Simplifies Office Management and Eliminates Costs of Paper Forms by Distributing 300 Fill-able Electronic Forms; Doctors Complete Repetitive Forms Quickly, Reducing Errors, Increasing Productivity and Improving Patient Care

PEABODY, Mass., April 9, 2003 - ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, today announced that the American Academy of Ophthalmology has selected ScanSoft's OmniForm® as its e-Forms solution for Practice Forms Master, a software product that includes electronic versions of over 300 practice management forms.

Various industry and vendor studies have shown that paper forms can cost between $15 and $165 to print, distribute and process. OmniForm significantly reduces - and sometimes eliminates - the costs associated with paper forms, first by replacing printed forms with electronic forms that can be filled out online, then by using automated data collection and processing to eliminate the manual data entry of completed forms.

Eye M.D.s use OmniForm to complete a wide range of medical and administrative forms including patient exams, benefit claims, referrals and payment agreements. Doctors can easily and quickly customize their forms to include a business logo and other information pertinent to their practice. Field validations and calculations can also be incorporated into forms by way of point and click, increasing the accuracy of the data and decreasing liability.

OmniForm efficiently manages the form-filling and data-management process by building a database of each previously entered record of data. Doctor and patient profiles can be used to pre-populate forms. Forms filled out electronically are easier to interpret and require less data processing time, thereby saving time and increasing productivity.

"ScanSoft's OmniForm is one of the ways we help meet our members' need to run efficient practices in a world where the administrative burden grows steadily," said Jane Aguirre, Vice President of Ophthalmic Practice at the American Academy of Ophthalmology. "We are impressed with the accuracy and ease-of-use of OmniForm."

As one of the most versatile forms applications on the market, OmniForm is a leading solution for instantly converting paper forms into automated fillable electronic forms. Corporate, government, healthcare and academic organizations rely on OmniForm to automate a wide range of internal and Web-based forms processes, from expense reports and timecards to surveys and patient forms. OmniForm Premium saves money and increases worker productivity by allowing organizations to distribute, fill, collect and process forms completely electronically.

"The healthcare industry is one of the fastest growing and important segments of our customer base," said Wayne Crandall, senior vice president of sales and business development. "The Academy's introduction of ScanSoft's OmniForm 5.0 to the ophthalmology community validates the value of our software and demonstrates the versatility of our technology from one field to another."

About The American Academy of Ophthalmology

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the largest national membership association of eye M.D.s, medical doctors who provide comprehensive eye care, including medical, surgical and optical care. More than 90 percent of practicing United States eye M.D.s are Academy members. In total, the Academy includes more than 27,000 members, including more than 3,000 international members. For additional information, please visit www.aao.org.

About ScanSoft, Inc.

ScanSoft, Inc. is a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions that are used to automate a wide range of manual processes - saving time, increasing worker productivity and improving customer service. For additional information on the company, please visit www.ScanSoft.com.

Trademark reference: ScanSoft and OmniForm are trademarks or registered trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company names or product names referenced herein 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 ScanSoft'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.

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