposes.

InkPanel may introduce functionality allowing Studios to create, distribute, complete or store consent and consultation forms.

The Studio remains responsible for determining what information it lawfully needs to collect.

Health information and certain other sensitive information may be subject to enhanced legal requirements.

A Studio must not collect unnecessary sensitive information merely because InkPanel technically allows a field to be created.

InkPanel may introduce additional data-processing terms before enabling sensitive-data functionality.

26. Marketing Permissions

Studios must not assume that a Customer booking automatically gives unrestricted permission for future marketing.

Studios must comply with applicable rules concerning email, SMS and other direct marketing and must honour withdrawal of consent and opt-out requests.

27. Content

The Studio retains ownership of content it uploads where it owns that content.

The Studio grants InkPanel a non-exclusive licence to host, reproduce, display, format and distribute that content to the extent reasonably necessary to operate and promote the InkPanel service and the Studio's presence on it.

The Studio warrants that it has the necessary rights to content it uploads.

28. Prohibited Conduct

A Studio must not:

  • use InkPanel unlawfully;
  • process fraudulent transactions;
  • create sham bookings;
  • circumvent InkPanel fees;
  • misuse Customer data;
  • send unlawful marketing;
  • upload malicious code;
  • infringe intellectual-property rights;
  • misrepresent qualifications or services;
  • manipulate reviews or records dishonestly;
  • use InkPanel to facilitate prohibited goods or services; or
  • interfere with platform security.

29. Suspension

InkPanel may suspend or restrict a Studio account where reasonably necessary because of:

  • serious or repeated breach of these Terms;
  • fraud or suspected fraud;
  • excessive payment disputes;
  • safety concerns;
  • unlawful activity;
  • payment-provider requirements;
  • non-payment;
  • misuse of Customer information; or
  • material risk to InkPanel, Customers or other users.

Where appropriate, InkPanel will provide notice and an opportunity to remedy the issue.

Immediate suspension may occur where reasonably necessary to protect Customers, funds, data, platform security or comply with law/payment-provider requirements.

30. Termination

Either party may terminate the Studio's use of InkPanel subject to outstanding contractual obligations.

Termination does not extinguish liabilities arising before termination.

In particular, the Studio remains responsible for refunds, disputes, chargebacks, negative balances and other amounts relating to transactions made before termination.

31. Indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, the Studio will indemnify InkPanel against third-party claims, losses, liabilities and reasonable costs arising directly from:

  • the Studio Service;
  • the Studio's breach of applicable law;
  • the Studio's material breach of these Terms;
  • unlawful use of Customer information;
  • infringement by Studio content;
  • the Studio's refund obligations; or
  • chargebacks attributable to Studio transactions,

except to the extent the relevant loss was caused by InkPanel's own breach, negligence or unlawful conduct.

32. InkPanel Liability to Studios

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded.

Subject to that restriction, InkPanel is not liable for indirect or consequential business losses, loss of anticipated profits, loss of goodwill or losses caused by matters outside InkPanel's reasonable control.

InkPanel is not responsible for Stripe, banks, telecommunications providers or other independent third-party systems except to the extent liability cannot lawfully be excluded.

For claims arising from InkPanel's provision of the paid platform to a Studio, InkPanel's aggregate contractual liability during any 12-month period will, to the extent permitted by law, not exceed the subscription fees and Platform Fees actually paid to or retained by InkPanel in relation to that Studio during the preceding 12 months.

This limitation does not apply where liability cannot legally be limited.

33. Taxes

The Studio is responsible for determining and paying taxes arising from its Studio Services and business activities.

InkPanel is responsible for taxes applicable to InkPanel's own fees and revenue.

34. Records

Studios should retain adequate records relating to bookings, cancellation policies, Customer communications, service delivery and payment disputes.

InkPanel may retain transaction and acceptance records for legal, security and dispute-management purposes.

35. Changes

InkPanel may update these Terms.

Where a material change affects an ongoing paid Studio subscription, InkPanel will provide reasonable notice where required.

Continued use after an updated version becomes effective constitutes acceptance to the extent permitted by law.

36. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Studio Terms and non-contractual disputes arising from them are governed by Scottish law.

The Scottish courts will have jurisdiction, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

37. Contact

Inkpanel Systems Ltd Company No. SC842854 183 Machanhill Larkhall Scotland ML9 2JR

support@inkpanel.co.uk