60 seconds with First Display

First Display began life selling advertising space on taxis. “We were sourcing print and couldn’t get the service (timescales, colours, price) so we bought a Roland XC540 which we still utilise to this day,” says director Jamie Bowes.

This opened doors for many other products and the business grew, moving from 167sqm to 700sqm five years ago. Harry the mascot is pictured. 

Where are you based? 

Edinburgh city centre

How many staff do you have? 

14

What does your firm do? 

Large-format print and signage, CNC routing, all elements offered to trade UK wide

What’s your typical customer? 

Print buyers, sign companies and small format printers

Which geographic areas do you serve? 

All of the UK and some international

Who are your clients? 

The crux of our business is dealing with repeat clients and we have hundreds we have dealt with for over a decade now, including other companies within the trade

What’s your USP? 

Trust, honesty, fulfilment and caring to get the job off

What equipment do you run? 

A 3.6x2.1m CNC router, 2.5m HP Scitex FB750 flatbed, plus roll-to-roll printers including four Roland DG models

What’s been your proudest achievement in the past few years? 

Consistency in running the business, and staying profitable. We are 15 years old in June and have never been in overdraft

What’s your team’s favourite biscuit? 

Chocolate Hobnobs without fail