FileOpen Systems Releases FileOpen PDF 2.2 With Advanced Printing and Usage Controls for PDF Documents

NEW YORK, NY--May 26, 1999
FileOpen Systems Inc. today announced the availability of FileOpen PDF 2.2, the latest release of the market-leading secure publishing software. Built to extend the capabilities of Adobe Acrobat 4.0, FileOpen PDF 2.2 now allows publishers to control access to PDF documents down to the number of times a document may be opened and printed.

"With this release of FileOpen PDF, we put fine-tuned security controls into the hands of our customers in both publishing and corporate environments," said Sanford Bingham, president of FileOpen Systems. "In addition to protecting publishers' content from unauthorized viewing, FileOpen PDF 2.2 now lets the publisher control how FileOpen-protected documents are used."

Controls over Document Usage and Printing
The option to set documents to expire has been one of FileOpen PDF's most popular features, because it enables publishers to bring users back to their Web site for subscription updates or the latest version of a document. With FileOpen PDF 2.2, publishers not only can set time-limited expirations, but fix the number of times a document can be opened by the end-user.

FileOpen PDF 2.2 also includes important innovations in the area of printing restrictions. The freely distributed FileOpen PDF Client Plug-in adds a new menu item to Adobe Acrobat, "Print Secure Document." By disabling the normal Print command and enabling the FileOpen Print Secure Document command, publishers can set printing permissions to expire after a certain number of days, printouts, or pages. Significantly, the Print Secure Document function also disables printing to a file or to Acrobat Distiller, so that FileOpen-protected PDF documents can not be re-authored in an unencrypted state.

Designed for FileOpen's corporate customers, the new Overprinting feature in FileOpen PDF 2.2 places the computer username, machine name, date, and time on any printout of the FileOpen-protected file. This information is not visible in the PDF document on screen. Document authors can also choose to include a custom message in the FileOpen Overprint such as "Confidential to [Your Company]".

Preserving Publishers' Language, Look, and Feel
The FileOpen PDF Client Plug-In and Installers are now available in six languages: German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, and Italian. End-users can read messages from the publisher, view the installation process, perform real-time authorization, and understand document expiration notifications, all in their native language.

FileOpen PDF 2.2 also allows publishers to customize the appearance of the installation, selecting any two colors from the RGB spectrum for their installer windows and background. Publishers may also insert their own end-user license agreement during the installation which must be agreed to in order to proceed. As always, the FileOpen PDF Client can generate a program group with the publisher's name and an icon of their choice.

"Preserving brand identity and communicating effectively with end-users is vital to publishers moving into the digital realm," said Mr. Bingham. "Giving publishers choices about how to publish their digital publications stems from FileOpen Systems' open-systems approach to document security. This is unique among secure publishing systems, which often impose the brand of the security or e-commerce provider on the publisher's product."

Pricing and Availability
FileOpen PDF 2.2 is currently shipping and can be purchased directly from FileOpen Systems for US$2500. The authoring component, FileOpen PDF Publisher 2.2, supports Windows NT, 98, & 95 running Adobe Acrobat Exchange 4.0 or 3.x. The free Client Plug-In supports Windows NT, 98 & 95, 3.11 (with Acrobat 3.x only); Macintosh PPC; Adobe Acrobat 4.0, 3.x Exchange and Reader. A fully functional trial version can be downloaded from the FileOpen Systems Web site at http://www.fileopen.com. Additional product information and support are available on the FileOpen Web site, or by calling 212-501-9567.