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I mean this, really. Consider this:
Are most technical communicators employees or contractors?
Okay, I have no hard data other than anecdotes, but…there must be at least as many independent practitioners as there are employees of large or medium-sized firms and government agencies. At least, here in central Virginia.
Who Make Up the Largest Body of Adobe Users?
Again, I believe that group consists of independent contractors. So, if you’re an independent technical communicator and if you use Adobe products routinely, does Adobe do anything to help you?
Not on your professional life, it doesn’t.
Why do I make this claim?
Well, what products are we—independent technical communicators—most likely to routinely use? Here’s my list:
- FrameMaker
- PhotoShop
- Illustrator
- Contribute
- Dreamweaver
- Acrobat Professional
Others may include Flash and FireWorks in their lists.
Now, can you purchase these individually from Adobe? Yes, you can. Here are the prices for each:
| Product |
Upgrade Price |
Regular Price |
| FrameMaker 8 |
$299 |
$899 |
| PhotoShop CS3 |
$199 |
$649 |
| Illustrator CS3 |
$199 |
$599 |
| Contribute CS3 |
$79 |
$149 |
| Dreamweaver CS3 |
$199 |
$399 |
| Acrobat 8 Professional |
$159 |
$449 |
| Flash CS3 Professional |
$199 |
$699 |
| FireWorks CS3 |
$149 |
$299 |
If I had to purchase just the Adobe products I currently use without “upgrading,” the bill would run to $3,144.00 before tax.
There are other ways you can purchase these products from Adobe, of course. You can fall into the pricing model Adobe wishes you to use, and purchase bundles labeled as “Creative Suites.” To be fair, let’s take a look at the pricing for these:
| Product |
Price |
Upgrade Price |
| Creative Suite 3 Design Premium |
$1,799 |
$599 |
| Creative Suite 3 Design Standard |
$1,199 |
$399 |
| Creative Suite 3 Web Premium |
$1,599 |
$499 |
| Creative Suite 3 Web Standard |
$999 |
$399 |
| Technical Communication Suite |
$1,599 |
$999 |
Okay, in the first place, it’s obvious to me that I’ve been priced out of the market. In the second place, there seems to be a strange disparity between the upgrade–>regular pricing when comparing the Design Premium Creative Suite to the Technical Communication Suite.
Footnote
What does Adobe include with the Technical Communication Suite? Here are the elements:
- FrameMaker 8
- RoboHelp 7
- Captivate 3
- Acrobat 3D version 8
That’s right: not Acrobat Professional; Acrobat 3Dv8. Not Dreamweaver; Captivate. In other words, it’s unusable, in my case. Perhaps these comprise the perfect combination for you in your business, though.
What’s the Game?
It seems to me that Adobe doesn’t give a thought to the independent technical communication professional. Their pricing is all for large enterprises, instead. There are no discounts—the original owners of FrameMaker gave STC members a special discount for their product line.
Finally
I’m not even going into a “discussion” of Adobe product service. At least, not now…
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