Custom Prints and Design
Advertising without posters is like fishing without worms.
What We Do
If you follow music, art, and culture of the American South, sooner or later you’re bound to run into the letters, images, and unmistakable “look” of Hatch Show Print. We’re one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America, and over the years our posters have featured a host of entertainers, including the early stars of the Grand Ole Opry like Hank Williams, Bill Monroe and Minnie Pearl, and continuing into this century, with artists such as Willie Nelson, Rosanne Cash and Guns N’ Roses, to name just a few.
The shop carries on the tradition that put it on the map: At Hatch Show Print, the printer is the designer, and the designer is the printer. This meant large hand-carved wood blocks with iconic imagery printed in bold colors designed by Will T. Hatch and his staff in the 20th century, and in the 21st century, the designer-printers on staff at Hatch Show Print draw upon and continue to contribute to the ever-expanding image archive, by carving new blocks, out of wood or linoleum when a poster job calls for it, or by using an old block in a new way.
The irresistible appeal of those turn-of-the-century posters, which were used to promote vaudeville, circus, and minstrel shows across the country, carries through in the work the shop produces today. There’s a reason why music lovers, Americana buffs, graphic designers, poster collectors, and a wide range of businesses continue to turn to Hatch Show Print. The work the shop turns out is, indeed, a tonic for the digital age.
Custom Designs
Hatch Show Print designs and prints 500 to 600 posters per year, for entertainers on tour, venues around the world, and businesses and organizations interested in using a Hatch Show Print poster to promote their products and services.
Custom-designed poster pricing is based on the number of colors used in the poster. Please see our price guide, below, that also includes an order form. Turnaround time is typically ten weeks or longer, though it can vary.
We do not take orders electronically (including email), or via telephone, for custom posters. To place an order, we have created a form that can be filled out, printed and faxed, mailed or dropped off in person.
Please fax (615-254-5202) or mail the order for your poster (or if you are in town, drop it off in person) to the shop. The form includes an area for you to enter the copy that is to appear on the poster (the text), along with the quantity of posters needed, the number of colors to be printed, and your contact information. We do all the design and layout, using the shop’s wood and metal type, as well as hand carved imagery that may have been created one hundred years ago or last week.
Please note that, as we focus efforts on developing educational programming, and maintaining a robust inventory of incredible items for our retail shop and online store, on top of keeping up with the show poster schedule, we have suspended taking on custom designed work for personal events, such as weddings, and birthday celebrations. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at the shop, 615-256-2805.
To include a logo or photograph on the poster, you will need to provide a black-and-white, high-resolution digital file (pdf or jpeg), from which we will have a photoplate made for the production of the poster. There is an additional fee to cover the cost of the photoplate that varies depending on the size of the image or logo.
Contact Information
Hatch Show Print
224 Rep. John Lewis Way South
Nashville, TN 37203
Phone 615-256-2805
Fax 615-254-5202