Captaris Acquires Axient's RightFax Distribution Business; Strengthens Partner Network and Customer Relationships Throughout Asia Pacific.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SYDNEY, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 20, 2003

Captaris, Inc. (Nasdaq:CAPA), a leading provider of business process automation and information delivery solutions, today announced it has acquired Axient, a leading distributor of computer-based fax and e-document delivery solutions for the Australian and New Zealand markets. Captaris intends to leverage Axient's well-established network of channel partners and deep customer base in its continued drive to become the premier provider of business information delivery solutions worldwide.

The acquisition brings Captaris closer to its end customers and channel partners in Australia and New Zealand for its RightFax product line. RightFax is the proven market leader in enterprise fax and e-document delivery solutions that achieve significant cost reductions by integrating and automating the flow of a full range of fax, paper and electronic documents and data. With this acquisition, Captaris aims to enhance the customer experience while extending the company's reach throughout Asia Pacific and beyond.

According to The Computer-Based Fax 2001-2006 Report by Davidson Consulting, the global production fax market is expected to swell from a share of 44 percent of all shipments in 2001 to 66 percent in 2006, which will reflect the spread of e-business.

"Axient has built a tremendous foundation in both technology and services, implementing business critical solutions for the most demanding customer needs -- including the top four Australian banks," said Matt Scheuing, president, Products and Services Group, Captaris, Inc. "By integrating Axient's expertise in enterprise and vertical markets, as well as its reseller network directly into our portfolio, we believe Captaris is well-positioned to enhance and expand customer relationships further into Asia-Pacific markets."

Under terms of the agreement, Captaris acquired Axient's business ledger as well as distribution responsibility for Axient's established reseller base. Sales, technical support and operations staff will transfer from Axient to Captaris. Additionally, Captaris will establish regional headquarters and open a customer contact centre in Sydney, emphasizing its commitment to customers and partners throughout the region.

"This acquisition represents a considerable investment for Captaris in the Australian and New Zealand markets," said Jeremy Fox, regional manager for Asia Pacific, Captaris, Inc. "We have seen continued growth year-on-year since we entered the Australian market 13 years ago and recent market analysis indicates that there is still strong growth expected in this region. We aim to capitalise on that opportunity in Australia and New Zealand by aligning ourselves more closely with the channel and with our strategic alliance partners in this region, including Oracle and SAP."

Tom Durick, managing director of Axient, stated, "With the growth in the information delivery market in Australia, the Axient management team felt it was imperative to provide our customers with the ability to work directly with one of the leading providers of business information solutions. I believe Captaris is qualified to bring this value to our customers."

About Captaris, Inc.

Captaris is a leading provider of business information delivery solutions that integrate, process and automate the flow of messages, data and documents. Captaris produces a suite of proven products and services, in partnership with leading enterprise software companies, delivered through a global distribution network. Captaris has nearly 50,000 systems installed worldwide, with 93 of the Fortune 100 using the company's award-winning products and services to reduce costs and increase the performance of critical business information investments.

Captaris is headquartered in Bellevue, WA, and has main offices in Tucson, AZ, Portland, OR, Calgary, Canada and European headquarters in Nieuwegein, The Netherlands. In addition, Captaris has sales and support offices in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, Australia, and Dubai. The company was founded in 1982 and is publicly traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol CAPA. For more information please visit www.captaris.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements regarding the benefits to Captaris and its customers of the acquisition of Axient. Forward-looking statements include all passages containing verbs such as "aims," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "projects" or "targets" or nouns corresponding to such verbs. Forward-looking statements also include any passages that are primarily relevant to expected future events or that can only be evaluated by events that will occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of the management at the time the statements are made and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect Captaris' actual results include, among others, the ability to integrate the Axient organization with Captaris, the impact, if any, of stock-based compensation charges or benefit associated with variable accounting treatment on certain stock options, the amount and timing of payments, if any, received under Captaris' OEM arrangement with Cisco Systems, Inc., the potential failure to maintain and expand Captaris' network of dealers and resellers or to establish and maintain strategic relationships, inability to develop new products or product enhancements on a timely basis, inability to protect our proprietary rights or to operate without infringing the patents and proprietary rights of others, and quarterly and seasonal fluctuations in operating results. More information about factors that potentially could affect Captaris' financial results is included in Captaris' most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q and annual report on 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon these forward-looking statements that speak only as to the date of this release. Except as required by law, Captaris undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking or other statements in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Captaris products RightFax, Teamplate and Infinite are trademarks of Captaris. All other company, brand and product names are the property and/or trademarks of their respective companies.