ScanSoft OmniPage Pro Office 14 Has Record Launch and Redefines the State-of-the-Art in Desktop OCR and Document Conversion Applications

Highly Accurate OCR, Barcode Coversheet Processing, Automated XML Document Workflows and Total PDF Support Help Drive Record Upgrades and Unmatched Industry Awards

NEW YORK - AIIM 2004 Conference - March 9, 2004 - ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), the leading supplier of speech and imaging solutions, today announced that the newest release of the world's most popular document conversion and PDF application, OmniPage® Pro Office 14, has become the most successful product introduction in the company's history. Since the worldwide introduction in late 2003, OmniPage Pro 14 sales have surpassed the record pace set by OmniPage Pro 12. OmniPage Pro 14 has also won nearly every major industry award and product comparison, including Editor's Choice honors from both PC Magazine and C|NET.

"We take pride in the fact that ScanSoft is the number one name in OCR, and we work hard with every release of OmniPage to earn that reputation," said Robert Weideman, general manager, ScanSoft Productivity Applications. "The adoption and industry response to the new version have surpassed our expectations on every level. We look forward to continuing the momentum throughout 2004 as we penetrate new markets and release international versions."

The success of OmniPage Pro Office 14 has been driven by combining significant product enhancements with market-expanding innovations. For existing users of desktop optical character recognition (OCR) applications, OmniPage Pro 14 delivers unmatched accuracy and performance. Accuracy has improved by more than 35 percent; while improvements in format retention now significantly reduce the time needed to proof and "clean up" converted documents. OmniPage Pro 14 is also highly reliable, and was the only product to successfully process 100% of the test documents in the independent PC Magazine comparison of OCR products.

OmniPage Pro 14 also delivers innovative new capabilities that address the expanding productivity challenges facing office workers, resulting in a product that redefines the state-of-the-art for "desktop OCR" applications. For example, the new release is the only single application to provide the ability to scan, convert, create and index industry-standard PDF files; is the only OCR application to include PDF Converter, giving users the ability to open and convert PDF files from within Microsoft Word; and is unique in providing RealSpeak™ Proofing, where text is read aloud using human-sounding synthesized speech.

The product is also the only solution to provide XML document workflow and barcode coversheet capabilities, features that are especially important in supporting the growing deployments of network multifunction devices. XML Document Workflow capability provides a point & click way to set up re-usable document processing steps, which can be run on demand or through an automated batch process on the network. Barcode-based coversheets can be used to initiate the XML workflow from remote scanners, providing an automated way to process scanned documents from anywhere in the enterprise.

Finally, OmniPage continues to set the standard for OCR applications through its leading-edge support for important new standards. OmniPage 12 was the first OCR application to support exporting to XML, and OmniPage 14 has expanded this capability to include WordML, the standard XML format for Microsoft Office 2003. OmniPage is also able to turn document text into human-sounding speech, and store the result as standard audio file recordings -- a valuable feature for those with vision impairment and those wishing to "listen to" documents while on the go.

Availability and Pricing

ScanSoft® OmniPage Pro Office 14 is available through ScanSoft's global network of reseller partners worldwide. ScanSoft OmniPage Pro Office 14 is $599.99 for individual users, with volume discounts available through the ScanSoft® Open License Program. Upgrade pricing and support products are also available. For additional information on features, pricing and volume licensing programs, please visit www.ScanSoft.com or call (1) 800-443-7077.

About ScanSoft, Inc.

ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT) 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 more information regarding ScanSoft products and technologies, please visit www.ScanSoft.com.

Trademark reference: ScanSoft, the ScanSoft logo, RealSpeak, and OmniPage 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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