Version 6.0 of the Multichannel Technical Publishing Software Features XML Output FrameViewer 6.0 Also Announced Today

San Jose, Calif., (March 13, 2000) (Nasdaq:ADBE)--Continuing its leadership in helping organizations publish long, content-rich documents, Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced new versions of Adobe® FrameMaker® and FrameMaker + SGML software, its enterprise-class authoring and publishing solutions. New features offered in the FrameMaker 6.0 applications include enhanced web support and improved book management capabilities. Sophisticated XML output functionality and integration with Adobe Acrobat® and Adobe GoLive™ provides a complete print-to-web, multichannel publishing solution. Multichannel publishing allows FrameMaker users to publish content to a variety of mediums—web, CD-ROM, print—utilizing leading technologies such as XML, HTML and PDF.

FrameMaker 6.0 + SGML offers the same functionality as FrameMaker 6.0 with additional support for SGML, a required format for documentation in some industries. SGML enables organizations to share volumes of complex, frequently revised documents across applications and computer platforms in a variety of media—all while retaining the document’s structure and organization.

"Documentation specialists today have many options for distributing information to their customers—print, web and CD-ROM—which is great for the customers, but it can create problems if the user has to reformat for each medium," said Susan Prescott, senior director of professional publishing products, Adobe Systems Incorporated. "With the addition of the XML output feature, and the seamless integration of Adobe FrameMaker 6.0 with Acrobat and GoLive, Adobe continues its long-standing commitment to the technical publishing market and offers organizations a streamlined solution to easily publish information through multiple channels."

Along with FrameMaker 6.0, Adobe offers FrameViewer® 6.0 software, an online viewer for electronic FrameMaker documents. In FrameViewer, the cross-references, indexes, and tables of contents that were created in FrameMaker automatically become hypertext links making document navigation easier. Users of FrameViewer can also add annotations to documents which can even be marked "public" or "private."

Key Element of Adobe’s Web Publishing Solution
When integrated with GoLive and Acrobat, FrameMaker 6.0 software is a major component of a complete multichannel publishing solution that enables users to streamline the transfer of documentation from print to web and introduces rich XML and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) structure.

Using Adobe GoLive software, and most other HTML editors, documentation specialists can generate cascading style sheets to create a consistent look and feel across all media, including paper or the web. With seamless integration into Adobe Acrobat 4.0.5, FrameMaker 6.0 provides unparalleled support for export to Adobe PDF.

"FrameMaker 6.0 brings a new level of accessibility and portability to large, complex documents," said Grover Trask, technical information manager for aircraft safety at Federal Express. "FrameMaker provides an off-the-shelf solution for addressing our current publishing challenges, including the need for faster text editing and the ability to find and replace text at the book level. And most importantly, it offers enhanced support for Adobe PDF and a solid foundation for XML, which delivers the type of interactive content that we want to give our online users."

About FrameMaker 6.0
FrameMaker is a powerful tool for efficiently managing the entire process of publishing large documents – from word processing and formatting to printing and electronic distribution – on major computing platforms, including Microsoft Windows®, Macintosh and UNIX® systems. Version 6.0 features several significant updates, including:

•Enhanced XML output through Quadralay software – FrameMaker 6.0 includes WebWorks Publisher Standard Edition software from Quadralay. The inclusion of this software allows people to use next-generation web technology to produce interactive technical manuals, complete with intelligent search functions. Users can create XML documents that support both Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and eXtensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) capabilities, which means they control the exact presentation of all XML elements. Graphics of any format are automatically converted into user-defined online formats.

• Increased Web Compatibility– The addition of WebWorks Publisher Standard Edition software from Quadralay not only enhances XML output, but also provides FrameMaker users with enhanced HTML functionality that improves electronic page layout and allows them to convert complete books into HTML and Dynamic HTML (CSS).

• Updated book management – FrameMaker 6.0 allows for global search and replace of words, phrases, and more; as well as the ability to change document properties, check spelling and apply improved numbering schema book-wide.

• Improved search, indexing, copy/paste and content access – Adobe FrameMaker 6.0 supports PDF 1.3 and Acrobat Distiller® 4.0, providing a foundation for the creation, access, and implementation of structured PDF information by next-generation applications. Structured Adobe PDF improves all aspects of document management with the introduction of structural tags that show where paragraphs start and end. These tags also help recognize tables, columns and rows.

Pricing and Availability
dobe FrameMaker 6.0 software for Windows 98 and WindowsNT® 4.0, Macintosh 8.5, 8.6 or 9.x, and Unix are expected to be available in Spring 2000 in the U.S. and Canada. French, German and Japanese versions are expected to be available shortly after the U.S. and International English versions. The U.S. version of FrameMaker 6.0 is expected to sell at an estimated street price of U.S. $799 for Mac and Windows platforms, and $1,329 for the UNIX personal version. The U.S. version of FrameMaker 6.0 + SGML is expected to sell at an estimated street price of U.S. $1,449 for Mac and Windows and UNIX personal version. The U.S. version of FrameViewer is expected to sell at an estimated street price of U.S. $49. FrameMaker will be available through adobe.com and Adobe’s standard distribution channels. For more information visit http://www.adobe.com/products/framemaker.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Founded in 1982, Adobe Systems Incorporated (www.adobe.com) builds award-winning software solutions for Web and print publishing. Its graphic design, imaging, dynamic media, and authoring tools enable customers to create, publish and deliver visually rich content for various types of media. Headquartered in San Jose, California, Adobe is the fourth largest U.S.-based personal software company, with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion.