Arbortext Reviews & Pricing

by PTC | Founded 1985, Boston, MA

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What is Arbortext?

Industry Specialties: Serves all industries

PTC Arbortext is an end-to-end publishing and content authoring solution designed to help manufacturing organizations streamline the delivery of technical publications. It allows users to maintain a digital thread of dynamic data to boost consistency with real-time synchronization and a single source of data truth.

Users can create high-quality content by writing XML documents and creating stylesheets, complete with 2D and 3D illustrations. Automation capabilities include auto-generating content, automating publishing, formatting and printing. It also supports multi-channel delivery and multi-language formatting.

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User Sentiment i

Based on 26 reviews:

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#9

Arbortext is ranked #9 in the PLM Software product directory based on the latest available data collected by SelectHub. Compare the leaders with our In-Depth Report.

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Arbortext Pricing

Based on our most recent analysis, Arbortext pricing starts at $700 (Per Seat, One-Time).

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Starting From: $700
Pricing Model: Per Seat, One-Time
Free Trial: Yes, Request for Free

Training Resources

Arbortext is supported with the following types of training:

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars

Support

The following support services are available for Arbortext:

Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Help Desk
Knowledge Base
Tickets
Training
24/7 Live Support

Arbortext Benefits and Insights

Why use Arbortext?

Key differentiators & advantages of Arbortext

Improve Productivity: Save time with reusable XML component-based content and automated formatting. Minimize programming by creating, updating and simplifying stylesheet creation.
Simplify Content Management: Gain a single source of truth for all your technical documentation. Centralize stylesheets, layouts, formatting, and service and product information, eliminating scattered information and streamlining your content lifecycle.
Enhance Technical Content Quality: Deliver error-free documentation by enforcing stylesheets that automate information layout and delivery. Improve content reusability, enforce style guides and ensure regulatory compliance with approved information.
Increase Automation: Minimize manual tasks by automating publishing processes, formatting, layout tasks, and the delivery of multi-channel and multi-language service and product information.
Reduce Publishing Production Costs: Develop a single source for styling criteria and formats to eliminate disparities and rework from multiple stylesheets, languages and document types. Minimize the costs of distributing and printing paper copies of product information.

Industry Expertise

Over 28,000 businesses worldwide use PTC. Its range of solutions, including PTC Arbortext, is suited to companies in various industries. PTC Arbortext contains tools that are especially beneficial to companies undergoing content or product development and design. Industries where these needs are common may include retail, manufacturing and electronics.

Arbortext Reviews

Average customer reviews & user sentiment summary for Arbortext:

26 reviews

84%

of users would recommend this product

Arbortext has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 84% when considering 26 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Based on an aggregate of Arbortext reviews taken from the sources above, the following pros & cons have been curated by a SelectHub Market Analyst.

Pros

Improved Collaboration: Foster seamless collaboration across engineering and design with manufacturing and marketing departments. The centralized platform eliminates information silos and ensures everyone has access to updated product data, reducing communication errors and delays.
Enhanced Product Quality: Facilitate a controlled and standardized approach to product development with features like change order tracking and revision control. Real-time updates ensure everyone is working on the latest version of product specifications, minimizing the risk of errors and improving overall product quality.
Streamlined Supply Chain Management: Integrate with supplier databases and other supply chain management tools to improve communication and coordination with suppliers, leading to more efficient procurement processes and faster time-to-market.

Cons

Complex Implementation: Implementing a PLM system can be complex and time-consuming. Businesses need to invest time in data migration, user training and system configuration to ensure a smooth transition.
High Initial Investment: The cost of PLM software is not as cheap as chips, especially for larger companies with complex product lifecycles. Licensing fees, implementation costs and ongoing maintenance charges can add up quickly.
Data Migration: Migrating existing product data from legacy systems to a new PLM platform opens a whole new can of worms. Incomplete or dirty data or inconsistent formatting can lead to problems down the road, so data quality and consistency require careful attention during migration.

Researcher's Summary:

PTC Arbortext is a content authoring tool designed to streamline the creation, management and delivery of technical documentation. Its focus on reusability through XML components and automated formatting helps users save time and reduce errors. Additionally, it centralizes product information and enforces stylesheets to ensure consistency across various media formats.

