what is an xps document

An XPS document is a type of digital document that uses a fixed document format, similar to a PDF file, but far less common. XPS stands for XML Paper Specification, and it is an electronic representation of digital documents based on XML. It is a paginated fixed-layout format that retains the look and feel of electronic documents. An XPS file represents page layout files that are based on XML Paper Specifications created by Microsoft. XPS files can be generated by selecting the “Microsoft XPS Document Writer” as a printer while printing the document. The XPS format consists of XML markup that defines the composition of a document and the visual appearance of each page along with rendering rules for displaying or printing the document. XPS files are similar to PDF files, but they are saved in Microsoft’s proprietary XPS format. Interacting with an XPS document is difficult because the format is primarily focused upon document fidelity, data accuracy, file size, and compression schemes, elements that are important to generating high-quality print output. Thus, XPS documents can be neither manipulated nor edited easily and can only be viewed on computer systems that have an XPS Viewer installed.