ScanSoft Unveils OmniPage Professional 15, Raising the Bar for OCR, PDF and Document Conversion Applications

With Accuracy Up to 50% Better Than Alternatives and Unique PDF and Digital Document Conversion Capabilities, OCR Isn’t Just for Scanning Anymore

LONDON, United Kingdom, August 10, 2005 – ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a global leader of speech and imaging solutions, today launched ScanSoft® OmniPage® Professional 15, a new version of the world's most popular optical character recognition (OCR) and document conversion application for Microsoft Windows. With superior accuracy and speed, OmniPage Professional 15 is the most accurate and efficient way to convert, edit, archive and share paper and PDF documents, replacing the need to manually re-create paper and image-based documents and simplifying document workflow and archiving through an automated, electronic process.

OmniPage Professional has long been recognized as the best solution for saving time and money by instantly turning paper and PDF files – such as letters, contracts, spreadsheets, magazine articles, research reports, manuals and more – into editable documents. With the release of OmniPage Professional 15, in addition to a host of new functionality, ScanSoft has enhanced the trusted features that continue to matter most to OCR users – accuracy and speed. Boasting accuracy improvements of 25 percent and new, advanced OCR and document conversion engines, OmniPage Professional 15 eliminates the historical trade-off between speed and accuracy. With the superior formatting and layout retention that can be 50 percent better than alternatives, OmniPage Professional 15 makes it easier than ever to work between electronic and paper documents - even those with formatted text, columns, graphics, tables and spreadsheets.

“OmniPage has long been known for its best-in-class OCR,” said Ralph Gammon, Document Imaging Report. “This release of OmniPage not only drives up accuracy levels even higher – critical to anyone using OCR – but it goes a step further to address the growing need for PDF support and complete digital document conversion. With the increasing adoption of hallway MFPs as well as the growing trend of digital archiving, ScanSoft is ahead of the curve in addressing market needs.”

Recognized as the most accurate and best-in-class OCR solution available, OmniPage Professional 15 expands the value of OCR well beyond scanning, providing solutions to a range of both paper and digital document conversion problems:

• Accuracy improvements for paper and PDF conversion that are 25 percent better than the previous release and 50 percent better than alternatives



• Patented One Button Scanning, which associates frequently used document processing settings to specific buttons on an MFP, all-in-one or scanner



• The batch conversion of images and any digital format into PDF for document sharing and archive



• Digital-to-digital document conversion between a wide array of formats



• Automatic forms conversion to convert paper or static electronic form into fillable forms



• Workgroup scanning using networked multi-function products (MFPs)



• Integrated Google Desktop Search with unique OCR Indexing

“OmniPage Professional significantly enhances the workflow process at my practice, bringing cost effectiveness to the otherwise long and tedious document repurposing process,” said Norman Michaels, attorney. OmniPage Professional 15 is really spot on in terms of accuracy and performance. It also has a very simple interface and does exactly what I need it to do – effortlessly.”

ScanSoft OmniPage Professional– consistently judged the most accurate by independent experts – sets the standard for OCR, PDF and document conversion applications and delivers features and functionality not matched by any other OCR product. This new release expands the value of OCR into universal document conversion, and enables users to get more from scanning and archiving to solve difficult digital document conversion problems and allow PDF archiving of any digital format. Key features include:

• The Most Accurate OCR and Layout Retention - OmniPage Professional 15 is 25 percent more accurate than the previous release and up to 50 percent more accurate than alternative solutions. Independent industry experts have consistently found OmniPage Professional to be the most accurate solution and the only OCR product that successfully processed all of their test documents. OmniPage Professional 15 also delivers superior page layout capabilities to ensure that a converted document is as exact to the original as possible. By delivering the highest accuracy, and processing all of a user’s documents, OmniPage Professional practically eliminates proofing and editing – delivering unrivaled productivity benefits to an organisation.



• Batch Digital PDF Archive – PDF has become the de facto standard format for archiving documents into folders and content management systems. OmniPage Professional is highly valued for its ability to scan-to searchable PDF archives, using OCR to automatically create index data. OmniPage Professional 15 makes a significant advance with its PDF capabilities with Digital PDF Archive, which automatically turns any digital document format into searchable PDF archives. Now organisations don’t need to pay $1,500 or more to batch process emails, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets into “flat” and secure PDF archive files. With OmniPage Professional 15, users get the core Digital PDF conversion capabilities found in Adobe Distiller Server but in a more affordable and easier to use application.



