Discussion

By Slava Apel on Jan 04, 2010

I think word of mouth was a good advertising vehicle for that program. I am sorry to see it go. It was a great deal for many quick printers and small printers everywhere. I have recommended it many times.

By Scott Cappel on Jan 04, 2010

Adobe obviously has made a business decision. The relationship between print service providers and Adobe will continue, it will just be different. There will be alternatives programs though PIA and Adobe Partner premium level members will have an opportunity to join their as yet unrevealed "Adobe Influencers" program. I see this as just another sign of change in our industry. We'll adapt.

By Robert Arena on Jan 04, 2010

For the fee, one received one seat to the Creative Suite for both major operating systems and technical support. (Some discount for additional seats would have been nice.) As a commercial printer we were tasked with taking in all files thrown at us from Adobes clients. A lot of these files, even from agencies, were improperly made. Many more people would call us asking for support when they need help with the software. These are powerful and complex programs and most people can not talk to Adobe. So we are there to help them and be an evangelist for Adobe. No, we would tell them, we can not print from PowerPoint, you must use a professional program, one from Adobe, or Quark, or even Publisher. We have rarely used the help line but it is nice to know it is there. We have helped a lot of people use the software and probably aided their sales. The discontinuing of the program is a trend in marginalizing print. They dropped the printed Adobe Magazine, brought it back for a short term in electronic form. That too is gone. Seminars at trade shows, especially when new software was rolled out, was eliminated well before Seybold folded. The ASP logo gave the potential client some assurance of competence. I think this is a example of the same hubris Adobe exhibited when they took over Aldus. Now there was a customer service conscious organization.

By Vincent Mallardi, CMC on Jan 05, 2010

The simple law of supply vs. demand again operated here. Most small printers believe that big companies and 3P marketers will benevolently save them with sales they can't make on their own. Printers and their associations flock to these schemes while savvy buyers avoid them.

By the way, the term "print service" should never, ever be used in our industry. We produce printing and related products. This keeps us within the U.C.C. framework which is essential in sales and procurement disputes. Adobe's attorneys, no doubt, wanted to avoid U.C.C., as do all the 3P "outsourcers" out there.

By John Henry on Jan 06, 2010

I switched the majority of my customers to CS from Quark. Adobe wanted printers and responded better too our needs with better support, programs and products.

Quark should do a quick PR and announce they will take all your CS seats and extend their Quark print program the number of months left with Adobe with all new memberships. Also offer to cross upgrade all seats of CS at the upgrade cost of Quark.

Adobe was aggressive with getting printers from Quark with the provider program. Now that they have got what they can of us, they are dropping it. I am sure for money is the reason as Adobe see’s little increase in market share at this point. This opens a huge door for Quark if they move quickly.

Just like when Quark was king and become arrogant and ignored its users, Adobe took advantage. Quark today can do the same to Adobe, if they move quickly with good options, printers will respond.

The Provider program is not huge factor in my business as I have multi seats and can just upgrade as I need. It hurts smaller shops and marginal ones more. That said it shows printers have less clout with Adobe and does not bode well when your industry loses influence with a major provider.

John M. Henry

Mitchell's Speedway Press

Mitchell Printing & Mailing Inc.

By Gordon Pritchard on Jan 07, 2010

A question for Vincent Mallardi...

You wrote: "the term “print service” should never, ever be used in our industry. We produce printing and related products. This keeps us within the U.C.C. framework which is essential in sales and procurement disputes."

What is your take on companies, like Kodak, that not only refer to printers as "Print Service Providers" but are also promoting the shift to printers becoming "Marketing Service Providers"

Also, how does the UCC currently define "printers"?

By Marc Laucks on Jan 11, 2010

I found the program to be very valuable. Paying $595.00/year since 2006, I was able to obtain the software at an affordable cost. I started off with CS and stayed with the program through CS4. It was an easy way to justify "upgrading" to the newer versions of the software since it was an annual membership. The customer support team was excellent. It's disappointing to see the program go. I learned about it through a quick printer and was skeptical about it being legitimate at first; $595 to get the entire CS? Who would have thought. Of course, having paid the annual membership fee for 3 years, I'd say both Adobe and I came out ahead---apparently, I'm wrong.