Beyond core content creation functionalities, it offers features like real-time CAD data integration, automated document creation and multi-channel content delivery. While pricing isn't publicly advertised, it likely follows a tiered licensing structure based on required features. Overall, it offers organizations an effective way to optimize technical content creation and delivery and maintain a digital thread.

Key Features

Content Creation: Use the editor to create standardized content for multiple media formats. Auto-generate text using language-specific collation rules. Incorporate editable, intelligent graphics and embed 2D and 3D animation or illustrations in web and interactive content.
Structured Editor: Simplify technical content creation with word-processing capabilities like change tracking, drag-and-drop editing and keyboard macros.
Real-time CAD Data: Gather and use real-time CAD data to develop illustrations and animations more quickly. Ensure product information and graphics are accurate with IsoDraw’s ability to update objects and change specifications throughout the production cycle. Create output in multiple data formats including raster graphics, 2D, 3D and animations.
Automated Document Creation: Automate formatting and document layouts prior to publication with the Advanced Print Publisher tool. Minimize time spent manually editing graphics, text and other features in formats including XML, JPG, GIF, CGM and SVG.
Stylesheet Creation: Create stylesheets with the styler tool, which allows users to develop a set of standards and rules across stylesheets. Ensure content and product quality and consistency along the product lifecycle in multiple layouts and languages.
Multichannel Content Delivery: Generate one or more different types of dynamic output simultaneously to multiple formats. Take single-source content and publish it across multiple channels.
Multi-Language Formatting: Export generated text as a separate file to translate and create multi-language stylesheets. Increase reusability by using multiple numbering schemes to meet regional numbering rules and mirroring page layout definitions for right-to-left languages.

Approach to Common Challenges

Inconsistent Data: Use a single source of truth for stylesheets, formatting, layouts and single instances for service and product information.
Long Time-To-Market Times: Automate the publishing processes to reduce publishing cycles. Minimize time spent reformatting content by automating formatting, reusing content and applying changes across multiple formats. Streamline the delivery of updated, accurate technical documentation in real-time across all target media.
High Costs: Automate output to multiple media to eliminate expensive manual publishing processes and additional labor costs. Reduce costs associated with printing and distributing paper-based product information
Inconsistent Product Information and Delivery: Create high-quality, media-neutral product and service content that can be delivered across multiple media formats. Use a single source of style to eliminate the development, maintenance and disparity of multiple stylesheets, ensuring consistent information layout and delivery.

Cost of Ownership

Frequently asked questions regarding PTC Arbortext pricing include:

Q: Does PTC Arbortext offer a flat-rate licensing fee?

A: No, PTC Arbortext typically follows a tiered licensing structure. The cost is based on the specific features and modules required by your organization. For instance, a company needing basic content authoring might pay a different price compared to one requiring advanced features like Single Source Content Management or integration with an existing PLM system.

Q: Are there any additional costs besides the license fee?

A: Yes, there might be additional expenses to consider. These could include annual maintenance fees, implementation costs for smoother set-up and configuration, certifications and training costs. It's important to inquire about these additional fees during the sales process to get a clearer picture of the total cost of ownership.

Limitations

At the time of this review, these are the limitations according to user feedback:

Occasionally lags when handling large files.
Steep learning curve.

Demo Resources

Resource Center: Access information on product, technology and topic assets in the form of whitepapers, eBooks, webcasts and case studies.
PTC Community: Get insights from PTC and industry experts by logging into the product forums.
PTC University: Take self-guided or instructor-led classes to boost product training.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions regarding PTC Arbortext include:

Q: How does PTC Arbortext integrate with other software programs I use, such as a content management system (CMS) or a PLM system?

A: PTC Arbortext supports industry-standard formats like XML and DITA, which facilitate seamless integration with most CMS platforms. Additionally, it integrates natively with PTC Windchill, a leading PLM system, ensuring smooth data exchange and content management throughout the product lifecycle.

Q: Can I customize PTC Arbortext to meet the specific needs of my team's workflow?

A: Yes, PTC Arbortext offers a high degree of customization. Features like custom content components, conditional text and macros allow you to tailor the software to your specific publishing process.

For example, you might create custom components for frequently used elements like product warnings or safety instructions. Conditional text allows you to display information based on specific criteria, such as the target market or product variant. Macros can automate repetitive tasks, saving your team valuable time and effort.