• Digital-to-Digital Document Conversion – No other product provides the complete document conversion capabilities of OmniPage Professional 15. With OmniPage Professional, users not only get the best in OCR and PDF conversion, but now can convert digital documents from their existing applications into any of OmniPage Professional’s 30+ supported formats – such as Quark Express to Word or WordPerfect to Word.



• Automatic Form Conversion from Paper and Digital – According to some industry studies, replacing paper forms with fillable electronic forms can save an organization up to $150 for every form used by every worker, every day. However one thing has slowed the adoption of electronic forms – the cost of manually converting static forms into fillable electronic forms. OmniPage Professional solves this with its new Form Converter capability, which can turn scanned paper, static PDF, and even Word forms into fillable Microsoft InfoPath, PDF and XML forms – automatically.



• Point and Click Document Capture and Workflows – OmniPage Professional 15 brings the power of professional document capture to desktop users – with point and click ease. Now users can set up a sophisticated scanning or document conversion process once, and use it over and over with a single click. Using the Document Workflow Wizard, users can automatically capture documents from scanners or hot folders, specify conversion steps such as OCR, zone OCR, convert to or from PDF, and process the results to email, Microsoft SharePoint, FTP and more. A user can even print barcode coversheets to automatically trigger specific workflows when a document is scanned.



• Never Rescan with SET Tools – New Scan Enhancement Technology (SET) delivers the power to correct and enhance scanned images, PDF files and faxes. Point and click SET tools improve the quality of scanned documents, faxes and poor quality copies. De-skew, de-speckle, adjust color and more – all helping increase the accuracy of OCR processing and PDF indexing. Straightening, despeckling and color conversion ensures that users get the results they demand.



• The Most Editable Word Conversion – The new ExactWord capability within OmniPage Professional 15 uses information within Microsoft Word to make converted documents significantly easier to edit – complete with columns, tables, bullets and graphics.



• Includes PDF Create! and PDF Converter 3.0 – Creating PDF from any PC application is a powerful way to share documents more securely, and is made easy with PDF Create! 3.0, which is included with OmniPage Professional 15. Also included is PDF Converter 3.0, a powerful utility that can turn PDF into fully-formatted Microsoft Word and Excel documents, as well as Corel WordPerfect documents. Both products include an Assistant utility that simplifies creation and conversion of PDF from the desktop, and within Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer.



• Create Audio Documents from Paper and Digital Documents – With OmniPage Professional users can now turn scanned paper, PDF and even electronic documents into human-sounding audio-documents. Using ScanSoft RealSpeak®, the world’s best text-to-speech technology, users can now listen to documents on a PC, from a CD or even on digital music devices, for use in the car or on the go, and for people with sight impairment.



• One-Button Scanning – Scanning can’t be any easier than simply pressing a button, and with ScanSoft’s patented One-Button Scanning users get just that. Now you can easily associate separate OmniPage Professional scanning processes to the buttons on your All-in-One, MFP or scanner – such as “scan to black and white, 1200 DPI and convert into Microsoft Word. *United States Patent #6,480,304.

With the new release of OmniPage Professional, OCR is truly moving beyond just scanning,” said Robert Weideman, senior vice president, ScanSoft Productivity Applications Division. “Not only have we raised the bar again in terms of accuracy, but we have added unique PDF and digital document conversion capabilities that are very much in demand right now. In addition, the workflow features in OmniPage Professional 15 make it even easier for customers to automate the way that they work with their documents.”

For more information on OmniPage Professional 15 features and benefits, please visit www.scansoft.com/OmniPage.

Pricing and Availability
ScanSoft OmniPage Professional 15 is available immediately through ScanSoft's global network of reseller partners worldwide. ScanSoft OmniPage Professional 15 is £435.00 inc VAT for individual users, with volume discounts available through the ScanSoft® Diamond License Program. Upgrade pricing and support products are also available. For additional information on features, pricing and volume licensing programs, please visit www.scansoft.co.uk or call 0148 3794444.

About ScanSoft, Inc.

ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT) is a global leader of speech and imaging solutions that are used to automate a wide range of manual processes – saving time, increasing worker productivity and improving customer service. For more information regarding ScanSoft products and technologies, please visit www.scansoft.com.

Trademark reference: ScanSoft and the ScanSoft logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other company or product names mentioned may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performances are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with market trends, competitive factors, and other risks identified in the Company’s SEC filings. Actual results, event and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.

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