Caere Announces OmniPage for Arabic at CeBIT '96; Caere Provides First OmniFont Optical Character Recognition Software for the Arabic Language.

LOS GATOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 1996--Caere Corporation (NASDAQ: CAER), the recognized leader in optical character recognition (OCR) technology and the developer of OmniPage Pro, the world's best-selling OCR product, today announced a sneak preview of OmniPage for Arabic at CeBIT `96 hall 4, booth C60.

OmniPage for Arabic is the first "OmniFont" OCR product for the recognition of the Arabic language. OmniPage for Arabic works directly with a scanner to convert paper-based documents into editable text for use in word processing applications, eliminating the need to retype information. The product's "OmniFont" OCR technology provides highly accurate recognition of essentially any character in virtually any typeface and size (between 6 and 27) points, without user training.

The product comes bundled with Caere's International English version of OmniPage Pro 6.0 for the recognition of English and 13 Western European languages. OmniPage for Arabic is expected to be priced at the equivalent of $1,395 US (MSRP) and available in May(a).

"The purpose of OCR is to save the user time and effort by eliminating the need to retype information, not to require the user to spend a lot of time up front to train the OCR engine," said Edda Tusinac, Managing Director, Caere Europe. "OmniPage for Arabic provides the state-of-the-art technology to recognize Arabic, without training, right out of the box."

OmniPage for Arabic Defines Arabic OCR Standards

OmniPage for Arabic is a state-of-the-art OCR product that redefines Arabic OCR. Without any complex software installation or training, the product provides leading "OmniFont" recognition, support for standard operating systems, integration with standard word processors, and direct scanner support. The product offers significant advantages over current Arabic OCR software, including:

-- The first OmniFont OCR engine for Arabic -- Current Arabic OCR technology includes "Uni-Font" technology that requires the user to "train" the OCR engine to recognize each character in each font -- through a training procedure that can take anywhere from one hour to a full day. The procedure must be performed for each specific character in each font -- even if the fonts are similar to each other -- and for every different size of each font.

The time-consuming process is a major limiting factor to adoption of Arabic OCR by the desktop user. OmniPage for Arabic includes "OmniFont" technology that recognizes essentially any character in virtually any typeface and size (between 6 and 27) points, right out-of-the-box and eliminates the need to "train" the OCR engine. OmniPage for Arabic is targeted to the desktop user who requires software that is easy to set up and use.

Using the "OmniFont" OCR engine, OmniPage for Arabic provides highly accurate recognition of non-decorative Arabic text. The challenge for the OCR engine when recognizing Arabic text is discriminating between diacritic marks and `noise' on a scanned page, isolating individual characters in the script-like Arabic text, and identifying Arabic characters that frequently change shape depending on the location of the character in a word.

-- Compatibility with standard Arabic operating system -- OmniPage for Arabic installs on standard Arabic Windows 3.1 and Arabic Windows for Workgroups 3.11, without customization. Some current Arabic OCR products require proprietary operating systems.

-- Integration with standard Arabic word processors -- OmniPage for Arabic seamlessly integrates with standard Arabic word processors including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Write, and Accent. The product automatically adds a "Read Arabic Text" option to the File menu or System menu of major word processors that allows users to launch OmniPage for Arabic and have the OCR'd text dropped directly into the word processor, in a simple one-click process.

OmniPage for Arabic automatically differentiates between text and graphic elements -- or allows the user to draw manual zones -- on a scanned page and recognizes the text for use in the word processor. Some current Arabic OCR products either do not support standard word processors or require the user to "load" output text manually into the word processor.

-- Direct scanning support -- OmniPage for Arabic offers support for over 100 popular scanners. This allows users to access their scanners directly from within OmniPage for Arabic and eliminates the need to load output text from file.

-- Bilingual interface -- OmniPage for Arabic includes an Arabic interface, as well as an English interface, and allows the user to easily switch between the two interface languages.

OmniPage Pro 6.0

OmniPage for Arabic is packaged with Caere's International English version of OmniPage Pro 6.0, the world's best selling OCR application. OmniPage Pro offers extended features beyond OmniPage for Arabic and provides recognition capabilities for English and 13 Western European languages.

System Requirements

OmniPage for Arabic requires a minimum of 4MB free hard disk space, 8 MB RAM, a 386-based or higher PC, Arabic version of either Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11, a Windows compatible pointing device, a 3.5 inch high density floppy disk drive, and Caere-supported scanning device or a TWAIN-compatible scanner (installed and working with your system).

OmniPage Pro 6.0 requires a minimum of 12 MB free hard disk space, 8 MB RAM, a 386-based or higher PC, Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11 or above, DOS 5.0 or above, a Windows compatible pointing device, and a 3.5 inch high density floppy disk drive. Image Assistant requires VGA or SVGA 256-color monitor.

Pricing and Availability

OmniPage for Arabic is expected to be priced at the equivalent of $1,395 US (MSRP) and available through major software resellers in Middle Eastern countries in May. Customers who would like more information on OmniPage for Arabic can call Caere GmbH at (49) 89-4130-0617 until April 1st. After April 1st, customers should call (49) 89-458735-0. Customers within the United States can contact Caere for more information at 800/654-1187

The Company

Caere Corporation, with U.S. headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif. and European headquarters, Caere GmbH, in Munich, Germany, is the leader in OCR technology and desktop document management products. Caere has recently expanded its line of OCR products as a result of the December 1994 merger with Calera Recognition Systems.

Caere's products include the OmniPage and WordScan lines of OCR software that convert printed and faxed documents into electronic text; the PageKeeper line of Windows document management software that effortlessly retrieves a wide range of information from virtually any source; OmniForm, which converts paper forms to electronic format; the M/Series high-speed, high-volume OCR hardware and software for commercial applications; and a broad array of OCR and bar code readers that accelerate transaction processing. -0-

Note (a): The Company notes that the above projected shipment date is a forward-looking statement that is subject to change based on numerous factors including, but not limited to, work stoppages, engineering delays, quality assurance testing delays, successful completion of beta site testing, the scheduling of orders, changes in operating systems, a significant change in the competitive environment, and timely delivery by component suppliers.

Trademark References: Caere, OmniPage, Image Assistant, PageKeeper, and WordScan are registered trademarks, and OmniForm and M/Series are trademarks of Caere Corporation. Other products named may be trademarks of their respective manufacturers and are hereby recognized.

CONTACT: Caere Corporation

Jackie Cox, 408/395-5148 ext. 2308

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Patrick Crisp, 408/395-5148 ext. 2049

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