If you make your way to Nashville to explore music and southern hospitality, be sure to make a stop to Hatch Show Print. Even if you haven’t heard the name, you’ve most likely seen their product. For 140 years, Hatch Show Print has been creating posters for greats like Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and Elvis. The art of Letterpress is experiencing a kind of resurgence after digital printing became the preferred form of commercial printing. Hatch though; never strayed from what they know best, continuing to create custom blocks for entertainment, sports, and the Ryman Auditorium, among others. They continue to be an institution in the print industry, working most recently with the NFL, P!nk, and Kacey Musgraves.
A visit to the print shop is a delight. The tour takes you through the history of Hatch and their clientele, giving you a peek inside the world of showbusiness. If these blocks could talk, we’d certainly be listening. Unlike other print shops, they keep a library of old block letters used in past printings, giving their work authentic personality.
A taste of artistic Americana, the tour allows guests to see the print process up close. In the Hatch workshop, we were even allowed to operate the letterpress press and take home a commemorative print–a definite highlight for many people in our tour group.
A visit to the workshop is a must, in my book. As a designer with a focus on brand communications, print and letterpress art has been near to my heart–creatively and professionally. The space if filled with art, history, and unique stories.
Our guide shared that they created a Rolling Stones print for the band to share with their staff. Brad Paisley, who was special guest on the tour, unfortunately, didn’t get one. He wanted one so badly that he went to Hatch to see if they would make him an extra copy since they were all gone. The order required blocks to be carved again, due to copyright the previous were destroyed. Not to mention, a full print of 100 copies had to be run because of the minimum quantity.
Not a cheap process, but now Brad has his commemorative poster but we wonder what he did with the other 99.