Adobe Backs Down, Removes Kinko’s Links

As promised, Adobe announced its decision last week on how it would respond to the concerns of the printing industry. To the surprise of many, the company said it would remove the “Send to FedEx Kinko’s” service and functionality from the latest versions of Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat.

The decision followed a forum Adobe hosted in San Francisco during which a dozen industry representatives, including two from the in-plant sector, expressed their strong objections.

An Adobe press release stated: “The versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat that are scheduled to be released in October will not contain the feature. We are implementing these changes as quickly as we can. However, we need time to write and test the software.”

In his blog, Johnny Loiacono, Senior Vice President of Adobe’s Creative Solutions Business Unit wrote: “I know that there are a lot of folks who will be asking why we can’t do it this afternoon. The answer is we can’t just go back to the 8.0 release since the 8.1 release that contains the button included a lot of critical security and quality updates in addition to the new print option. We have determined the best way to move forward is with an 8.1.1 update. We have moved as many people as we can on to the project, but it takes time to do the standard testing that is required to ensure that we don’t cause more problems by not performing sufficient testing.”

Reportedly, the 8.1.1 update will erase the Kinko’s button and link when users try to use version 8.1. However FedEx Kinko’s will begin distributing a version of Adobe Reader in October—with the “Send to FedEx Kinko’s” functionality—directly to its customers. The company announced plans this week to roll out 300 new stores in the United States over the next 11 months.

Adobe said it will set up a Print Advisory Council and will consult with this group to investigate how best to integrate third party print services into Adobe products.

The industry was largely ecstatic about the decision.

“We recognize that the company must have had to move mountains to retreat on its position, and we commend Adobe for its swift action,” notes PIA/GATF President and CEO Michael Makin. “They have clearly restored confidence in our long-lasting partnership.”

“I would like to say that Adobe has done a stellar job in hearing us and responding to us,” adds Tom Tozier, director of Printing Services at the University Of California-Santa Cruz, who attended the Adobe forum in San Francisco.

But Ray Chambers, who was also at the meeting, had this to say: “Adobe is to be commended for listening to its customers, but which customers are those? Not to be cynical, but this solution doesn’t do a lot for in-plants. We are concerned about unfair competition, to be sure, but in-plants often have larger roles to shoulder. We are not just about service and quality, but we also are the keepers of the keys for things like compliance with policy (think recycled paper), protecting security and confidentiality, copyright infringement, and brand and image management issues.”