Adobe, publishing, and student editions

So as I near my entry into my freshman year of college, and continue to discover the value of money, I come across a problem.

I want to buy the adobe design suite - but I planned to get the student edition. I intended to continue a part-time job for a small design company, and sell the service of making websites and logos separate from that business.

However, he seems to be of the idea that if it was made on a student edition, it can't be published without severe repercussions. When I had a talk with an equally experienced graphic designer, he seemed to think that a student edition is still a full edition, and couldn't see how adobe could manage to find every thing made on a student edition that was not sold for profit, (How would they know without investigations, he said.)

The point is, they both seem to think that there's a risk regardless since it is for student - not commercial - purposes. But really, I need to know if I should drop the $400 and keep my income while in school until I can purchase the upgrade license, or if I should wait until I can get it the first time.

I'll need it regardless, but I really don't want to get in trouble. '3'

You are not "really" suppose to use the education versions for business purposes. The education software is sold at lower costs for learning purposes.

I was/am in the same boat as you. I can't afford the $1300 for the non education, so I went with the education price and I didn't know until last yr that if Adobe found out you were using the education software for business purposes they could sue you.

IMO - Adobe is more worried about people selling illegal copies of their software, instead of hunting down every student who uses the education software for something else besides college. They would find out if you registered a education serial and registered it under a business.

I may be wrong with this, so feel free to correct me.

That does make sense, and is essentially what the second person I talked to said, but he also said that the initial steps would most likely be taken in the form of a cease and desist letter, as opposed to an immediate call to court.

But on the brightside, I will buy a full upgrade license quickly, which apparently would cut the cost of the software almost in half (purchase for 400, upgrade for 300).

Unless I'm mistaken about that price, it sounds like a better deal. (And I am POSITIVE you can do that because I got that info directly from the adobe website.)

Thanks for the help.

is the $400 price the academic vers? $300 the regular upgrade price from adobe.com?