PEABODY, Mass., - October 1, 2001 - ScanSoft®, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a worldwide leader in paper-to-digital solutions, today announced the immediate availability of OmniForm® Premium 5.0, the latest version of its market-leading electronic forms conversion and data management software developed for businesses of all sizes. OmniForm Premium 5.0 is the only affordable paper forms conversion, designer and digital deployment solution that significantly reduces the time spent re-creating paper-based forms, and distributing, collecting and analyzing forms data.

The most versatile forms software on the market, OmniForm Premium 5.0 allows users to save and distribute their forms in PDF, HTML, DHTML, RTF and OmniForm's own intelligent OFM formats. The new version includes industry-standard digital signature technology to ensure authenticity, as well as high-level SSL-based security to keep form information secure and private. New data collection features have been integrated to reduce errors and speed the input cycle. OmniForm Premium 5.0 includes an integrated online forms hosting service, eOmniFormä, for smaller businesses in need of Web-based forms management with no HTML programming.

"I always used to create forms from scratch, and wasted a great deal of time trying to get the electronic form to look just like the paper form," said BASF Technical Advisor Chris Valovic. "OmniForm Premium 5.0 is the only electronic forms product on the market to preserve the 'look and feel' of the original form. This product is definitely bringing us one step closer to the paperless office."

OmniForm Redefines Forms Management for Businesses

Businesses in forms-intensive industries such as education, legal, insurance, pharmaceutical and healthcare administration, as well as many government departments, have found OmniForm to be the easiest way to create digital forms and collect data accurately. Paper-based forms such as contracts, applications, expense reports and surveys, which used to require tedious handwriting or re-keying of information and submission by postal mail, can be instantly scanned and converted to digital documents to be filled and submitted throughout a company. Once submitted, data can be accessed from the built-in OmniForm database or exported to an ODBC compliant database for storage and analysis.

"By utilizing OmniForm Premium 5.0, we have dramatically cut the time spent on filling out cost estimate forms for transportation improvement projects from two days to less than six hours, a 62% improvement " said William Kiel, civil engineer for the California Department of Transportation (DOT). "The personal profile feature automatically saves previously entered form data, recalls it and pre-fills new forms for faster filling - a tremendous time saver when you are constantly filling out and updating multiple forms. Overall, OmniForm Premium 5.0 has had a positive effect on our productivity and our bottom line."

OmniForm Premium 5.0: A Complete Offering in the Electronic Forms Market

OmniForm Premium 5.0 is the only electronic forms solution on the market to offer forms conversion and design in a wide range of formats currently utilized by companies. New functionality for PDF-based forms includes calculations, field validations, spell checking, and signature fields. Users who create HTML forms from paper documents now have a new automatic conversion of form elements into HTML elements, for example, circle text options can be converted into radio or check boxes. Digital signatures are enabled for users with Entrust, VeriSign, or other PKI authentication systems, locking forms data as a legal record. Additionally, OmniForm Premium allows users to design forms in sizes up to 14" x 17" for specialized applications.

Included with OmniForm Premium 5.0 is the ability for users to post five forms on ScanSoft's eOmniForm service. Now users without any HTML programming knowledge can easily distribute forms and have recipients fill and submit them online in a highly secure SSL-based environment, thereby ensuring security and privacy with industry standard data transmission encryption. This service provides users the easiest way to deploy their forms via the web with a one-click operation.

OmniForm Filler/Data Manager: The Power Behind Easy Forms Deployment and Collection

The most significant productivity gains in any forms solution come from increasing the ease by which forms are filled, and data is collected and analyzed. The OmniForm Filler/Data Manager, included with OmniForm Premium 5.0, offers several key features that significantly increase the ease of use, level of data integrity and overall workflow of distributing, collecting and managing forms information. OmniForm Filler™ is the first product of its kind to offer automatic data entry, a valuable time saver when filling out forms data. Commonly used information, such as name and address, is securely stored on a user's PC and recalled to automatically pre-fill new forms. OmniForm Filler lets the user attach other documents, photos, or scanned receipts to the completed forms, a useful feature for expense reports, listing sheets or other forms that typically include attachments. Forms can be submitted with digital signatures and saved locally for future reference. Once the form is submitted, OmniForm Filler streamlines the data collection process by automatically creating a database for each form which is instantly populated as data is collected. For quick analysis, data can be stored in the OmniForm database or exported to any OBDC compliant database.

"Forms re-creation and management can waste significant time and resources, and create tremendous challenges for businesses concerned with productivity and cost savings," said Wayne Crandall, senior vice president of sales and marketing for ScanSoft. "We developed OmniForm Premium to help companies overcome these challenges with a high return on investment - this is a complete forms deployment solution that provides gains right out of the box."

OmniForm Premium 5.0 Features and Benefits

Convert paper forms to digital quickly and accurately - Convert paper forms to digital forms in one easy step: a form that would normally take three to four hours to re-create can be completed in less than three minutes using OmniForm.
Create forms from scratch - Create new forms using the Designer Toolkit or the pre-defined templates included. As you design original forms, your own custom templates are created and saved to make the next form design even faster.
<>Automatic form filling - Save time filling out forms: previously entered data is saved as user and client profiles to be automatically recalled and pre-filled into new forms.
Digital Signatures - Sign forms electronically while ensuring form and data integrity. Users with PKI or Entrust authentication can lock signed forms or use OmniForm's built-in password protection.
Seamless Integration with eOmniForm.com - Host forms with one click. Recipients can fill forms via their Web browser. Automatic notification is sent to the originator as forms are completed. No programming or Web master experience required.
Post Forms to the Web - For users who want to host forms on their own web site, they can automatically convert any form to HTML for immediate hosting.
Built-in Form Filling Accuracy - Add form intelligence, field validations, and calculations to ensure that forms are filled correctly every time with OmniForm Filler.
Support for Attachments - Add attachments such as digital photos, scanned images, and computer files to any form record
PDF form support - Forms saved in PDF format are now more intelligent with calculations, field validation, and signature fields - OmniForm creates the Javascript automatically.

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Compatibility with your database - OmniForm is compatible with databases that are ODBC compliant, including MS Access, FileMaker, Act!, and Oracle.

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Larger forms - Forms up to 14" x 17" can be designed for increased size flexibility.

Pricing and Availability

Available immediately from your preferred reseller, the suggested price of OmniForm Premium 5.0 is $699.99. Included with OmniForm Premium 5.0 are 20 OmniForm Filler/Data Manager's, 100 mailable fillers and hosting of 5 forms on the eOmniForm service, free for one year. Additional Filler/Data Managers are available at a single unit price of $39.99 and are offered in volume license purchases. Call (800) 654-1187 for your custom licensing options or visit www.scansoft.com.

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 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 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 eight million registered users of ScanSoft products. For additional information about PaperPort Deluxe and ScanSoft's other award-winning paper-to-digital software, please visit www.scansoft.com.

Trademark reference: ScanSoft, OmniPagePro, OmniPage, OmniForm, eOmniForm.com, PaperPort, PaperPort Deluxe, Pagis and TextBridge, are registered trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks and trade names mentioned are hereby recognized and may be registered to their respective holders.

The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performances, including without limitation the perceived benefits of the agreement, 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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