Caere Affiliate Publishing Introduces Windows 95 Native Version Of OmniForm Electronic Forms Conversion Software; OmniForm 2.0 First Windows 95 Native Electronic Forms Application; Takes Advantage Of Microsoft Exchange for Easy Routing, E-Mailing and Faxing of Forms and OLE 2.0 Support Including Automation

Business Wire, Nov 3, 1995

LOS GATOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 1995--Caere Affiliate Publishing (CAP), the software publishing group of Caere Corporation (NASDAQ: CAER), will officially introduce the first available Windows 95 native electronic forms application, OmniForm 2.0, at COMDEX, Booth No. 4018, Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas.

OmniForm 2.0 is an electronic forms conversions software package which instantly converts existing paper forms into electronic format without additional drawing or formatting. Tracing its roots to the highly successful launch of OmniForm 1.0 which debuted earlier this year, OmniForm 2.0 takes advantage of the capabilities of Microsoft Exchange, OLE 2.0 and OLE Automation, while also providing an extensive list of new features.

In addition to Caere's world-renowned OmniPage optical character recognition (OCR) technology and improved Logical Form Recognition, CAP has integrated Language Analyst, an innovative feature used in conjunction with Caere's OCR technology for exceptional text and character recognition.

"Our original OmniForm offering has been widely embraced by end users and our channel partners and has exceeded our original expectations," said Ed MacBeth, director of business development. "Many of the capabilities associated with Windows 95 were ideal for OmniForm and the forms user in general. Therefore, we adopted an aggressive development schedule to be the first electronic forms application to market with a native Windows 95 version of OmniForm, which we expect will further our superiority in the forms software market."

OmniForm Takes Advantage of Windows 95 For Increased Functionality

The 32-bit preemptive multitasking and Microsoft Exchange capabilities of the newly introduced Windows 95 native design are an ideal complement for users of CAP's electronic forms conversion software. Via Microsoft Exchange, OmniForm 2.0 users will now be able to e-mail, electronically route, and fax forms from within the Windows 95 operating system. Despite utilizing multiple applications simultaneously, system performance will not be affected. These advanced capabilities make it easier than ever to make electronic forms part of the standard business process.

The creation, utilization and transportation of forms is expected to become even more effortless through OmniForm's support of OLE 2.0 and other features of Windows 95. OLE (object, linking and embedding) allows OmniForm users to "drag and drop" existing documents, such as a Microsoft Excel worksheet or a Word file, into a form. OmniForm's use of "drag and drop" simplifies on-screen tasks and assists in keeping data manageable when several files or applications are in use.

Microsoft Exchange, in combination with OLE, will allow professionals to route forms electronically. For example, in the forms-driven insurance industry, claim, auto and supplemental application forms can now be electronically completed, routed and can incorporate attached graphics and charts. Forms can be stored in a central database, making retrieval and updating of the forms quick and convenient.

In addition, Windows 95's right mouse button support enables OmniForm users to instantly create and print forms from the desktop, thereby eliminating time consuming steps in the process. OmniForm also offers users the ability to encode long file names; form file names can now be up to 250 characters in length, eliminating 11-character-titled documents and OmniForm now supports forms up to 100 pages in length.

Spell Check, Automatic Rotation, Improved Calculations and More

Responding to the growing and diverse needs of form users, OmniForm 2.0 now offers spell checking and automatic rotation features for forms users. Spell checking allows OmniForm users to quickly check for misspelled words while converting, designing or filing forms. Automatic rotation allows users to insert preprinted forms into a fax machine or scanner in any orientation and OmniForm will correctly rotate it to initiate the recognition process.

Users of OmniForm will notice overall improvements in form design capabilities as improved calculation, filing and tab order have been added as well as a new scapbook feature. These improvements allow OmniForm users the ability to create individually tailored forms. In particular industries such as banking, speed and accuracy of calculations are essential. OmniForm builds calculations for fields on a form with the click of a button. A calculation now exists which acts as "counter" allowing unique numbers to be generated for each record and improved filing which catches data entry errors immediately after they occur. OmniForm's scrapbook capabilities allow users to "drag and drop" pre-built form segments into their documents. Users can utilize this feature to store frequently used information, such as a company logo, in the scrapbook file. Users can also use the scrapbook file to retrieve segments of documents, such as an address block, without having to reformat or design the information.