By Bill Burch on Jan 11, 2010

I just handled my last thank you e-mail today with Adobe after finding the program was to have gone to the wayside and decided today was the day. This program was fantastic for us. We have thousands of printers sending us files, thousands. We need up to date software. It is a must for us and we have quite a few workstations so this program was perfect. I have serious doubts that PIA will have the same framework and if the program is being dropped because it is no longer profitable for Adobe to carry forward this means.......sure PIA will have no choice but price increases and who knows how this will now be marketed. This could easily be a blessing in disguise with some new fresh approach to breath life into the program, but for now, I needed to be sure we were covered before the program dropped off. I typed with furry being a small company rubbing two dimes together to make a penny these days. I wanted to make sure that we were covered through the end of the year. They heard my concern, which they could have simply fielded as a complaint and said I feel your pain....bye. Instead, however, what I received was an Adobe customer representative named Franco that simply treated us like gold. This was about 2 hours before reading this, today in fact. Kudos to the way they handled the exit with us and for anyone having any issues, I would suggest that you call them and simply ask or tell them what is on your mind. It has been like everything we have ever ask of Adobe...Ask and you shall receive. Hopefully this does evolve and morph into something even better, but I am pretty happy with the fact that we were able to do this for 3 years, and very pleased with how they responded to me when I let them know I was not happy about the program shutting down. Sometimes the way a negative is handled is more important than the problem itself. Thank you Franco and thank you Adobe for a great program for the little guy.

By Richard Burchard on Jan 12, 2010

Having been with the program from day one, skipping a year here or there, I find it is a good program and saves printers and service providers time and money. For Adobe to do this now, in this economy is a stab in the back, since it was really the printing industry to helped get Adobe on the map. If it wasn't for printers, graphic artists and prepress, Adobe wouldn't be where it is today.
So thanks Adobe for shooting us when we are down.
My Southern California area is seeing major issues with the whole of the printing industry, we will see many closures in 2010 thru 2012 before there is a rebound of new printers and support. We are hurting and need all the help we can get.

This is the thanks we get for supporting Adobe all these years.

By Holly Tedeschi on Jan 12, 2010

I can honestly say I don't believe we ever got any referrals from the program but then again we didn't work it like we probably should have. We joined it mainly for the technical support aspect but soon after realized that the technical support we were receiving, was being read, word for word from a technical support book. The same technical support book we were given at one of the shows we went to in Chicago and went to a get together put on by Adobe.
We continued our membership after the first year (and have been members I am guessing about 7 years or so) because of the software we were receiving as members. So we feel in that way we got our moneys worth. We were sent a letter last week (email) that we had two options with them closing down the program. Get a prorated amount returned to us of the membership dues or Keep the software we received. We opted to keep the software.

By Steve Baldwin on Jan 12, 2010

I took advantage of this opprotunity years ago after leaving the printing company I worked for and went full time with my own business. Even the $595 a year was a bit much for me, but I charged it and haven't regretted it. The software was current to the time and was installable on two machines so long as you use them one at a time (per licensing). In actuallity, if you installed both the Mac and Windows versions on two of each OS, you could technically have 4 installations. The cost savings is great compared to the regular price tag of about $1000 install.

I wound up not renewing for the second year which stopped the upgrades from coming in, so I can understand that if more companies took advantage of this for one year, then the return for Adobe is much less. Perhaps it was the members like myself that caused them to end the program.

It is a shame, I really appreciated that they offered this program. I was planning on renewing this year, too.

By Steve Swart on Jan 12, 2010

It will be difficult for smaller shops but also for clients. Example: Adobe puts out a new product. Every designer or wannabe grabs it and starts using the "coolest and newest" features. The printer is tasked with helping them when their unrealistic project will not print as provided (or as seen "on screen"). Adobe could care less at that point, but the printer has to care or lose a client.

So having the newest gear up front from the ASN network, and also having the eSeminars to help with some early implementation was very constructive. Now all the troubleshooting will happen at the printer's expense, with trial and error - not to mention having frustrated clients who think we should be able to fix everything. Where is the impetus for us to continue supporting Adobe at that point? Just my $.02.

By Carl Paquette on Jan 12, 2010

We have been members since the inception and thought the program was a good one. We have received a few clients through it.

Unfortunately, I too believe Adobe is becoming like Quark and not appreciating its users.

We stopped receiving the "ReadMe Now" publication, the user forums have deteriorated and now they are canceling a program that we found useful.

As Richard pointed out, we are all struggling and need every bit of support we can get to stay alive. Now Adobe has kicked us to the curb.

Watch out Adobe, Quark was once king-of-the-hill and you seem to be following in their footsteps.

By Gary Anderson on Jan 12, 2010

My company has been a member of the program for several years now and I'm sad to see it end. I'm shocked to have to find out about it online as opposed to a letter from Adobe to its members. Is our loyalty of so little importance that we don't even rate that? I have personally pushed InDesign over Quark to my customers for years in part because I felt Adobe was sensitive to the needs of print providers while Quark took a 'here it is take it or leave it' attitude. The program cost was also a great way to help some of us 'little guys' keep up with the advances. I guess those of us who used the program don't make it worth while to them any longer. Watch out Adobe, snubbing customer loyalty is how Quark lost the top spot!

