The county of Berkshire means different things to different people. For some it is the location of Windsor Castle, the Queen's favourite weekend residence. For others, it is where print stalwart John Madjeski's Reading Football Club battles for supremacy on the pitch. Or perhaps it is best known for being the UK site for the ever-popular Legoland.

The premise of the Danish toy is based around the satisfaction, success and stability gained from building from the bottom up. It's a similar model adopted by Slough-based print and design company X1. Much like the little coloured bricks, X1 has enjoyed steady growth over the years by maintaining a simple and structured approach.

"I believe people do business with people and, as a customer, you're always welcome here. It's as important to be open with your clients as it is to keep on top of new technology," says Tim Lance, one of X1's three directors.

The director team, which is completed by Brett Jordan and George Eckford, places a clear focus on being straightforward with customers. "Sometimes people come in saying they want a job done with litho or digital because they've been told
one will work out cheaper. We'll work out the most efficient way to print jobs and we'll decide the best way - that's what we're here for. We are here to help our customers sell more of what they sell."

Additions to the armoury
Now more than 20 years old, X1 offers a range of services that spans litho and digital print, design and fulfilment. Recently, the 22-staff business was one of the first in the country to invest in a Kodak Nexpress 2500 and this digital addition has given the printer a unique selling point, mainly due to its range of printing processes, such as production using dimensional inks.

These inks allow for the printing of vibrant images that, according to X1, accentuate the ‘wow factor' on prints, especially those illustrating textural images. With this additional firepower, Lance has his sights firmly set on expanding the company's web-to-print offering. "We are going to make a greater push into web-to-print. It's definitely somewhere we're expanding into in a big way, allowing us to print on all presses."

The business has certainly not been afraid to put its money where its mouth is so far this year. The considerable Nexpress spend comes only several months after X1 acquired the assets and goodwill of local Hayes-based business, Jackson Print. X1 took on Jackson Print's £400,000 order book, four members of its staff, plus a DPX4 platemaker. At the time, X1 also bolstered its litho set-up by investing in a B3 Ryobi 524GX press - a spend that boosted its litho capacity by around 50%.

The total spend, which completes a £1m investment programme, comes as part of a move to double the company's turnover in the next 18 months. "Our ambition is to grow our business to a turnover of between £2.9m and £3.2m through a combination of organic growth from our existing customers and the development of new business relationships," says Lance.

While capital equipment investments have featured prominently in the business's recent history, Lance believes that a company is "only as good as its staff". With this in mind, press operators have been comprehensively trained to be able to "bridge the gap" and run both digital and litho machinery. The company has also taken on an apprentice who will complete an NVQ course during the next two years.

Lance believes that there is a lack of training within the industry at present. "Training is not as high on the print agenda as it should be," he says. "There is simply not enough of it - it's outrageous." It is not simply employees that Lance feels need training either. According to the director, print buyers are not as qualified and versed in the sector as they used to be. "There is definitely a skills gap," he adds.

The business is determined to keep offering its customers, which include local government, councils and local businesses, additional selling points for the future. With the Kodak Nexpress and Ryobi 524GX strengthening the foundations, X1 is now hoping to build upon its success and achieve further growth. "Diversification is key," says Lance. "The challenge for us now is to harness the power of the web-to-print system and grow that side of things. There are three ways to go as a business. You can go down, stagnate or go upwards - and we definitely want to go up."

X1 factfile
Based Slough, Berkshire
Staff 22
Turnover £1.6m
Kit includes Ryobi 524GX, Kodak Nexpress 2500
Directors Brett Jordan, George Eckford, Tim Lance
Services litho and digital print, direct mail, fulfilment, design