PC Magazine Editors Cite Accuracy, Breadth of Features and PDF Capabilities, Making It "the OCR We'd Most Like to Have on Our System"

PEABODY, Mass., January 20, 2004- ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), the leading supplier of speech and imaging solutions, today announced that OmniPage® Pro 14 Office has received the coveted Editors' Choice award and a five out of a possible five star rating from the editors of PC Magazine for the second year in a row, after an exhaustive technical analysis of the product's features and functionality.

OmniPage Pro 14 Office is a powerful productivity application that delivers highly accurate document and PDF conversion, replacing the need to manually re-create paper and image-based documents with an automated, electronic process. The software helps businesses save time and money by instantly turning paper and PDF files--such as letters, contracts, spreadsheets, magazine articles, research reports, manuals and more--into editable documents. The editors' review lauded the breadth of features in OmniPage, including expanded PDF creation and encryption, noting that, "many [features] go well beyond what you'd expect from an OCR program." However, even with the host of new features, OmniPage continues to excel on the features that matter most to OCR users - accuracy and formatting, leading the editors to conclude, "The combination of accuracy and new features makes it the OCR program we'd most like to have on our system." The complete review by M. David Stone can be found in the February 3 issue of PC Magazine or online at www.pcmag.com.

"The positive response and feedback from customers to the new version of OmniPage has been among the strongest in company history," said Robert Weideman, general manager, ScanSoft Productivity Applications. "We are particularly honored to receive this distinction from PC Magazine, a respected and trusted information source for comparative reviews, as we continue to provide our customers with innovative, reliable solutions."

Building on its legacy of superior OCR accuracy, OmniPage Pro 14 Office provides enhanced workgroup and output capabilities that virtually eliminate the need for time-consuming paper-based processes, saving significant time and money. With this new version, users also have the ability to output any of their scanned and existing documents directly into PDF, .lit or XML files, adding full PDF conversion and output functionality. Advanced workflow capabilities enable users within workgroups to streamline complex network scanning and batch-processing tasks to one simple, automated action, saving more time than ever before.

In addition to a host of new functionality, ScanSoft has enhanced the features that continue to matter most to OCR users - increasing overall accuracy by more than 35 percent and significantly improving format retention - virtually eliminating time spent proofing and "cleaning up" a scanned document. With the integration of advanced voice features, users now have the option to leverage ScanSoft's industry-leading RealSpeak™ text-to-speech software to read aloud entire documents, creating an audio e-book of any document, or simply listening for natural, accurate proofing. With OmniPage Pro 14 Office, it is now easier than ever to re-create and re-purpose electronic and paper documents - even those with formatted text, columns, graphics, tables and spreadsheets.

About PC Magazine

PC Magazine, the independent guide to technology, delivers comprehensive labs-based reviews and the most trusted recommendations for buyers of technology products and services. Reaching more than 5.9 million highly engaged technology readers, PC Magazine provides product reviews, first looks at emerging technologies and products, and opinionated columns from renowned technology pundits. To meet its readers' needs for buying information that is as current as it is comprehensive, PC Magazine publishes 22 times a year in print and continually on the Web.

About ScanSoft, Inc.

ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT) is the leading supplier of speech and imaging solutions that are used to automate a wide range of manual processes - saving time, increasing worker productivity and improving customer service. For more information regarding ScanSoft products and technologies, please visit www.ScanSoft.com.

Trademark reference: ScanSoft, the ScanSoft logo, RealSpeak, and OmniPage are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company or product names 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 or 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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