This paper provides information about XPSDrv printer drivers and the filter pipeline that hosts them in the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems. It provides guidelines and best practices for printer driver developers and hardware vendors to use when they develop XPSDrv printer drivers.
Independent hardware vendors (IHVs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) who have existing printers or printer drivers can use this paper to help plan their strategy for migrating their existing code to the new print architecture. IHVs and ISVs who are developing new printer drivers can use this paper to understand the details of the filter pipeline and how to develop an efficient XPSDrv printer driver.
This information applies for the following operating systems:
Microsoft Windows Vista
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows Server 2003
What's New:
| • | Changed IXpsReadStream and IXpsWriteStream to the correct names, IPrintReadStream and IPrintWriteStream |
Included in this white paper:
| • | Windows Vista Print Paths |
| • | XPS Print Path Components |
| • | Printer and Driver Migration Strategies |
| • | XPS Print Path Functional Design Examples |
| • | Best Practices for XPSDrv Printer Drivers |
| • | Debugging Filters in the Filter Pipeline |
See also: XPS and Color Printing Enhancements in Windows Vista
Windows XP users: Download the XPS Essentials Pack to create and view XPS files. XPS is a simple, secure e-paper format that ensures accurate document reproduction across a range of devices. Learn more about XPS here.