Great for Print on Demand files
Updated January 04, 2022

Great for Print on Demand files

Emma Kalson Leadley | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Power PDF Advanced

Overall Satisfaction with Kofax Power PDF (formerly Nuance)

I needed a PDF creator that would create PDFs from other documents, suitable for print on demand, without costing a fortune. A lot of research later and rather than pay £15/month for Adobe Acrobat DC, found Kofax. I messaged their customer support and got the confirmation I needed of which standards I could create the PDF in and ensure it could be flight-checked. Every PDF to date has been spot on.
  • Familiar interface for Office (Windows) users.
  • One-off pricing, no monthly subscriptions.
  • Quick customer support.
  • Reliable product.
  • Doesn't eat up memory.
  • The zoom in/out in the ribbon doesn't appear to work, but there are icons at the bottom of the screen too.
  • Whilst a familiar interface, it's not always the easiest to navigate, but that could be learning curve.
  • Saves sanity - I know the file it creates will be accepted, save for human error.
  • Means I can promise deadlines and know I can keep them.
The ribbon-style interface is very recognisable and from that, easy to work with. Finding my way round was slightly harder but that'll be a challenge with all new software. I now have my work flow setup and am happy with what's being created, and more importantly, so are my clients.
I was using an earlier version of Adobe Acrobat Pro but there came a point where it was too old for my machine. I'd be far more familiar with Adobe Acrobat DC but it's too high a cost for my use case. I did evaluate several other major PDF creators but Kofax was the one that struck the balance of the features I needed at the right price point.
I've only contact pre-sales support but got a very quick answer, despite the time difference telling me exactly what I needed to know. I did also check the help file for something minor but generally haven't need to use support so can't comment further.

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?

No

I needed PDF/X standards for best output for print on demand, through Ingram Spark or Amazon KDP, for example. The flight-check is a great tool to tell me if images do not meet the correct resolution and for font information and whilst other software also does this, I like the ease of Kofax for the price I paid.
For fellow indie-publishers and those who format for other people, definitely a 10. For people who want a PDF creator without the standards needed for print on demand, there are cheaper products out there. I guess it depends on individual need, but for me it's exactly what I need for the number of times I need to create those PDFs without breaking the bank.

Using Kofax Power PDF (formerly Nuance)

1 - I'm a self-employed freelancer and need to use a reliable and affordable PDF creator across a range of functions, from creating proposals and sending draft content to clients to uploading PDF versions of book covers and interiors to KDP and Ingram Spark. I also need to edit and annotate PDFs.
1 - I'm a solo freelancer so cover all tasks! The help files aren't as helpful as they might be but it is a corporate-facing product and I'm probably not their typical customer in that regard. I have been able to complete all tasks I've needed, even if it has taken a little creative thinking.
  • PDF creation to KDP and Ingram Spark standards
  • Creation of client proposals
  • Editing and annotating existing PDFs
  • I like that the software works as expected so I can use it in expected ways!
  • I'm a basic user, so I'm not sure this is relevant to my use case
I love that it's a solid piece of software that works out of the box and with plenty of options. It does allow for a larger range of standards than most PDF creators, save for Adobe. It isn't always intuitive, hence I've marked it down, but for software that is a single-time fee, compared with a monthly subscription, it works well for me.