PEABODY, Mass., - August 21, 2000 - ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a leading provider of digital imaging software, today announced that Paul A. Ricci has been named as chief executive officer. The appointment is effective immediately. Ricci will continue to serve ScanSoft as chairman of the board, a position he has held since March 2, 1999. In this change, Michael K. Tivnan will serve as president and chief operating officer.

Ricci joins ScanSoft from Xerox where he held a number of executive positions since 1992. As president of the Desktop Systems Division, Ricci led the creation of Xerox' successful WorkCentre product line. Most recently, Ricci has served as corporate vice-president of business development, and was instrumental in forging strategic alliances with Microsoft, IBM, and Sun Microsystems. He also managed Xerox acquisitions, including the color printing division of Tektronix Corporation.

Commenting on the appointment, Anne M. Mulcahy, president of Xerox Corporation and a member of ScanSoft's Board of Directors said, "The Board is confident that Paul's background will add a key dimension to ScanSoft's management team. Paul and Mike will drive the strategic direction of the Company and improve the Company's business operations. Together, they will make an excellent partnership to complete the integration of Caere Corporation and build the infrastructure necessary to prepare the Company for its next level of growth."

"I am delighted to expand my role with ScanSoft as a member of the management team. My number one goal is to increase shareholder value," said Ricci. "I intend to aggressively expand our technology reach and position ScanSoft's award winning products to take advantage of new high revenue growth opportunities. Some immediate steps include: focusing on growing international markets, especially in Europe and Asia; expand our electronic forms business, particularly our eOmniForm Internet initiative; and broaden our product line to enable customers to more easily send and store their document and photographic images on the Internet."

Commenting on the appointment, ScanSoft president Michael K. Tivnan said, "Paul and I have worked as a team in the past and I look forward to continuing that relationship. His capabilities complement mine, and Paul's attention to the Company's strategic initiatives will allow me to build a platform of operational excellence to support those initiatives, while continuing to increase productivity across the company."

Ricci concluded, "At ScanSoft's core are many strengths and valuable products. Our job is to nourish those strengths while dynamically positioning the Company and its technology for new opportunities. I am excited about ScanSoft's prospects and believe with vision and hard work we will be successful."

About ScanSoft, Inc.

Headquartered in Peabody, MA, ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT) is a leading developer of digital imaging software that enables users to leverage the power of their scanners, digital cameras and other electronic devices. ScanSoft's award-winning product line Pagis Pro, TextBridge Pro, PaperPort Deluxe, Paper Converter, OmniPage Pro, OmniForm, eOmniForm, OmniPage Pro Scan Suite Plus, OmniPage Web, Developer's Kit 2000, Kai's PhotoSoap2, Kai's SuperGoo, Kai's PowerShow, and PhotoFactory - enables users to capture, recognize, edit, manage and share documents and photos electronically by taking advantage of ScanSoft's cutting-edge technology.

ScanSoft software is sold and marketed worldwide through retail, dealer and OEM channels and the Internet, capturing the consumer, small office/home office (SOHO) and corporate markets. For additional information, visit www.scansoft.com.

TextBridge, Pagis Pro, PaperPort Deluxe, Paper Converter, OmniPage, OmniForm, eOmniForm, Developer's Kit 2000, PageKeeper, PhotoFactory, Kai's PhotoSoap2, Kai's Power Show, and Kai's SuperGoo are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are hereby recognized and may be registered to their respective holders.

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