FileNet, Adobe Announce Extensions To Document-Imaging Standards; Common Functionality Across TIFF and PDF to Enable Document-Imaging Technology to More Easily Integrate with Broader Set of Business Applications

Business Wire, April 1, 1996

COSTA MESA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 1, 1996--Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) and FileNet Corp. (Nasdaq:FILE) today announced that they will jointly propose common extensions to both the Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) specifications to enable seamless use of both file formats across a broad range of document-imaging, document-management, archiving, and electronic publishing systems.

The proposed extensions would create a common set of annotations that could be used across all TIFF and PDF viewing and authoring applications.

The joint proposal is designed to address the problem caused by the growing number of extensions developed by different vendors to the TIFF format, which make it difficult for customers to integrate and broadly apply document-imaging systems in the enterprise.

"This represents a significant boost not only for Adobe's PDF and FileNet's enterprise users, but more importantly for the entire industry," said Thomas M. Koulopoulos, president at Delphi Consulting Group, Inc. "TIFF has long been a nightmare for users of imaging due to its numerous extensions, making compatibility and transportability a serious problem. The proposed Adobe/FileNet PDF/TIFF annotation standard will move the industry much closer to the ideal of cross platform point of access -- an absolute must for intra- and inter-enterprise document management. This may be as important to the future of enterprise imaging as the advent of CCITT Group 3 fax."

The proposed extensions, called OCALA (Open Common Annotation Language), will help applications from different document-imaging vendors share image files more effectively, while allowing customers to better integrate document imaging with a broader set of corporate information systems. As a result, customers can more easily deploy applications that provide a single point of access to a wide range of electronically-created and paper-based documents.

FileNet also announced its intention to support the PDF format. Initially, FileNet and Watermark Software, a FileNet company, plan to incorporate the new annotation format into future versions of FileNet and Watermark document-imaging software, while maintaining existing support of TIFF. Adobe will also add support for the extensions into future releases of Adobe(R) Acrobat(R) software. As a result, applications supporting the proposed extensions will be able to seamlessly share both TIFF and PDF files through common annotation and viewing capabilities.

"Our industry is experiencing a convergence of workflow, document-imaging, document management, and COLD technologies, creating the need for users to organize, manage, and share electronic documents in a variety of file formats," said Ted Smith, president and CEO of FileNet. "By working with Adobe, a leader in electronic publishing, we can develop a common method for managing annotations in PDF and TIFF documents, and help customers further leverage corporate information assets and business processes across the enterprise."

"We want to enable corporations to standardize on a single data type that will allow them to easily use information, both electronic and paper-based, across many business applications, such as document management, print-on-demand systems, and the Internet," said John Warnock, CEO of Adobe Systems Incorporated. "By combining our expertise with FileNet's leadership in document-imaging and workflow, we can advance a standard to support a broad range of corporate information in one universally accessible format."

The proposed extensions will be designed to create interoperable annotation capabilities, allowing users to add comments, sticky notes and highlighter annotations to electronic documents that cross PDF and TIFF formats. PDF, the file format created by Adobe Acrobat software, is widely used as a corporate standard for the electronic distribution of documents across the Internet, internal networks, and CD-ROM disks. Acrobat Capture(TM) software converts TIFF files to PDF but without carrying over annotations. Through the proposed extensions, Acrobat software could provide users with universal viewing capabilities of image and non-image documents.

FileNet and Adobe will work together to advance the specification in the industry, making it available free of charge. The companies plan to publish a draft specification on the Internet to solicit comments. After comments are received, the companies will provide a forum for all interested parties to finalize and publish the specification for general adoption.

Rudy Burger, vice president of Business Development at Visioneer, makers of the leading paper input system, PaperPort Vx, said, "Document communications across LAN-based email and the Internet requires industry standard file formats. We expect the OCALA initiative to accelerate the adoption of document imaging by mainstream personal computer users."

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Based in Mountain View, Calif., Adobe Systems Incorporated develops and supports products to help people express and use information in more imaginative and meaningful ways, across all print and electronic media. Founded in 1982, Adobe helped launch the desktop publishing revolution. Today, the company offers a market-leading line of application software and type products for creating and distributing visually rich communication materials; licenses its industry-standard technologies to major hardware manufacturers, software developers, and service providers; and offers integrated software solutions to businesses of all sizes. For more information, see Adobe's home page at http://www.adobe.com on the World Wide Web.