Nuance Introduces ScanSoft OmniPage Capture SDK 15, Extending Worldwide Leadership in Scanning, OCR and PDF Developer Tools

World’s Leading Imaging SDK Sports Unrivaled Accuracy, Automatic Form Recognition, Support for PDF/A and PDF-MRC, Synthesized Speech, Microsoft .NET Extensions and More

PHILADELPHIA – AIIM 2006 Conference – May 17, 2006 – Nuance Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: NUAN), a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions, today introduced the ScanSoft® OmniPage® Capture SDK 15 at the AIIM Exposition and Conference in Philadelphia. The new release delivers the best in what matters most in an imaging software developer kit (SDK) – the highest levels of optical character recognition (OCR) accuracy, layout retention and performance available.

The OmniPage Capture SDK gives developers everything needed to quickly and easily add powerful imaging features to their existing applications, or to develop complete document capture or forms processing applications targeting desktop or server environments. This new release is the most comprehensive ever, delivering a set of new capabilities that will increase its value within traditional imaging application segments, as well as expand the use of imaging technologies to entirely new application arenas.

The OmniPage Capture SDK 15 can deliver accuracy levels of over 99 percent for OCR, an increase of up to 36 percent over the previous version and a performance that is up to 50 percent better than alternatives. Customers also benefit from the built-in support for dual-core, hyper-threading and multi-CPU systems, which deliver speed improvements of up to 32 percent. Application development has been greatly simplified through the delivery of high-level function calls, support for C, C++, COM, VB.NET and C# programming environments, and pre-made end user interfaces that include the new Workflow Assistant. The new release also includes features not available from any other imaging SDK, including Logical Forms Recognition (LFR) and Template Editor which simplify developing forms processing applications; RealSpeak™ Text-to-Speech for converting documents into audio files; and robust support for PDF, including new PDF/A and PDF-MRC formats.

“With this release, Nuance is delivering a set of features that developers can use to create powerful capture or forms processing solutions. The ability to selectively choose engines allows them to optimize performance in different environments,” said Harvey Spencer, president of Harvey Spencer Associates. “Nuance has also made it easier for the developers to implement complete solutions more rapidly, and embrace new capabilities such as PDF/A, text-to-speech and scanning workflow within a single, scalable framework.”

Key OmniPage Capture SDK 15 Capabilities

• Superior OCR Text Accuracy – Already judged by industry experts to be the most accurate OCR solution available, the new OmniPage Capture SDK release can achieve over 99 percent accuracy, an increase of up to 36 percent over the previous version, and up to 50 percent more accurate than alternatives. Best of all, where alternatives trade-off accuracy for significantly slower throughput, the new release delivers superior accuracy with improved throughput – making the OmniPage Capture SDK the ideal solution for high-volume document capture applications.



• “Hyper” Speed – The OmniPage Capture SDK 15 has a scalable multi-engine architecture that provides developers with the ability to match their accuracy and performance to specific tasks, resulting in the best combination of accuracy and speed. High-level voting interfaces speed the development processes, while built-in support for hyper-threading and multi-CPU systems provide developers with easy access to the greatest throughput possible.



• Unrivaled Layout Retention – For modern OCR applications, getting the text perfect is half the job. Also critical is the ability to precisely retain the layout of the original document – columns, tables and graphics - as you convert it to other formats, including Microsoft Office, Corel WordPerfect and XML. Again, OmniPage Capture SDK is the established leader in this area, and with the new release extends its layout accuracy lead with an improvement of 33 percent.



• Handprint, Barcode and Checkbox Recognition – The new release also includes accuracy improvements of 20 percent for its ICR (handprint) recognition capabilities; expansion of its barcode capabilities to include 18 different 1D barcodes as well as support for PDF-417 and Data Matrix 2D barcode recognition; and MICR (check processing) and OMR (checkbox) recognition engines.



• Automatic Form Template Creation and Editing – The new release includes Logical Forms Recognition™ (LFR), a technology unique to OmniPage that creates an XML-based template from existing documents and forms. Developers now have access to detailed structural information about a document or form, such as where date, text or numeric fields are located. A Template Editor is also included to simplify the process of changing or setting attributes for specific fields. The XML templates can be used to quickly implement forms and document capture applications, and can be used to automate the conversion of forms from image to fillable electronic formats.



