Bill Esler

Adobe Kinko’s Shift Blessed by Print Groups
August 3, 2007

PIA/GATF’s Mike Makin was first out of the box to bless the Adobe announcement it would remove the FedEx Kinko’s link in an upcoming fix to Acrobot 8.1. NAPL/NAQP issued a statement the next day on behalf of its members and in its role coordinating the hastily asssembled Coalition for Open Competition. The full releases follow:

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PIA/GATF Lauds Adobe’s Decision to Remove FedEx Kinko’s Button

Pittsburgh, PA, August 1, 2007—PIA/GATF is delighted with the announcement by Adobe that it will remove its sole source print solution button within Acrobat Reader 8.1 which directed customers to FedEx Kinko’s.

“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.”

Adobe software engineers are fast at work producing Acrobat Reader 8.1.1 which they hope to have on the market within 8–10 weeks in October. This is lightening speed in terms of software releases. Once this new Reader is in place, anyone downloading the software will have no trace of the FedEx Kinko’s link. Moreover, the new version will be constructed in such a fashion that those who currently have version 8.1 will see their buttons disappear with an automatic update feature.

At a July 17th meeting with Adobe’s CEO Bruce Chizen, Makin expressed the outrage of thousands of PIA/GATF members and recommended the move to establish a new version expediently. “The announcement today satisfies our demands and illustrates Adobe’s commitment to industry partners like PIA/GATF and the thousands of independent printers it represents from coast to coast,” concluded Makin.

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Adobe’s Action Plan to Remove FedEx Kinko’s Link from Software

NAPL, NAQP and Coalition for Open Competition Support
NAPL’s Truncale pledges to “do everything we can to communicate to
our constituents how pleased we are with Adobe’s decision.”

PARAMUS, NJ, AUGUST 2, 2007 – Following yesterday’s announcement by Adobe Systems, Inc., that the company will remove the “Send to FedEx Kinko’s” service and functionality from its Adobe® Reader and Adobe Acrobat® software, NAPL (www.napl.org), the trade association for excellence in graphic communications management, the National Association of Quick Printers (NAQP), part of The NAPL Network, and the Graphic Communications Coalition for Open Competition, voiced its approval of Adobe’s decision. Adobe plans to issue an update to Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat that will not feature the FedEx Kinko’s link sometime in October of this year.

“We’re delighted that Adobe has responded so promptly and decisively to the concerns expressed by The NAPL Network on behalf of its members and the participants in the Coalition for Open Competition,” said Joseph P. Truncale, NAPL president and chief executive officer.

“While the actual removal of the link is not happening as fast as we, or indeed Adobe, would have liked, we fully understand the complications involved in developing and testing an update of this magnitude and appreciate Adobe’s commitment to facilitating the solution as quickly as possible. We’ve always had confidence in the business practices of Adobe and we gratified that our confidence has been justified. We will do everything possible to communicate our support of Adobe’s decision to our constituents and to work with Adobe in a spirit of cooperation going forward to create open and ongoing opportunities among trading partners.”

NAPL and NAQP were the first major industry associations to express their concerns about the Adobe/FedEx Kinko’s agreement directly to Adobe Systems CEO Bruce Chizen in a June 15, 2007, letter. Writing on behalf of their members, and the Graphic Communications Coalition for Open Competition which they had formed in June (comprised of the heads of leading graphic communications franchise organizations, see below),

Truncale and NAQP President and CEO Steve Johnson clearly requested that Adobe extricate itself from the agreement and remove the FedEx Kinko’s logo and embedded links from Adobe software in a timely manner. Adobe’s Chizen responded with an intention to address the situation in a timely manner, putting in place the process that resulted in Adobe’s decision to remove the links.

In addition to NAPL and NAQP, Graphic Communications Coalition for Open Competition participants include Kevin Cushing, chief executive officer, AlphaGraphics, Inc.; Andrew Hrywnak, president, Print Three Franchising Corp.; Michael Jutt, executive vice president, Minuteman Press International, Inc.; Richard Lowe, president, Sir Speedy; Carl Gerhardt, president and chief executive officer, Allegra Network; Bob Metzger, vice chairman, International Center for Entrepreneurial Development (ICED); Catherine Monson, president, PIP; Steve Morris, chief executive officer, Signal Graphics (SAMPA Corp); Brian Spindel, executive vice president, PostNet; Ray Titus, president, United Franchising Group; and Tom Tozier, president, Association of College & University Printers.

Posted by Bill Esler on August 3, 2007 | Comments (0)