Hatch Show Print, Nashville

I recently shared a round up of all the fun things I did during my trip to Nashville, Tennessee last year, and today I'm going into a little more detail about one of my absolute favorite places that I visited.

Back in the 90s I was a graphic design and illustration student at university and technical college. My favorite medium to create was always letterpress and block printing. Give me a lino block and some carving tools, and I'll be content for hours. Maybe give me some bandaids too, because I'm a little out of practice!

Printing using these techniques has just always felt so satisfying to me. The fluidity of the carving tools as they make their way through the lino, the feeling of setting the type in place just so, that tacky feeling of the ink as the brayer rolls it onto the printing area, the clunk of the printing press, the feeling as it rolls smoothly over type, the reveal as the paper is lifted from the press or block... So satisfying to create in such a hands on way, especially in this digital world. 

When I was looking into things to do and see in Nashville, one place in particular caught my eye: Hatch Show Print!

Hatch Show Print has been designing and printing concert posters, handbills, cards, and more since 1879, when brothers Charles and Herbert Hatch started the printing company CR & HH Hatch. What started with a handbill for a traveling reverend, quickly became a flourishing print shop. Over the years Hatch Show Print became THE go to printing company for touring musicians across all genres of music, circuses, comedy shows, and more.

Tours of Hatch Show Print start with a brief history of the company as well as letterpress printing in general. The knowledgable staff explain the techniques and provide examples of posters created using various different methods. They show the different materials and tools used, and explain how the various printing presses work. Throughout this part of the tour, visitors are able to print their very own poster to take home. 

Next up, the tour takes visitors out to the workshop floor to experience a working print shop. I visited on a Sunday, so the printing presses were not running, but it was still really interesting seeing the the set up with all of the machinery, printing presses, printing blocks, shelves full of type, stacks of drying prints, and so much more. I’d love to go back and visit on a day when the printing presses are running.

The tour ends with the gift shop, where visitors can purchase a range of gifts and merchandise including prints, books, apparel, postcards and much more.

Hatch Show Print is located in the lobby of the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum at 224 Rep John Lewis Way S, Nashville.

Tours take place daily between 10am and 4pm and last approximately one hour. 

The gift shop is open daily from 9am to 5:30pm.

For more information and to purchase tour tickets click here.