New York -- October 21, 2003 - ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), the leading supplier of speech and imaging solutions, today announced ScanSoft PDF Converter for Microsoft Word, a new application that quickly converts PDF files into fully-formatted Microsoft Office Word 2003 documents. The new product, developed by ScanSoft in collaboration with the Microsoft Office product group, helps to increase the productivity of information workers everywhere by allowing them to edit and use the information locked in PDF files. ScanSoft is demonstrating PDF Converter today as one of a select number of Microsoft technology industry partners participating in the launch event for the Microsoft Office System in New York City.

Users have historically turned to PDF as a way to view and print electronic documents, but like traditional paper, documents converted into the PDF format cannot be easily edited or repurposed. ScanSoft PDF Converter helps to overcome the limitations of PDF by using sophisticated page segmentation technology to recover the logical elements of the document in Microsoft Word - text, column flow, tables, graphics and captions. As a result, organizations are able to avoid the time and labor costs associated with manually re-creating PDF documents - a savings that can reach $200 or more for a single document.

"It's important for information workers to have the ability to work seamlessly between different software programs," said Gytis Barzdukas, director of Office Product Management at Microsoft Corp. "We are pleased to see ScanSoft's PDF Converter work with the Microsoft Office System so that customers who need to can move their PDF documents quickly and easily into Office programs such as Word 2003."

ScanSoft has worked closely with Microsoft to integrate PDF Converter seamlessly with programs in the Microsoft Office System, allowing PDF documents to be opened directly from within Microsoft Office Word 2003. PDF Converter also supports converting PDF files attached to email within Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, and adds "Open PDF in Word" to the right-mouse menu within Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer. These capabilities puts PDF conversion at the fingertips of Microsoft Office System users, enabling PDF files to be viewed and edited without the need for PDF reading applications.

"Before PDF Converter, it was difficult for us to get to get content out of existing PDF documents," said Basim Jaber, senior systems engineer, iPass Inc. "This is an easy-to-use solution that allows us to access the information locked in PDF, and provides our department with significant cost and time savings. I am especially impressed with its ability to create Microsoft Word documents that look like the original PDF."

Key Benefits of the ScanSoft PDF Converter

Save Time & Money - Industry studies show that eliminating the need to retype documents can save organizations as much as $200 or more for a single document.
Easy-to-use -With ScanSoft PDF Converter, users can open PDF documents directly from Microsoft Word 2003, Outlook 2003, Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer.
Fast - PDF files can be converted into Word 2003 documents in less than 5 seconds per page - significantly faster than manually re-keying the document.
Accurate - PDF files converted into Microsoft Word files maintain the same formatting, text, tables and graphics as the original PDF file.
Broad Language Support - PDF Converter supports more than 100 languages, including English, French, German, Italian and Spanish

"PDF Converter sprang from our deep understanding of the productivity barriers faced by our customers, and from our leadership in automating manual document processes," said Paul Ricci, CEO, ScanSoft. "With the growing use of electronic paper formats like PDF, and the associated productivity challenges they bring with them, we expect this product to become a standard tool for information workers everywhere."

Availability and Pricing

ScanSoft PDF Converter is available immediately through the ScanSoft professional sales organization and its global network of reseller partners worldwide. The product supports the 2003 release of Microsoft Office as well as previous versions including Office 97, 2000 and XP. The ScanSoft PDF Converter is $49.99 for individual users, with volume discounts available through the ScanSoft Open License Program. Upgrade assurance and support products are also available separately for the product. For additional information on features, pricing and volume licensing programs, please visit www.ScanSoft.com/pdfconverter or call (1) 800.443.7077.

About ScanSoft, Inc.

ScanSoft, Inc. is the leading supplier of speech and imaging solutions that are used to automate a wide range of manual processes-saving time, increasing worker productivity and improving customer service. For additional information on the company, please visit www.ScanSoft.com.

Trademark reference: ScanSoft and the ScanSoft logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company names 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 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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