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Specification and License Downloads


XML Paper Specification

The XML Paper Specification describes XPS documents. An XPS document is a paginated representation of electronic paper that is described by an XML-based language. XPS documents are open, cross-platform documents that allow customers to effortlessly generate, share, print, and archive paginated documents. Microsoft has published the XML Paper Specification and made it available royalty-free.

XML Paper Specification v.1.0 (October 2006)
Community Promise for XPS

Print Schema Specification

The Print Schema Specification describes the set of conventions for using XML to describe the capabilities of a print device and its configuration for a particular print job. The goal of this specification is to ensure the interoperability of independently created software and hardware systems that produce or consume Print Schema compliant content. This specification defines the formal requirements for producers and consumers to satisfy for interoperability.

Print Schema Specification (May 2007)
Print Schema License Agreement

Open Packaging Conventions and Open XML Markup Compatibility

The Open Packaging Conventions and the Open XML Markup Compatibility specifications are part of the Office Open XML document interchange specification. These specifications form the foundation of the XML Paper Specification and are being standardized with the Office Open XML document format through Ecma International.

The Open Packaging Conventions describe the method for packaging content, resources, and metadata in a ZIP-based file format.

The Open XML Markup Compatibility specification describes the mechanisms that support versioning and extensibility of XML markup.

The XML Paper Specification relies on both these specifications and you should follow the most recent draft of the technical committee in your implementations. Consult the Ecma International website This link leaves the Microsoft.com site to view the current draft of these specifications.

HD Photo Specification and Device Porting Kit

HD Photo, also known as Windows Media Photo, is a new file format for continuous tone still images that surpasses the limitations of existing image formats. It is used in XPS documents and delivers a lightweight, high-performance algorithm with a small memory footprint that enables practical, in-device encoding and decoding. HD Photo provides significantly improved compression efficiency and is the only image file type that supports advanced pixel formats. For example, HD Photo supports fixed and floating point pixel formats for high dynamic range and wide-gamut color spaces and it also supports n-channel color spaces.

HD Photo Specification 1.0 (November 2006)
HD Photo Device Porting Kit 1.0 (November 2006)

Additional Information

For additional technical information on the XML Paper Specification and its related technologies, contact Microsoft at xpsinfo@microsoft.com.

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