Yet Another Document Format: XPS
The new XML Paper Specification (XPS) Microsoft has initiated is to be another file format for document sharing. Like Adobe PDF or their similar “Microsoft Reader” format, it will require another viewer program. It doesn’t sound very exciting (and it’s not really) but it is better than it sounds up front. First of all XPS is based on XML and has been released as an open standard. XPS includes an XML-based electronic paper format, a document viewer for viewing, managing, and printing XPS files, the ability to digitally sign XPS documents, APIs that allow programmers to integrate their applications and services with XPS, a print pipeline, and a new driver model for XPS-compatible printers!
An add-in for MS Office 2007 is available for saving documents as XPS or PDF. What PDF? Yes, that’s right XPS or PDF! It is very nice to see that there is no pushing of this new format going on right now, though I am sure it will grow to be a commonly used format based on its own merits over time.
For Windows XP and Server 2003, there is a stand-alone viewer application you may download, but better: you can open XPS documents in IE 6 simply by installing version 3.0 of the Microsoft .NET Framework. Links to both MS .NET 3.0 and the XPS Essentials Pack (the stand-alone viewer) may be found here: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/xps/viewxps.mspx
XPS developer site:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/xps/xpsappdevs.mspx
An MSDN Magazine Article covering the APIs for creating XPS documents:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/06/01/XMLPaperSpecification/default.aspx
Indeed, you’ll find a handful of XPS utilities and controls already in development:
http://sourceforge.net/search/?type_of_search=soft&words=xps
What do you think? PDF has been the standard for a while now, but there is nobody that does not cringe at waiting for the reader to load. Not to mention reminders of the many updates when reading documents. Everyone ready to deploy Acrobat 8?
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Comments
Hi,
just a small note to say that my company is developing a tool and a library to work with the format (http://nixps.com).
Needless to say we are very enthusiastic about the format. It's a big improvement for Windows users to have an electronic document format in the core of the OS.
And the format has quite a bit of nice characteristics - being based on XML/ZIP and engineered from the start to be a flexible fixed page format, to name a few.
Regards,
Nick.
Posted by: nixps | February 14, 2007 4:41 AM
I've no doubt this will grow to be a very commonly used format. Yet it is off to a quiet start. It could well be that they can be confidently quiet about it in the knowledge that it is great and third-parties like yourself will expose that in the coming months!
Posted by: Bob | February 14, 2007 6:42 AM
XPS is a new file format - this is true - but to say "...has been released as an open standard." is a little, well, incorrectly worded? Microsoft may has made many announcements about submitting technologies and file formats to 'standards bodies' over the years - but I can't seem to recall a single one that was ever embraced and implemented anywhere are widely as PDF has been. Let’s face it, unless it solves something that some group can't use PDF for, it will simply be ignored by that groups standards bodies. Adobe has several PDF based standards already wide use (PDF/X, for example) and have recently submitted PDF Specification version 1.7 to AIIM. I think Microsoft is about 13 years too late, and while there will undoubtedly be users who will use the spool file and print stream tools that XPS offers, I will be a bit surprised to see anyone workflows or document exchange generation/services anytime soon. Maybe two years from now?
Posted by: Michael Jahn | February 14, 2007 2:23 PM
As you say Michael, if it is embraced and gains a substantial following is something only time will tell. Building it into applications of their own and offering the APIs and Controls for others to do the same will go a long way in a shorter time than it would take anyone else to do the same. I certianly would not slight them for trying-- PDF is far from perfect. I cringe everytime I open one waiting for the reader to load and tell me about all its new updates I should install. If it takes two years, or even five years that is still a pretty amazing turn-around when you consider how well PDF has this base covered today!
Posted by: Bob | February 14, 2007 8:23 PM