The Greatest Printer on Earth

OK, the claim as the greatest printer on Earth was my doing, but I thought it was important to bring to everyones attention a little printer out of Nashville. It's a printer that opened it's doors early in 1879 and has producing amazing show and venue posters ever since. It's called Hatch Show Print. The printing process they use is letterpress utilizing hand carved wooden plates and letters. In it's early days the press produced handbills and vaudeville posters to promote engagements. Doing the early 1900's they also became famous for producing posters for the many minstrel shows (traveling tent shows) that traveled the South. Among them the famous Silas Green minstrel show. Doing the same time they were producing posters for many theaters throughout the south. By the late 1930's The Grand Ole Opry radio show had evoloved into a stage show in Nashville. Hatch started supplying posters for all of the Opry performers opening up the door to what was soon to be the printers claim to fame. Being so close to the Opry House through the 1950's allowed Hatch Show Print to highlight it's talent to the managers and promoters of country music. Naturally their jobs evolved into producing show posters for the Country Music stars as they toured. Many of these posters are still available for purchase on their Hatch Show Prints website. By the late 1970's Hatch was producing show posters for popular music as well as it's bread and butter industry at the time, professional wrestling. As time progressed through the 1980's the musicians started coming back to Hatch, recognizing it's historical importance as well as it's unique posters. Doing this time Jim Sherraden took over the shop as manager and started restriking some of Hatch Show Prints old images as postcards and posters. Sherraden was only manager for a year and a half before leaving to pursue his professional music career. In 1986 the Grand Ole Opry bought Hatch Show Print. Not knowing exactly how to utilize the shop, they hired Jim Sherraden as a consultant. Soon Sherraden was fully in-charge of Hatch Show Print once again. As the 1990's progressed, Sherraden saw the music industry recognizing the unusual talents of both him and the shop. Doing that time he designed or printed work for clients like the Georgia Satellites, Emmylou Harris and Fossil. Sherraden also started producing monoprints of his own using various old plates in the shops archives to create artwork. As a personal owner of one of these monoprints I can honestly say it's just a print it's as much as it's a true piece of art. So the next time you are in Nashville don't forget to stop by Hatch Show Print and say hi, and make sure you don't forget to purchase a poster or postcard. I think it's good to remember a giant in both the printing and design world. It's a look that's been ripped off a million times, why not actually produce it with the good old fashioned hand carved work of yesteryear. Let's keep this history alive.