Law School Admission Council Selects ScanSoft's OmniForm to Automate and Streamline Applications.

Business Editors & Legal/Education Writers

PEABODY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 18, 2002

ScanSoft Software Allows Candidates to Apply Simultaneously

to Multiple Member Law Schools With One Simple eForm

ScanSoft, Inc. (NASDAQ: SSFT), a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, announced that the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) has purchased a Web-distribution license for ScanSoft's OmniForm(R) eForm design and management software. Using the OmniForm designer and ActiveX(R) eForm filler, LSAC makes it possible for law school candidates to apply to its numerous member law schools through a single Web site.

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.

Prior to using OmniForm, law school applicants had to request application forms from individual law schools, then manually fill in -- by writing or typing -- required information. The completed application forms were then sent separately to schools via postal mail. Using OmniForm and ActiveX, candidates can log onto the LSAC web site, and fill out a single electronic application. In one step, the completed form can be submitted instantly to the LSAC web site and transmitted to multiple schools, simplifying the law school application process.

"We needed an affordable, accurate and efficient way to electronically publish and distribute the vast number of application forms we have for our 185 U.S.-member law schools," said Bruce Bachman, Chief Information Officer of the LSAC. "ScanSoft's OmniForm solution met all of our needs by converting paper into eForms, enabling Web-based distribution and simplifying the data collection process."

OmniForm provides point & click form design capabilities and includes the unique ability to convert a scanned paper form or static Adobe(R) PDF form into a fillable eForm. Using Logical Field Recognition (LFR) capabilities, OmniForm detects form fields and labels, and instantly creates eForm equivalents. The resulting eForm has the same appearance as the original paper form and can be published to the Web using XML, HTML and Adobe PDF standards.

OmniForm Developer's Edition enables systems integrators, software developers, and corporate and government Web teams to instantly create intelligent electronic forms and seamlessly integrate those forms into Web sites, commercial applications and in-house eForm systems. OmniForm Developer's Edition supports the use of automated data collection and digital signatures, allowing the end user to "sign" and submit forms electronically.

"We are pleased that a prestigious organization such as the Law School Admission Council has selected our forms management software to streamline and improve the efficiency of the law school application process," said Robert Weideman, vice president of worldwide marketing at ScanSoft. "The LSAC eForm Web site is a showcase demonstrating OmniForm's ability to eliminate the costs associated with printing, distributing and collecting data from paper forms."

About the Law School Admission Council

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) is a nonprofit corporation whose members are 200 law schools in the United States and Canada. Of these, 185 law schools are located in the United States; 15 are in Canada. Headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles north of Philadelphia, LSAC is best known for administering the Law School Admission Test (LSAT(R)).

About ScanSoft, Inc.

ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT) 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 more information regarding ScanSoft(R) products and technologies, please visit www.ScanSoft.com.

ScanSoft and OmniForm are registered trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company or product names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performances are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with market trends, competitive factors, and other risks identified in the Company'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.