By Peter Thornton Pope on Jan 13, 2010

Aldus, Lisa, Xerox PARC, oh yeah. Apple LaserWriter, DTP, paperless office, yeah sure. It took twenty years to obsolesce veteran strippers (some people think I mean nightclub dancers when I mention the term). Kodak is out of the film business. Paper is running out but there will always be ink. The coming demise of print will be furthered by this astonishing announcement. Only to be followed quickly by the fact that digital delivery of content will create a need for more energy demand. When media becomes green, the lights will still go off unless we have sustainable (always on) power. Solar newspapers anybody?

By Bob Meyer on Jan 13, 2010

We have been a member since 1992 and have rejoiced for the support they have given us in the past. I had noticed that in the last year or two instead of going directly to what I refer to as the second tier of support techs now we are shuffled off to an offshore support staff that I can hardly understand. They let us keep the software and it will be able to be upgraded as new versions come out - as long as the upgrade price is at or below the $595 figure I am pretty much happy with that. What I will miss most the the high end support we used to get when we called with a problem. I used to say that we were Adobe's first line of defense in the tech support area since our customers would call us for answers and if we couldn't figure it out we could reach out and get excellent support from the program. But over the last year or so I noticed that the support was getting out sourced to techs that i could hardly understand and knew less about the program than I did.

By Elaine Neiss on Jan 14, 2010

I was shocked to learn about this. We have been with the program since 1992 and have found it to be invaluable in terms of the software discount and support. It's a great resource for smaller print shops and will be missed. We received no notification and our contract doesn't expire until August 2010. Now what?? Shame on Adobe for such poor customer service after all the support we have given them over the years. Just checked the website today and saw that there are 2166 Print Service Providers listed. I would guess its not current as I noticed our email address was over 3 years old. So apparently no one has been minding the store.

By Peter Bierle on Jan 15, 2010

Adobe's stopping a good program that let's a lot of printers keep the many more designers they work with, with their software. When we have output problems we tell the many designers we work with to use the software we know best, Adobe products.
If the upgrade costs for the software go dramatically up now, it'll cause a number of printers to pirate their software to keep cost's down, hurting the whole industry including Adobe. Pirated software doesn't work as good as the real thing, making al of us look bad including Adobe.
Also this gives any competitor an edge to get in to Adobes market.
Adobe needs to give print providers a path to keep recommending Adobe software. Don't follow the Quark path of charging more for giving it's customers a hard time.

By John Henry on Jan 22, 2010

Quark just announced they are letting all ASN join their print provider program

http://members.whattheythink.com/news/index.cfm?id=41756

Frank Romano also had a very well writen artical on Adobe.

The nice thing about compitition, when others fumble the ball someone will step in scoop it up and run with it.

Adobe has done more for Quark than Quark will spend on this program or could buy in PR

By Chuck on Jan 22, 2010

No offense, but one would have to be joking to suggest that anyone would switch to Quark because of this. What are you going to do, try to import your customer's jobs into Quark from InDesign?? Your customer doesn't care that Adobe terminated a failed program that had only 3,000 printers in it. Blame the industry, not Adobe. There are plenty of other sources for support than this program, and most good printing companies know more about InDesign than the people working in a call center.

By Cary Sherburne on Jan 26, 2010

There has been a lot of great discussion on Adobe's termination of print service provider program, and we appreciate everyone's participation. I have also received several personal emails on the topic. Here is one from the president of a printing company in Dallas that I wanted to share (with her permission). And yes, Chuck, some people will switch to Quark ...

"I appreciate your article about Adobe. It helps to sort it out a little but I agree with a lot of others that this has been a negative influence on printers. I have been a member for many years – and have benefited greatly by being able to stay current with all of my programs for the mac and pc. I also have to say that I have recommended and talked customers into buying Indesign because we stayed current and could help them out with difficulties. On the other hand we just updated Quark this past year after many years of NOT updating and steering customer away form Quark to Indesign. With the very strong feeling that Adobe is NOT supporting that effort anymore I will be looking at Quark strongly in the near future. One of the main reasons we steered in the direction of Indesign was because of the support we felt for the printer. We don’t feel that anymore. I think we helped them build more than they helped us. It will strongly affect my future considerations of future Indesign upgrades and purchases. It is sort of like Microsoft – hard to live without it but with an attitude of non-support or less support, I will look for ways."