PEABODY, Mass., May 21, 2003 - ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, today announced that PaperPort® Pro 9 Office Edition has received five out of a possible five stars from PC Magazine after a detailed technical analysis of the product's features and functionality.

PaperPort Pro Office is a new, professional business version of PaperPort Deluxe®, the world's most popular desktop paper and document management application for the PC. PaperPort Pro Office is the first desktop product to combine the power of creating PDF files, the convenience of network scanning and the efficiency of document management, into a single, easy-to-use office productivity application. In its review, PC Magazine praised PaperPort for its expanded PDF functionality and noted its values beyond traditional use: "Even if you don't have a scanner, you'll probably find dozens of ways to organize your data files with PaperPort Pro 9 Office. It is well worth the price." The complete review by Alfred Poor can be found in the June 17, 2003 issue of PC Magazine.

"The response to the new PaperPort release has been tremendous, from both customers and industry experts like PC Magazine," said Robert Weideman, chief marketing officer at ScanSoft. "We are particularly honored to receive this five-star recognition from PC Magazine, a respected and trusted information source for the technology community, as we continue our tradition of providing the industry with robust and innovative productivity solutions."

PaperPort's intuitive thumbnail-based presentation allows pages within documents of all kinds - including scanned paper, PDF, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more - to be instantly viewed and found without launching the associated application. Its sophisticated full-page optical character recognition (OCR) engine automatically creates search keywords for scanned paper and PDF files, allowing its SimpleSearchTM feature to find all matching documents - from standard Microsoft Office and other digital document types, to scanned paper and business cards, as well as PDF files received on email or downloaded from the Web.

PaperPort's DesktopDelivery™ feature reduces the costs associated with manually copying and storing paper documents by automatically delivering scanned pages to the user's PC from local or network scanning devices, including MFPs and digital copiers. DesktopDelivery instantly converts scanned images into PDF files and launches PaperPort, whose drag and drop tools users can use to send the files as email attachments, store the files on the PC or on the network, or print the files in color or black & white.

About PC Magazine

PC Magazine, the independent guide to technology, delivers comprehensive labs-based reviews and the most trusted recommendations for buyers of technology products and services. Reaching more than 5.9 million highly engaged technology readers, PC Magazine provides product reviews, first looks at emerging technologies and products, and opinionated columns from renowned technology pundits. To meet its readers' needs for buying information that is as current as it is comprehensive, PC Magazine publishes 22 times a year in print and continually on the Web.

About ScanSoft, Inc.

ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT) is a 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, the ScanSoft logo, PaperPort, PaperPort Deluxe, SimpleSearch, and DesktopDelivery are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company or product names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with market trends, competitive factors, and other risks identified in ScanSoft's SEC filings. Actual results, events or 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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