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ScanSoft's OmniPage Pro X for Mac Raises The Bar For Digital Document Productivity

First OCR Software Designed for Mac OS X Features Superior Accuracy and Groundbreaking PDF Conversion and PDF Output

MACWORLD EXPO, SAN FRANCISCO- January 8, 2002 -ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, today announced the immediate availability of OmniPage Pro® X for Macintosh, a new version of the world's most popular optical character recognition (OCR) software. As the only OCR software solution running natively on Mac OS X, OmniPage Pro X for Mac extends ScanSoft's long-standing tradition of introducing industry firsts and continually raising the bar for OCR software applications.

Today, more than eight million users turn to ScanSoft's technology to transform a broad range of paper-based documents into digital documents that can be edited, archived and shared without retyping. With OmniPage Pro X for Macintosh, the company draws upon its unrivaled resources in image processing and recognition technologies to offer the industry's most robust and accurate OCR software available for the Macintosh platform. The OCR within OmniPage Pro X™ is nearly 50 percent more accurate when compared to competitive offerings, and 40 percent more accurate than previous versions of OmniPage Pro for the Mac.

Among the groundbreaking functionality added to OmniPage Pro X for Mac is the ability to convert static PDF documents that contain text, tables and graphics into fully editable online documents. OmniPage Pro X extends OCR software beyond traditional scanning by allowing Macintosh users to 'unlock' and re-purpose the information held within PDF and other image files.

"Through powerful graphics technologies, such as Quartz, Mac OS X provides users with the capability to easily create, embed and display PDF files," said Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of worldwide developer relations. "ScanSoft's OmniPage Pro X for Mac is a utilities-rich, native Mac OS X application that takes PDF functionality one step further by enabling users to convert read-only PDF documents into editable files that can then be used in any application."

"We have worked closely with Apple to insure that OmniPage Pro X for Mac leverages many of Mac OS X's advanced features, including its Aqua user interface and pre-emptive multitasking capabilities," said Robert Weideman, vice president of marketing at ScanSoft. "We are pleased to extend the benefits of OmniPage Pro to home and office users of Apple's next generation operating system."

OmniPage Pro X for Mac Features and Benefits

  • Nearly 50 percent increase in OCR accuracy over competition - ScanSoft's advanced OCR technology minimizes errors and the associated time users have to spend editing scanned documents. OmniPage uses two of ScanSoft's most powerful OCR engines to provide the most accurate product for the Macintosh.
  • Convert static PDF files into editable documents - OmniPage Pro X for Mac instantly converts PDF files into MS Word, Excel and HTML documents. The conversion retains same-as-paper layout, columns, fonts and graphics from the original document.
  • Create PDF files - Users who want to convert paper-based documents into searchable PDF files can do it quickly and easily with OmniPage Pro X for Mac. The export of four types of standard PDF files is supported: PDF Normal, PDF with image substitutes, PDF image on text and PDF Image only.
  • Native Mac OS X support - OmniPage Pro X for Mac offers customers the only OCR product that works natively with Mac OS X.
  • Spreadsheet and table recognition - Users can maintain alignment and cell styles of spreadsheets and tables for the first time, easily converting them into digital spreadsheets or other documents.
  • Web page creation - OmniPage Pro X for Mac's HTML publishing now allows users to maintain all document formatting when posting pages directly to Web sites.
  • Voice read back - OmniPage Pro X can now read scanned text back out loud, enabling users to proof "by ear", not just visually.
  • Microsoft Office integration - OmniPage Pro X for Mac is compatible with recent versions of MS Office including Office 98, 2001 and the new v. X. The new version allows Mac users to perform OCR functions directly from Microsoft programs for additional efficiency.

"ScanSoft's OmniPage Pro X for Mac offers significant time-saving and personal productivity improvements, cutting the data acquisition of prospect customer lists from directories and mailing lists by over 75 percent," said Quentin Leo, president of ASQ Soft Information Architects, an independent software consulting and development firm. "As the only OCR product that works natively in Mac OS X, OmniPage Pro X enables me to work seamlessly in the Mac OS X environment without having to modify any converted images. It truly delivers the powerful benefits of OCR technology to the Mac platform."

Pricing and Availability

OmniPage Pro X for Mac is available immediately through ScanSoft's resellers, retail outlets, Web store and catalogs. Users of any OCR software can purchase OmniPage Pro X for Mac for $149.99 (U.S. dollars). For additional information on features, system requirements and pricing, please visit www.ScanSoft.com or call (800) 654-1187.

ScanSoft will officially launch OmniPage Pro X for Macintosh at the MacWorld Conference and Expo in San Francisco this week (booth #441).

About ScanSoft, Inc.

ScanSoft, Inc.(Nasdaq: SSFT) is the leading supplier of imaging, speech and language 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, OmniPage, OmniPage Pro, OmniPage Pro X are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc., in the United States and other countries. Mac and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks and trade names mentioned herein are recognized and may be registered to their respective holders.

The Company notes that the statements in this release that relate to future plans, events, performance, including without limitation the projected shipment dates, customers' opting to upgrade to newer or more fully featured products are forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market acceptance, engineering delays, quality assurance testing delays, contractual negotiations, successful completion of beta site testing, the scheduling of orders, changes in operating systems, a significant change in the competitive environment, timely delivery by component suppliers and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports. Readers are cautioned not to place undo reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

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