PEABODY, Mass., - June 25, 2001 - ScanSoft®, Inc. (NASDAQ: SSFT), a global leader in paper-to-digital solutions, announces the immediate availability of OmniPage Pro® 11, the next generation in optical character recognition (OCR) technology. OmniPage Pro 11 is the first OCR product developed from the combined imaging technology and expertise of both ScanSoft and Caere, resulting from ScanSoft's acquisition of Caere in March 2000. The company now draws upon unrivaled technology resources in image processing and recognition technologies, producing ScanSoft's most accurate and technically sophisticated product ever. OmniPage Pro 11 converts all types of paper-based documents into the users' preferred office applications so they can edit, archive and share information without retyping. To better serve the global market, OmniPage Pro 11 now supports the recognition of 114 languages and is up to 40% more accurate, providing a much wider market opportunity for this paper-to-digital technology.

The most groundbreaking new function added to OmniPage Pro 11 is the ability to convert PDF documents that contain text, tables and graphics into fully formatted documents users can edit. This new capability extends the use of OCR software beyond traditional scanning. Now, customers can use OmniPage Pro 11 as the productivity tool to unlock and repurpose information held within PDF and other image files.

"Accuracy and format retention have improved dramatically with OmniPage Pro 11," said David E. Johnson, Customer Support Manager of Aerospace Technical Services for Honeywell International, Inc. "With its PDF conversion capabilities and improved easy-to-use interface, this new version will allow our editors to import more complex information from new and different sources." Since 1991, Honeywell has relied on ScanSoft products to produce and update over 2,200 manuals a year, converting documents, instructions, specifications and graphics for sophisticated avionics systems and equipment manuals. With the ability to reconstitute information without retyping while retaining the format and style of accompanying charts and color graphics, OmniPage Pro 11 will save Honeywell's team of editors valuable production time. With the ability to save to different file formats, Honeywell can meet specific customer requirements requested by leading airframe manufacturers.

OCR technology is being widely adopted as a tool to increase productivity. It saves time and expense by reducing the tedious efforts of recreating documents that are in paper form or read-only image files. This acceptance is evidenced by Microsoft's integration of a basic version of ScanSoft's OCR technology in the new Office Document Imaging (ODI) application within Office XP. The Microsoft implementation enables users to index their scanned documents and output unformatted text to MS Word only. To enable the formatting, PDF functionality, output options and productivity features found only in OmniPage Pro 11, Microsoft has included an upgrade button for direct purchase.

"Our users have told us that the ability to quickly and easily convert paper documents and image files into editable digital documents is crucial to their business productivity," said Wayne Crandall, senior vice president of sales and marketing for ScanSoft. "With the release of OmniPage Pro 11, we have dramatically improved accuracy and incorporated innovative PDF technology that allows all businesses to work more productively."

"OmniPage Pro 11 is the incentive to migrate to the efficient, digital workplace," said Aaron Zimlich, Graphics Designer, Schlumberger Ltd. "This release is the best, and most accurate OCR solution I've ever seen. Its performance is very impressive."

OmniPage Pro 11 Features and Benefits

Up to 40% increase in accuracy - ScanSoft has advanced its technology to ensure users do not have to spend time editing the recognized documents. Technologies from three OCR engines are integrated to provide the most accurate product to date.
Convert PDF into editable files - In one easy step, OmniPage Pro 11 allows users to convert PDF files into their favorite program files such as MS Word, Excel and HTML. OmniPage Pro 11 retains all PDF page formatting, even complex files with text, graphics and columns.
Create a PDF file - Users who want to convert paper-based documents into searchable PDF files can do it quickly and easily with a single click of a button. Four types of PDF files are supported: PDF Normal, PDF with image substitutes, PDF image on text and PDF Image only.
IntelliTrain proofing - This new feature makes post-OCR editing automatic. When the user corrects an unrecognized letter, the software automatically makes all the subsequent corrections saving valuable proofing time.
Color recognition and retention - In addition to converting the color pictures found in previous versions, OmniPage Pro 11 will recognize and retain the color text on a page, as well as background colors.
Despeckle module - Degraded faxes and copies were once a challenge for OCR software, now with OmniPage Pro 11's Despeckle Module these types of documents are recognized with significantly improved accuracy. In some cases OmniPage Pro 11 recognizes documents that were previously unrecognizable.
Improved table recognition - Maintains alignment and cell styles of spreadsheets and tables - even non-gridded tables, easily turning them into spreadsheets or other documents.
Web page creation - OmniPage Pro 11's improved HTML document formatting now allows users to maintain all document formatting when posting pages directly to Web sites.
114 recognition languages - OmniPage Pro 11 expands the OmniPage family's language capability from 14 to 114, including those using Latin, Greek and Cyrillic alphabets.
Voice read back in multiple languages - The feature that was met with tremendous success in the previous version of OmniPage Pro 11, now reads text back out loud in most European languages.
Office XP integration - OmniPage Pro 11 seamlessly integrates into all versions of MS Office including Office XP. With AutoOCR, users can operate OmniPage Pro 11 directly from within MS Word, Excel and FrontPage.

Pricing and Availability

Available immediately from your preferred reseller, retailer and catalog, the suggested price of OmniPage Pro 11 is $499.99. To purchase directly from ScanSoft, visit www.scansoft.com or call (888) 781-1189. An upgrade version is available for previous owners of ScanSoft OCR products for $149.99. Special pricing for Government/Academic institutions as well as corporate licensing options is also available by calling (800) 654-1187.

About ScanSoft, Inc.

Headquartered in Peabody, Mass., with European headquarters in The Netherlands, ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT) is a global leader in paper-to-digital solutions for the desktop, network, Internet and mobile environments that enable users to leverage the power of their scanners, digital cameras and other electronic devices. ScanSoft’s award-winning product line – OmniPage Pro, TextBridge Pro, PaperPort Deluxe, Pagis Pro, OmniForm, eOmniForm, and numerous software developer’s kits, enables users to capture, recognize, edit, manage and share documents and photos electronically by taking advantage of ScanSoft’s cutting-edge technology.

ScanSoft has established numerous strategic partnerships with the industry’s leading scanner and multifunction vendors to deliver the most comprehensive and cost-effective solutions for its customers. Vendors who have chosen ScanSoft’s cutting-edge products and technologies include Brother, Canon, Epson, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, IBM/Lotus, Mustek, Primax, Sharp, Symantec Corporation, Visioneer, Xerox and others. ScanSoft’s leading technologies have been licensed by Microsoft for use in Office XP and other future products.

ScanSoft software is sold, marketed and supported worldwide through retail, dealer and OEM channels and the Internet, capturing the small to medium size business and corporate markets. There are more than 8 million registered users of ScanSoft products. ScanSoft can be found on the Web at www.scansoft.com.

Trademark reference: ScanSoft, OmniPage, TextBridge, PaperPort, PaperPort Deluxe, Pagis, OmniForm, eOmniForm, Direct OCR and Developer’s Kit 2000 are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks and trade names are hereby recognized and may be registered to their respective holders. Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements as to the features and perceived benefits of ScanSoft’s OCR engine and OmniPage Pro, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the market acceptance of ScanSoft’s OCR engine and OmniPage Pro, the impact of competitive products, and other risks detailed from time to time in ScanSoft’s SEC reports. ScanSoft disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Contact Information