The Hatch Show Print shop in Nashville, Tennessee specializes in the letterpress printing of vintage type and posters, and replicating this style in a digital medium is a process that warrants further experimentation. Using many of the same methods, such as color palette limitations, this mock poster is made to capture the same look and texture as one of these letterpress prints within the capabilities of the computer, with the concept being a poster at a comic convention.
Only three colors are used for this project to emulate letterpress printing; a variation of red, blue, and yellow are used to create the other colors shown on the print. When all three colors are combined, they create a darker value.
The project’s layers are created in Adobe Illustrator at 11 x 17 inches before being introduced in Adobe Photoshop. Once assembled, a paper texture and ink textures are added to each one through layer masking to replicate the textures of a letterpress print.