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Power PDF - Excellent product for all PDF needs
Updated January 05, 2022

Power PDF - Excellent product for all PDF needs

Tim Deaton | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Power PDF Advanced

Overall Satisfaction with Kofax Power PDF (formerly Nuance)

I have been using Power PDF and it's predecessors daily for at least 15 years (since the ScanSoft days, before Nuance). In those days, I was the Accounting Manager for a small (10-15 employee) telecom company. I probably found out about it from a computer magazine. I bought it and integrated it into my company to help reduce storage needs by replacing paper with pdf files. It was (and still is) affordable, very easy to use, and quite flexible. As a result, I used it heavily both at work and at home. At home, I've eliminated more than 90% of the paper output that I would otherwise need. Over the years I've tried a variety of competing products, both free and paid. None of them have been able to lure me away from what is now Kofax Power PDF.
  • Printing from ANY program to PDF.
  • Converting image-only documents to searchable-text (without losing the image).
  • Combining, splitting, re-ordering, and annotating pdf files.
  • Add ability to rename a file I currently have open (NOT just "save-as" a new copy).
  • Add more user-defined default options.
  • Improve file compression of color images of text & background (files scanned from printers are usually fine. Photo originals w/too many colors sometimes get mottled.
  • When printing additional pages to an existing document, remove destructive options (i.e.: "replace document") from being the default.
  • Reduction of paper & ink costs of up to 90%.
  • Far easier file storage & retrieval vs paper or proprietary electronic original file formats.
  • Ease of saving & appropriately filing documents needed only short-term.
I've been happy with it from day one. I originally bought it (back in the ScanSoft days) because it promised the ability to print ANY computer output to a pdf file, and that was very easy to do. As time goes on and more capabilities have been added, I'm still finding new ways that it makes life easier.
Other products I've used include Adobe Reader DoPDF, FlexiPDF, Foxit Reader, Foxit Phantom, PDF-Creator, PDFsam, PDF-Xchange, (and others I've forgotten). A couple, as their names suggest, are only readers. Others are free, basic, print-to-pdf programs. A few, like FlexiPDF & Foxit Phantom, could be considered direct competitors of Kofax Power PDF. I tried them out, but felt that the then-Nuance product was better and stuck with it.
I have rarely had a need for customer support, but during the Nuance years was generally able to take care of issues via their website. I don't think I've had a need for it under Kofax, except to find a detailed comparison chart of the different versions of Kofax Power PDF to make sure which version of the upgrade I should buy. My main complaint with Nuance was that they used the built-in update-notification tool primarily as an advertising tool instead. It also didn't help that their pdf product seemed to become an afterthought as time went on. My main fear with Kofax is that their advertising appears focused exclusively on big corporate customers. For the past several years (in retirement) I've been primarily a home user. I fear what that corporate exclusivity may say about support for me when I do need it.

Do you think Tungsten Power PDF delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Tungsten Power PDF's feature set?

Yes

Did Tungsten Power PDF live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Tungsten Power PDF go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Tungsten Power PDF again?

Yes

Microsoft Office 2016 (discontinued), LibreOffice
Print-to-PDF. Convert scanned-image into searchable documents. Compress documents without loss of readability. Add, insert, re-order, & delete pages. Annotate documents. Search document text.
If all the user needs is something to "print" documents to pdf, there are many free options available - especially if resulting file size is no issue. (In fact, Kofax itself would be well-advised to create a free, basic reader with a selection of the most basic editing functions that are already commonly found in free versions of its competitors.) But where significant editing, merging, splitting, conversion of image-scans to text-searchable files, or other issues are involved, Kofax Power PDF is an excellent choice - the best I've found.

Using Kofax Power PDF (formerly Nuance)

1 - Home use - mainly for filing & archiving
Very little support required. Have not needed it since it's migration to Kofax. When I did need it in the past, the Nuance website was sufficient..

  • Eliminating storage of paper
  • Makes retrieval of info FAR easier & less time-consuming