RCS Plc 

Life is hectic, too many jobs with too little time. RCS lighten my burden by enabling me to process dozens of jobs in a matter of minutes. I know that my files will be double checked before going to print, I know exactly when they will be delivered and the quality that I can expect.

They are now from a rare breed of companies that still invest in customer service -- they have a team of account handlers (not just a sales team) with knowledge about their products that I can easily call should I have any queries or problems.

I have been using RCS for over 15 years. Due to the cost of their print plugin I have in the past been tempted away by using other printers only to return later due to missing their superior range of products, quality and customer service.

Ive used RCS for over ten years & have never found a fault that wasn't my own! Customer service is honestly second to none, over the years Ive asked for some really odd print jobs on short runs, short deadlines & they have delivered every time. My clients love that I pass on the discount I get (I dont cream off the top of print jobs, I'm primarily a web & graphic designer) so as a freelancer - not some big company with oodles to spend, or clients with fortunes to "risk" on printwork - I appreciate the fact that my small money runs of 500-1250 (usually) are treated with the same respect as corporate clients running multi-thousands.

I am treated like a valued customer, my annual catalogue arrives,I get the offers newsletters & at every turn when Ive had to phone RCS to ask "I've got another really bespoke job" - they talk me through how to best go about it.

My 10/10 is genuine.
PaleGallery Design.

At 52 yrs and having spent 34 of them in various businesses I feel qualified to judge.........Rcs & I go back around 12 yrs, I have never come across a company so organised, customer focussed & innovative, there are 2 things in life you can always rely on, your family & RCS.

Always happy to make it work for you.
Your problem becomes their problem.
Watertight guarantee.
Good balance between price and quality.

The RCS customer services team are extremely helpful and are always a phone call away to assist if there is something that you are not too sure about or require their guidance. They are very helpful and do not try to blind you with print company 'technical language'. They always deliver on schedule and demonstrate professionalism at all times.

Extremely reliable, never been let down yet. Easy to use, hassle free supplier. The perfect silent partner!

The quality is great, we have had very few issues and when we have they have been sorted out quickly.

Customer service is superb, no problems there.

But then there are the awful plugins. Most trade suppliers would offer a trade discount as standard, with RCS you have to pay for it, and its far from cheap. The cost is justified by being wrapped up with marketing assistance, but I think most design companies just want a great product with a good margin and to do their own marketing. Without the plugins it is hard, if not impossible to be competitive so you are left with no choice but to shell out the few thousand £££s. This creates a problem that if you don't sell enough, you make a loss!

Great service, great product, but far too much money paid upfront to get a decent margin.

The service is 100% reliable with quality checking throughout , good customer service and guaranteed delivery dates. The pricing, however, reflects this level of service which makes RCS uncompetitive when dealing with customers who are shopping around based on price.

Strange Cargo has used RCS for many years. As an arts company our requests are many and varied and we have never been disappointed in the products we have received. Customer support is extremely high and the staff are well informed, courteous and helpful.

I've used RCS for a couple of years and have been truly impressed by their level of service, reliability and quality of print. Ordering is simple, jobs have always been dispatched on time and the customer service is excellent.

Good things:
Superb quality, can't fault it
Always deliver on time
Wide range of offering
Environmental credentials
Does actually listen!
Great offers

Bad things:
Limited range of paper stocks
Insufficient margin to allow us to compete and still make money, especialy in light of plug in cost
Often very uncompetitive on bespoke jobs

Overall 7/10. would love to do a lot more with you but price just make sus uncompetitive. In the current economic climate and with the rise of internet printers it is difficult out there!

If you are a first time user of RCS’s website and you don’t understand print you will find it difficult to order due to the number of options, volume of products and you will need to set time aside to read the plethora of information for example under the artwork preparation, just on the page design requirements alone you will need to read over 2000 words to ensure your order complies with RCS’s ordering ‘rules’.
If you still want to proceed with your order and are not frustrated by the fact that you still have a large amount of work to do before you can start placing your order then read on…
If you are not experienced with design & print, a first time user or even a long standing RCS customer (like us) placing an order through the website is daunting a mind blowing number of products and choices for each product e.g. If you want to order 250 Trifold (A4 to 1/3 A4 Double Sided Full Colour Leaflets, you are given a staggering 27 choices before you can see your price and remember every time you click an option there is a cost implication, so check your total price carefully.
If you would like RCS to ‘Pre-Print Check’ your artwork, at extra cost of £3.95 + vat and more for books & booklets. This is an excellent service but problems can and do still occur with printed jobs. RCS also do not state on their website that if they find a problem, you correct and resend you have the option to select if you want to pay another £3.95 + vat.
One of the many problems with sending a job to print is how a colour will print. RCS offer you a solution of swatch books printed on their presses (£25 for a set coated & uncoated), you have to pay the £3.95 + vat to have them match to the books and we have had experience of the colours not matching at all, it seems a lot of money to pay if you can’t fully guarantee the colour. I would advise if wanting a particular colour to ask RCS to use Pantone colours (if you know about that kind of thing!) but this is an expensive option as they specialise in full colour print.
On their website it states: We aim to delight you with the quality of our print, the level of our service and the competitiveness of our prices.’
This is true but their prices are only competitive for the quality of print and the level of service they aim to delight you with!
We are a reseller of print for RCS and during the last couple of years the Reseller Plugin Packages remain unchanged and inflexible. We have been sending our print orders to RCS for 5 years now, in the beginning they helped us by generating significant turnover for our business, they have also helped over years contribute to the loss of trust, confidence and therefore sales (£1000’s) with customers/business clients and as print has become more competitive and at RCS prices (even with the so called benefits) it has been impossible to get them back. They are also under the impression that what is good for one is good for everyone.
Like anything in life if you want the best you have to pay the money for it, the only problem is if you are already dealing with other printers who you can just email, they check things for free, give great service, charge less and you are delighted with the end product. Why switch?
Overall, RCS are not a normal print company, they specialise in very high quality print using stochastic screening if that is what you are looking for, have the skills to print ready artwork as per their rules and have an above average budget then RCS are the company for you.

Quality printed products dispatched on time! what more can you ask for? The friendly team at RCS have everything covered should you need any help with the ordering of your products or the products themselves.

I can't speak highly enough of RCS and have complete peace of mind when investing in print for my business and the businesses of my customers.

We've worked with RCS for many years and have received excellent service throughout. Their customer service is second-to-none giving help and advice whenever asked and the in-studio artwork checks have proved invaluable for picking up the occasional artwork faux-pax!
We found that the Training Days gave valuable insight, not only into the products on offer, but also sales strategies.
Although not the cheapest printer in the market, the quality produced by RCS is definitely worth that little bit more.

I have been associated to RCS for well over 10 years and their quality and care gets better each year.

If you need a simplified system that checks what you have checked and understands better what we don't understand than RCS is for you.
We provide a full needs satisfaction program for our customers and RCS helps us fulfill those needs when it comes to print.
Are they the cheepest?
NO. But I wouldn't want a cheep car or woman. Would you.
Can they be an inexpensive and cost effective print solution?
Yes and they make us happy by helping us make our customers happy!

RCS offer a great service in price, quality and speed of turnaround and delivery. Its nice being able to upload files and have them checked before printing, things do go wrong with artwork occasionally so its nice if it gets looked at prior to print. Never had a problem with delivery, always when stated and well packaged.

ok for certain items & services - but lacks any 'feel good factor' - very impersonal. HATE the 'alpha', 'gamma' teams etc - prefer to order online - that gives a good customer journey & is straightforward to use.

My preferred printers, if there is ever a problem they sort it out quickly, but 99% of the time it's right first time.