Identification

• An XPS file is known as a XML Paper Specification File. You can easily identify an XPS file, as the characters will appear after the name of a file, preceded by a period, such as "filename.xps."
  
  

Function

• XPS files are a type of document with its layout written in XML. The .xps file extension serves as a marker to your computer, signaling the type of program needed to view the contents of the XPS file.
  
  

Features

• An XPS file may contain text, images or a combination of the two. XPS files also provide information about how the document should be laid out for both viewing and printing.
  
  

Benefits

• Because it uses XML, an XPS file appears the same on all computer operating systems and when printed by all printer types.
  
  

Creation

• In Windows Vista and Windows 7, you can create an XPS file from a word document or spreadsheet by selecting "Microsoft XPS Document Writer" from the printer drop-down menu that appears in the "Print" dialogue box.
  
  

Programs

• On Windows Vista and 7, Microsoft XPS Viewer is the default program for opening XPS files. The program Pagemark XpsViewer has the ability to access XPS files as well and is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux-based computers.