Suzanne O’Connor’s Bargains LA

Incredible Deals on Adobe Software

Another one from Kevin O’Connor (hubby)

OK… we’ve been here for awhile and have used Adobe products since our inception. Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Flash, to name a few. But as of last week we were still on Photoshop 7 and Dreamweaver MX. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it…unless of course you get a killer deal on an upgrade.

Enter necessity. Our daughter has shown some computer chops and we decided if she was going to learn Photoshop, it had to be the latest version, CS5. The cost for CS5-Extended is $999.00. OUCH!!!! Since we were already here, we thought she should get chops on Dreamweaver too. Cost….399.00. STOP IT.

We started looking at Adobe Bundles. These bundles are groupings of Adobe programs that they offer at a substantial discount (but there is more to this story…keep reading). As I want my daughter to be reasonably computer savvy, I opted for the Creative Suite 5 Design Premium bundle. This breaks down to

Photoshop® CS5 Extended   999.00
Illustrator® CS5                 599.00
InDesign® CS5                 699.00
Flash® Catalyst™ CS5       399.00
Flash Professional CS5       699.00      
Dreamweaver® CS5           399.00
Fireworks® CS5               299.00
Acrobat® 9 Pro                 449.00
Bridge CS5
Device Central

Priced individually the total cost was hovering at $4500.00. Would I have bought all of these individually? Absolutely not, but the bundle cost was $1799.00. Buying the bundle saves you roughly 60% over retail. That is a great deal. But it is still a ###!load of money. Can this be brought down?

Enter Adobe’s Teacher and Student Program. In an effort to create brand loyalty, Adobe offers teachers and students substantial savings… up to 80% off. It makes sense; if they can get you to buy your product when you’re age 15 (and you like/use it), then chances are you will continue buying when you are no longer a student. This is not just limited to Adobe by the way. Check all computer/software companies for teacher/student discounts. Some do, some don’t (here is Apple’s Link ).

If you are a Teacher/Student, Adobe offers the above, at a bundled cost of $1799.00 and an individual cost of $4500.00 for…..(are you ready for this)….$449.00!!! For those with calculators that is 90% off of the individual price and 75% off the bundled cost.

Now there are rules. One transaction per school year and you must have proof that you are a student. In my case I emailed a scan of my daughter’s student ID. They verified it and OK’d it. I opted for delivery, instead of download, so that she would have the physical discs.

Kudos to Adobe. When you purchase software under student program they do not run your credit card until AFTER you are approved as a student. Also I emailed them saying “is there an issue with the credit card name being different from the student name”. Nope. When I thought about it, it became obvious. I am a father buying for my daughter who is a student. Approve it.

Hats off to Adobe for a wise marketing/branding move… though I must say they don’t promote this. Be sure to check all large hardware/software firms for similar offerings. Adobe’s Teacher/Student Link