• Complete PDF Module – Nuance has been a pioneer in providing developers with robust support for PDF with OmniPage Capture SDK, delivering the fastest PDF reading, the most accurate conversion with PDF Overlay Matching, and the most optimized creation of searchable PDF. The new release adds support for PDF 1.5, and more importantly adds support for both PDF/A and PDF-MRC. PDF/A (ISO 19005-1) is a new archive format standard established by the International Standards Organization, and embraced by a growing number of government and corporate organizations, including the United States Library of Congress. PDF-MRC is a standard PDF format that creates scanned color PDF files that are up to eight times smaller than alternatives, making it easier than ever to share PDF documents over email and the Web.



• Turnkey Workflow – Scanning and converting documents is a complex process for developers to implement, one that is made simple with the unique workflow features in the new OmniPage Capture SDK. Developers can now integrate the Workflow Assistant within applications to allow users to step through a Visual wizard to select their scanning, processing and export settings. Already proven in the OmniPage Professional desktop application, the Workflow Assistant provides users with the easiest way to turn paper into documents that they can edit and archive.



• RealSpeak Text-to-Speech Module – The OmniPage Capture SDK is the first and only OCR SDK to allow developers to add integrated support for RealSpeak Text-to-Speech to their applications, which turns paper and digital documents into human-sounding audio files. Not only is this an important way to provide document support for disabled users, it allows everyone to save documents to files that can be played on personal computers and mobile devices, including the Apple iPod.



• C# and Visual Studio .NET – The OmniPage Capture SDK can be used with nearly every programming language, including C, C++ and COM, and now supports C#, VB.NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET.



• Improved Developer Support Tools – The new release includes robust improvements in developer documentation and sample programs, and includes new Diagnostic Logging which shortens the debugging process.

“Document capture and conversion have become mainstream functions within organizations of all sizes, expanding beyond their traditional back-office roles,” said Robert Weideman, senior vice president, Productivity Applications Division, Nuance. “With this release we make it easier than ever for developers to deliver desktop and server solutions that allow their customers to turn paper into documents they can archive, edit and use.”

About the OmniPage Capture SDK

OmniPage Capture SDK technology is used by nearly 100 percent of the commercial vendors that implement imaging and OCR capabilities, including Autodesk Raster Design, Canon imageWARE, Captiva, CardScan, FileNET Capture, Kofax Ascent Capture, Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint, Xerox DocuShare and more. It is also the technology used within the world’s largest Web book scanning and search projects, and the only OCR indexing technology integrated with desktop search products, including Google Desktop Search. And of course, OmniPage OCR is used by millions everyday within the world’s most accurate and popular desktop scanning, OCR and document conversion applications – ScanSoft® PaperPort®, OmniPage® and PDF Converter Professional.

Pricing and Availability

The ScanSoft OmniPage Capture SDK from Nuance is currently in beta release and will be generally available by August 2006, with pricing starting at $4,495 for a developer license. For more information on the product and to request runtime pricing please visit www.nuance.com or call Nuance at (1) 800.443.7077.

Nuance will be in Booth #125 at the AIIM OnDemand Conference and Exposition, taking place in Philadelphia May 16-18, 2005.

ScanSoft Imaging Solutions

Through unrivaled features, accuracy and performance, ScanSoft Imaging Solutions from Nuance eliminate barriers to productivity by enabling people and organizations to automate a range of document processes – increasing productivity, saving time and reducing costs. With products for enterprises, small-to-medium-sized businesses and home offices, ScanSoft Imaging Solutions are used to put the power of PDF on every business desktop; convert paper and PDF into documents that can be easily edited; and simplify scanning and document management using multifunction scanners and networked digital copiers. To experience new levels of productivity, please visit Nuance.com/ScanSoft.

Nuance Communications, Inc.

Nuance (Nasdaq: NUAN) is the leading provider of speech and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with information and how they create, share and use documents. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance's proven applications and professional services. For more information, please visit www.nuance.com.

Nuance, the Nuance logo, Logical Forms Recognition, OmniPage, PaperPort, RealSpeak, and ScanSoft are registered trademarks or trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or 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 Nuance’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.