FutureTense to Preview Beta Versions of New Macintosh and Win95/NT Web Publishing Software at Seybold San Francisco 96; FutureTense Texture 1.1 Will Give Mac-based Web Designers & Publishers A Powerful New Tool for Designing and Delivering Interactive Web Publications.

ACTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 5, 1996--FutureTense, Inc. today announced it will preview a Macintosh Beta version of its award-winning Web publishing tool FutureTense Texture in Booth #3606 at the Seybold San Francisco 96 Conference/Exposition September 11-13. FutureTense will also demonstrate the Beta version of Texture 1.1 for Windows 95/NT platforms, which will include several new features shared with the Macintosh version.

Texture is the first Web publishing system that provides the design and layout tools needed by designers and publishers of interactive Web publications. The Texture system combines a Web page design tool, Texture Designer, with the Texture Viewer, used with any Java Compatible browser for viewing Texture publications. Starting with FutureTense Texture 1.1, Macintosh-based Web designers and publishers will be able to use Texture's powerful, intuitive capabilities for page creation, layout, and interactive content development.

At Seybold, FutureTense will preview groundbreaking new features in both Texture 1.1 versions, including:

-- Hyphenation -- the ability to run text through multiple columns, with full support for hyphenation and justification. No other Web page design tool supports this feature.

-- Hyperlink Support -- text imported into a Texture document that already contains HTML hyperlink anchors will now retain that hyperlink functionality, enabling readers to dynamically jump from Texture documents to any associated document on the Web.

-- Agfa Microtype Express Font Compression -- preserves bit-by- bit fidelity, and improves the appearance of TrueType fonts used within Web publications. The Agfa technology is a powerful complement to Bitstream's TrueDoc font technology already supported within Texture's NetFonts network font management technology.

-- WYSIWYG Text Line Entry -- the ability to type static text captions (or headings) into text boxes within document page layouts.

Described by The Seybold Group as "PageMaker for the Web", Texture offers designers and Web publishers full control over their design work. Documents are created in Texture Designer, using intuitive, drag-and-drop techniques that free designers to work just as they would with popular desktop publishing tools such as PageMaker and QuarkXPress. Texture Viewer can be used with any Java Compatible browser on Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX platforms. Texture publications can be hosted on any standard Web server, and viewed with Internet Explorer 3.0, Netscape Navigator 2.0 or any other Java Compatible browser.

Texture debuted in February as a Premiere product at PC Letter's Demo 96 Conference -- one of only seven chosen for Premiere status, from a field of 85 showcased products. Selected as a "Hot Pick" in March at Seybold Seminars Boston Expo by The Seybold Report on Publishing Systems and The Seybold Report on Desktop Publishing, Texture has continued to receive high marks from industry insiders. Most recently, Publish gave FutureTense Texture its Impact Award, as one of the year's most significant new Web publishing products.

Texture 1.1 for the Macintosh and Win95/NT helps designers apply the power of familiar desktop publishing tools and techniques to build interactive Web publications. Texture enables users to create Web documents that: provide full control over layout and typography, ensuring that final Web publication will be viewed as the designer intended; support dynamic content, so content can be constantly refreshed as it is updated without requiring the designer to adjust the layout with each content change; include interactivity of text and graphic objects, to define navigation through the document, and offer time-based updating mechanisms, so content can automatically be updated at regular timed intervals.

Using FutureTense's NetFonts network font management technology, designers are free to select any Type 1 or TrueType font on their system to display text. NetFonts ensures that the fonts specified during document construction are used to accurately render the Web publication during viewing and printing, whether or not those fonts have been previously installed on the user's system.

The Texture Viewer is available to download free of charge from the FutureTense Web site, and is also distributed free with Microsoft's Internet Explorer 3.0 Web browser. If it is not already installed on the reader's desktop, the Texture Viewer automatically downloads to display the page. Installing the Texture Viewer locally offers users faster viewing, local printing and FutureTense's NetFonts support.

When it ships, FutureTense Texture 1.1 will be available for both Macintosh and Win95/NT computing platforms. Texture will be available direct from the company at 1-800-880-7613, or through Authorized FutureTense resellers. Texture Designer 1.0 for Microsoft Windows 95 and NT machines is available now -- and FutureTense will offer Texture 1.0 users a free upgrade to Texture 1.1 for their PCs. A 30-day evaluation copy of Texture 1.0 is available for download from the FutureTense Website: http://www.futuretense.com.

FutureTense, Inc., is located at 33 Nagog Park, Acton, MA 01720 (USA). The phone number is [phone]. The company's e-mail address is [e-mail] and its World Wide Web URL is http://www.futuretense.com. -0- FutureTense, FutureTense Texture, and NetFonts are trademarks of FutureTense Inc. All other trademarks, service marks and company names are property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Brenda Nichols or Jim Buhrendorf

Parker, Nichols & Company, Inc.

Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]