Open XML Paper Specification
 | |
| File:Xpsviewer.png The XPS Viewer application displaying a printout of the Wikipedia front page | |
| Filename extension |
.xps |
|---|---|
| Internet media type |
application/vnd.ms-xpsdocument |
| Developed by | Microsoft |
The XML Paper Specification (XPS), formerly codenamed "Metro", is a document storage and viewing specification developed by Microsoft. It is aimed to be a complete XML-based (more specifically XAML-based) specification for a printer page description language based on a completely new print path, a color-managed device independent and resolution independent vector-based document format which encapsulates an exact representation of the actual printed output and support for advanced printing features such as gradients, transparencies, CMYK color space, named colors, printer calibration, print schemas etc. The document format also doubles up as the native print spooler format. XPS competes with PostScript and PDF. XPS supports the Windows Color System color management technology for better color conversion accuracy across devices and also includes a software raster image processor (RIP).
The specification itself describes the appearance of fixed-format documents by using a structured, XML-based document format. The XPS Document format consists of XML markup that defines the layout of a document and the visual appearance of each page along with rendering rules for distributing, archiving, rendering, processing and printing the documents. Most notably, the markup language for XPS is a subset of XAML for Windows Presentation Foundation, so that the methods used for rendering Windows applications can be used for documents. It also supports HD Photo images natively for raster graphics.
XPS is viewed as a potential competitor to Adobe's portable document format (PDF), due to its similarity with the PostScript specification, ease of use and ubiquity in future Windows operating system. PDF however, includes dynamic capabilities, such as media, 3D graphics and electronic forms.
Microsoft has indicated that devices aiming at Certified for Windows Vista level of Windows Logo conformance certificate will be required to have XPS drivers for printing by June 1, 2007.[1]
Windows Vista includes native XPS document creation and viewing abilities. XPS documents can be created by printing to the virtual XPS printer driver.
XPS has the support of printing companies such as Canon, Epson, Hewlett-Packard, Ricoh and Xerox and software and hardware companies such as Software Imaging[2], Pagemark Technology[3], Informative Graphics[4], NiXPS[5] and Zoran.[6]
Technology
Intended as the replacement for the Enhanced Metafile (EMF) format, the XPS document format is the native print spooler format in Windows Vista. It serves as the page description language (PDL) for printers. For printers supporting XPS, this eliminates an intermediate conversion to a printer-specific language, increasing the reliability and fidelity of the printed output. The XPS document format enables users to view, print, and archive any type of document without the original program that created them, without loss of fidelity. XPS is a subset of XAML, allowing it to incorporate vector-graphic elements in documents, using XAML to mark-up the WPF primitives. The elements used are described in terms of paths and other geometrical primitives. It also supports HD Photo images natively for raster graphics.
An XPS file is in fact a ZIP archive, which contains the files which make up the document. These include an XML markup file for each page, text, embedded fonts, raster images, 2D vector graphics, as well as the digital rights management information. The contents of the XPS file can be examined simply by opening the file as a ZIP file. In Windows this can be accomplished by simply replacing the .xps file extension with .zip, and then opening it with any ZIP file viewer, including the one built into the operating system.
The XPS print path also provides improved color support through the Windows Color System for higher color precision and dynamic range. It also supports CMYK colorspace and multiple ink systems for higher print fidelity. The print subsystem also has support for named colors simplifying color definition for images transmitted to printer supporting those colors.
The XPS print path can automatically calibrate color profile settings with those being used by the display subsystem. Conversely, XPS Print drivers can express the configurable capabilities of the printer, by virtue of the XPS PrintCapabilities class, to enable more fine-grained control of print settings, tuned to the individual printing device.
Applications which use the Windows Presentation Foundation for the display elements can directly print to the XPS print path without the need for image or colorspace conversion. The XPS format used in the spool file, represents advanced graphics effects such as 3D images, glow effects, and gradients as Windows Presentation Foundation primitives, which are processed by the printer drivers without rasterization, preventing rendering artifacts and reducing computational load. When the legacy GDI Print Path is used, the XPS spool file is used for processing before it is converted to a GDI image to minimize the processing done at raster level.
Licensing
In order to encourage wide use of the format, Microsoft has released XPS under a royalty-free patent license, allowing users to create implementations of the specification that read, write and render XPS files under certain conditions. The specification itself is released under a royalty-free copyright license, allowing its free distribution.[7]
Criticisms
As a competitor to the open PDF standard, Microsoft is once again accused [who?] of creating proprietary standards to monopolize markets and exclude competitors via its Windows monopoly. Critics [who?] argue that XPS is designed to give Microsoft and copyright holders unlimited control over consumers' rights. Also many critics [who?] question the value of creating a competing, non-conforming standard where an open standard already exists. Defenders of Microsoft note that XPS offers significant value to both developers of third-party applications and end-users: First, since the core technologies behind XPS replace[8] the aging formats used by the spool printing service on Windows machines, the task of providing reliable and precise printing functionality from within Windows applications is dramatically simplified — programmers no longer have to work around the limitations of the old spool service. Second, defenders argue that by offering XPS and its associated viewer applications, as well as exporters, users gain light-weight and free alternatives to the most used free PDF-viewer, Adobe Reader, and the commercial Adobe Acrobat PDF creation software, both of which many have argued have become excessively bloated.[9] Adobe Reader also includes advertisements for other Adobe products in recent versions (Adobe euphemistically calls the ads "Messages" — they are tied to an automatic updating feature, which is turned on by default).[10][11] In the eye of Microsoft supporters [who?], Adobe Reader also has a less-than-stellar user interface due to issues like the feature bloat and inconvenient navigation/zooming. Thus, defenders of Microsoft would acknowledge that while Microsoft has historically been accused of pursuing an "embrace and extend" strategy, they would similarly accuse Adobe of pursuing an "extend and extend..." strategy that fails to add value to PDF.[12]
See also
References
- ^ http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/winlogo/hwrequirements.mspx
- ^ http://softwareimaging.com/xps
- ^ http://www.pagemarktechnology.com
- ^ http://www.infograph.com/press/igcmsxps.htm
- ^ http://nixps.com
- ^ http://www.zoran.com/IPS-XPS
- ^ XML Paper Specification Licensing, Microsoft. Retrieved on June 8, 2006.
- ^ XPS, PDF and Adobe, Andy Simonds Blog. Retrieved on April 7, 2007.
- ^ Criticisms section of Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader Wikipedia entry. Retrieved on April 7, 2007.
- ^ Adobe Reader 6 adds promotional ads to toolbar. Retrieved on April 7, 2007.
- ^ Adobe Reader Ads (References ads in version 8.0). Retrieved on April 7, 2007.
- ^ (Example discussion of pros and cons in article and comments by various persons) More on the PDF support in Office, Brian Jones: Open XML Formats [Blog]. Retrieved on April 7, 2007.