XPS Viewer EP

XPS Viewer EP

XPS Viewer EP is Microsoft's reader for XPS (XML Paper Specification) documents that originally shipped in the Microsoft XML Paper Specification Essentials Pack for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The version listed here is a portable package prepared by RubyPdf Technologies, which lets users open XPS files on these older systems without installing the full Essentials Pack. XPS Viewer EP offers the following features:

Viewing:

The XPS Viewer EP allows users to view XPS files without needing to install additional software.

• View XPS documents in a simple and easy-to-use interface
• Zoom in and out of documents
• Quickly navigate between the pages of a document
• Select and copy text from a document

Searching:

• Find words and phrases inside the open document
• Jump from one match to the next

Printing:

• Print XPS documents from within the XPS Viewer EP
• Use any printer installed in Windows

Portable package:

• Runs without installation, for example from a USB drive
• Small download of about 2.2 MB
• Free to use; the author accepts donations

Essentials Pack components:

• The full Microsoft pack also installs the Microsoft XPS Document Writer printer
• It adds preview and search filters for XPS files to Windows
• Windows Vista and later versions include an XPS viewer of their own

Limitations:

• XPS Viewer EP only reads documents and cannot edit them
• It does not convert XPS files to PDF or other formats
• The portable package targets 32-bit Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

XPS Viewer EP is a simple solution for reading and printing XPS documents on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Neither the viewer nor the portable package is developed any more, but it still helps when an XPS file has to be opened on an older computer that has neither the .NET Framework 3.0 nor the Essentials Pack installed.