ScanSoft PDF Converter Professional 3 Brings PDF Creation, Editing and Conversion to Every Business Desktop

Business Wire, May 10, 2005

PEABODY, Mass. -- Innovative New Application Breaks PDF Price Barrier, Delivers Unique New PDF Features Designed Specifically for Business Users

ScanSoft, Inc. (NASDAQ: SSFT), a global leader of speech and imaging solutions, today announced ScanSoft(R) PDF Converter Professional 3, a revolutionary new application that brings PDF creation, conversion, editing and form filling to every business desktop. PDF Converter Professional 3 provides business users with a complete PDF solution for just $99 - eliminating the historical trade-off between price and functionality.

While graphics professionals and select power users can rationalize the cost and complexity of traditional PDF solutions such as Adobe(R) Acrobat(R), ScanSoft PDF Converter Professional 3 is the first PDF application designed and priced specifically for every business user. ScanSoft PDF Converter Professional 3 supports the rich set of features that are required by business users, including the ability to create PDF files from any PC application, support for security and encryption, form filling and saving, as well as editing, sticky-notes and highlighting tools. However the new ScanSoft solution goes even further, delivering business PDF capabilities not found elsewhere. Its unique features include FormTyper(TM), which makes any PDF form fillable with a single click, and PDF Converter, which turns existing PDF files into fully-formatted Microsoft(R) Word and Corel(R) WordPerfect documents, as well as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.

"With PDF Converter Professional, ScanSoft is tapping into a potentially rich opportunity by focusing a PDF solution on the specific features and pricing needs of the business user," said Ralph Gammon of Document Imaging Report. "In going after this market, ScanSoft will benefit from its deep channel and OEM partnerships, but it is the customer that really wins with the introduction of this product. They now have an additional viable option when it comes to their investment in PDF."

Recent industry studies have shown that business users have different requirements for PDF solutions than graphics design professionals, who initially represented the largest percentage of PDF users. Where other solutions attempt to meet the needs of both sets of users - business and graphics design - with a single application, ScanSoft PDF Converter Professional 3 is focused completely on the needs of the business user. As a result the product excels within the areas that matter most to office professionals:

--Fast and Secure PDF Creation - For business users, the most requested PDF feature is a fast and secure way to create PDF files from any PC application. PDF Converter Professional delivers PDF creation that is three times faster than alternatives, and supports the features needed most by business users: compatibility with Adobe(R) Reader and other PDF viewing and editing applications; ability to apply passwords, permissions and encryption to a PDF; control of PDF compression and font embedding; support for adding watermarks and stamps; and exceptional PDF quality.

--PDF Editing - Many people believe that PDF files can't be edited, simply because existing solutions are limited, or because they don't have access to expensive design applications. PDF Converter Professional provides business users with an affordable way to modify text in a PDF, select, move, resize and rotate both text and graphics, as well as cut and paste content from a PDF into Microsoft Office applications. Now simple typo's can be fixed in seconds, graphics can be made more compelling, and information in a PDF can be quickly used in presentations, reports and spreadsheets.

--Universal PDF Form Filling - Because PDF files can be universally viewed, and retain the look of paper online, the format is very popular for distributing electronic business and government forms on the Web. However, the majority of PDF forms are not fillable, forcing users to print the PDF form, complete it by hand, and submit the form as paper, driving up operational costs within an organization. ScanSoft overcomes this inefficiency through PDF FormTyper, which turns any PDF form into a fillable electronic form with a single click. Fields and check-boxes are added to the form without changing the original, allowing user to complete, save and share the form electronically.

--Accurate PDF Conversion - Other more expensive solutions have the ability to "Save As Word", yet the results range from acceptable to terrible. With PDF Converter Professional, turning PDF files into fully-formatted and editable Microsoft Word documents and Excel spreadsheets is now as simple as a single click. Any PDF can be turned into a fully-formatted Microsoft Office document, including image PDF files created from scanning devices. This eliminates the time and cost associated with re-keying a PDF document into Microsoft Word or Excel.

"PDF Converter Professional 3 is perfect for my business - it works extremely well with our Microsoft Office applications and it has saved us about 40 hours in the last month alone," said Forrest Black, president, L&J Insurance Systems. "Not only does PDF Converter Professional 3 make it simple to merge a collection of scanned and digital documents into a single PDF file, but it is also so affordable that we can use it throughout our organization."