Business Editors, High-Tech Writers

TUALATIN, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 7, 2000

New version of image acquisition standard provides Mac developers

access to latest features of digital cameras and scanners

Digimarc and the TWAIN Working Group today announced an updated Macintosh version of the industry standard TWAIN interface that enables Macintosh application developers to acquire images from digital cameras and scanners for use in their imaging applications.

The new version of the standard application program interface (API) called Macintosh TWAIN Data Source Manager Version 1.7 is a free download currently available online at www.twain.org.

Digimarc is the world leader in digital watermark technology. The TWAIN Working Group is a not-for-profit organization developing standards for the imaging acquisition industry. The organizations collaborated for the past year to develop the Macintosh TWAIN DSM Version 1.7.

The Data Source Manager (DSM) is the industry standard cross-platform (Windows and Mac) API for image acquisition. The Macintosh DSM Version 1.7 is PowerPC native and supports Mac OS 8.0 and above. The new version is fully compatible with previous TWAIN specifications and existing data sources, and provides the same functionality as the Windows DSM that is shipped standard with the Windows platform by Microsoft.

Using TWAIN, developers can manage interactions between various image acquisition devices (scanners, camera, etc.) in a standard way. For example, when a picture from a digital camera is acquired by a desktop publishing program, the Macintosh TWAIN DSM Version 1.7 acts as a translator between the camera and the desktop publishing program, providing a standard way to acquire the image.

"Our digital watermark technology development work focuses on bridging the gap between traditional and digital media," said Bruce Davis, CEO of Digimarc. "Through our relationship with TWAIN, we are applying that expertise to advance digital media technology for the benefit of the industry in general, in particular for digital cameras and scanners. This standard makes it easier for Macintosh developers and users to interact with a wide range of image acquisition devices in a transparent way and fosters the growth of digital content."