Adobe Systems to Offer Authoring Tools For the Microsoft Network; Adobe Acrobat & Adobe's Key Graphics Products to Be Integrated with Microsoft "Blackbird"

Business Wire, July 18, 1995

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 18, 1995--Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq: ADBE) today announced that it is working with Microsoft Corporation to facilitate the creation and distribution of graphically rich content over the Microsoft(tm) Network. Adobe will be integrating its industry-leading authoring tools, including Adobe Photoshop(tm) and Adobe Illustrator(tm), into Microsoft's interactive application publishing platform, code-named "Blackbird." Adobe and Microsoft also will work to integrate Adobe(tm) Acrobat(tm) software into "Blackbird," allowing users of the Microsoft Network to seamlessly view Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) documents created by Acrobat products.

The "Blackbird" system allows content providers to offer rich interactive multimedia applications and services on the Microsoft Network, providing users with a compelling and exciting on-line experience. Interactive applications developed with "Blackbird" are optimized for low-bandwidth delivery of rich multimedia content. "Blackbird" is expected to be available in January 1996. Adobe intends to support "Blackbird" through Microsoft OLE 2.0 in future versions of its key applications. This support will provide users with access to professional applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator for content creation in the Blackbird environment. Users of Adobe products will be able to leverage their existing investment by outputting to "Blackbird."

Adobe Acrobat software lets publishers create visually rich, cross-platform electronic documents using virtually any authoring tool available today. With Acrobat, users can publish once in Adobe PDF -- an open, searchable file format that preserves document fidelity across all major computer platforms and printers, the Internet and on-line services.

Adobe Systems, founded in 1982, is headquartered in Mountain View, California. Adobe develops, markets and supports computer software products and technologies that enable users to create, display, print and communicate electronic documents. The company licenses its technology to major computer, printing and publishing suppliers and markets a line of applications software and type products for authoring visually rich documents. Adobe's 1994 revenue was approximately $598 million.

CONTACT: Carol Sacks

415/962-4989, Fax 415/969-7987

or

Therese M. Bruno

206/233-7315, Fax 206/343-4240

http://www.adobe.com/