Our Story
For over ten years, we've been printing quality products for local and national businesses, bands, schools, and nonprofit organizations.
The dream began in 2008 when founder and lead designer Andy Bird started printing custom shirts with his wife Hadassah in their garage.
It's in the ink.
Most print shops use 'Plastisol' ink, which is a thermoplastic chemical that is very easy to print with (since the dry time can be controlled with heat), but it's a harsh chemical that requires even harsher cleaning chemicals. With their young children running through the house, the young couple knew they needed to work with supplies that weren't harmful on the skin or lungs. Improvements on a water-based ink that outmatched Plastisol in color brightness, with none of the harsh chemicals or thick, "crusty" feel on a garment made this dream possible.
Fast forward ten years,
and we're one of the largest print shops in North America to exclusively use water-based inks. While water-based is more difficult to print with (it's known to dry out unexpectedly if you're not paying attention), we've never entertained the thought of incorporating Plastisol inks. We've been called crazy for it, but the convenience never seemed worth the sacrifice on our employees, clients, or planet.
A strong love for Tennessee's countless outdoor parks began our 'Tennessee is Fantastic' line in 2018.
We envisioned a collection of high quality, hand-illustrated art prints that could commemorate each Tennessee State Park. The line quickly incorporated shirts and prints of various sizes, providing a tribute to beloved sites from Nashville's Radnor Lake to the countless waterfalls and rolling hills that run throughout Tennessee.
We've called East Nashville home since the beginning,
and we owe our success and love of our community to the amazing local businesses in our area. With a recent tornado and ongoing pandemic, our community has been rocked hard. Through an online relief marketplace that footed hefty startup costs, we were able to raise over $100K for local businesses and organizations over the course of two months. The work isn't over yet, and we're actively planning initiatives to further support our community.
Follow us to keep up with our current projects and adventures!
@friendlyarctic
@tnisfantastic
