Windows 7 / Getting Started

Understanding XPS

XPS is a platform-independent, royalty-free, open-standard document format developed by Microsoft that uses XML, Open Packaging Conventions (OPC), and other industry standards to create cross-platform documents. XPS was designed to simplify the process for creating, sharing, viewing, printing, and archiving digital documents that are accurate representations of application output. Using APIs provided by the Windows SDK and the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0, developers can create Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) applications that take advantage of XPS technologies.

XPS support, which is native to Windows Vista and later versions, allows users to open XPS documents in Internet Explorer 7.0 or higher and to generate XPS documents from any Windows application using the Microsoft XPS Document Writer. When you install additional features, some earlier versions of Windows can also use some of the capabilities of XPS:

  • By installing the .NET Framework 3.0 redistributable on Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Windows Server 2003, users of these platforms can open XPS documents using Internet Explorer 6.0 or later versions.
  • By installing Microsoft Core XML Services 6.0 on Windows XP SP2 or later versions, users can generate XPS documents from any Windows application using the Microsoft XPS Document Writer.
  • By installing the Microsoft XPS Essentials Pack and Microsoft Core XML Services 6.0 on Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003, users can open XPS documents in a stand-alone XPS Viewer application.

Note You can download these additional features from the Microsoft Download Center at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads.

You can find detailed information on XPS in the version 1.0 document for this specification at http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/xps/downloads.mspx on Microsoft Windows Hardware Developer Central (WHDC). You can find additional news concerning this specification on the XPS Team Blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/xps/.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Managing Printing
  2. Enhancements to Printing in Windows 7
  3. Printing Enhancements Previously Introduced in Windows Vista
  4. Additional Printing Enhancements in Windows 7
  5. How Printing Works in Windows 7
  6. Understanding XPS
  7. Understanding the Windows Printing Subsystem
  8. Understanding Printer Driver Isolation
  9. Understanding the Print Management Console
  10. Enhancements to the Print Management Console in Windows 7
  11. The Print Management Console
  12. Adding and Removing Print Servers
  13. Configuring Default Security for Print Servers
  14. Adding Printers Using the Network Printer Installation Wizard
  15. Creating and Using Printer Filters
  16. Creating and Using Driver Filters
  17. Managing Printers Using Print Management
  18. Configuring Properties of Printers
  19. Publishing Printers in AD DS
  20. Managing Printer Drivers
  21. Configuring Printer Driver Isolation Mode
  22. Configuring Printer Driver Isolation Mode Using the Print Management Console
  23. Configuring Printer Driver Isolation Mode Using Group Policy
  24. Troubleshooting Driver Isolation
  25. Exporting and Importing Print Server Configurations
  26. Printer Export Files
  27. Performing Bulk Actions Using Print Management
  28. Client-Side Management of Printers
  29. Installing Printers Using the Add Printers Wizard
  30. Searching for Printers
  31. Installing Printers Using Point and Print
  32. Using Devices And Printers
  33. Using the Color Management CPL
  34. Managing Client-Side Printer Experience Using Group Policy
  35. Configuring the Add Printer Wizard
  36. Disable Client-Side Printer Rendering
  37. Configuring Package Point and Print Restrictions
  38. Extending Point and Print Using Windows Update
  39. Deploying Printers Using Group Policy
  40. Preparing to Deploy Printers
  41. Deploying a Printer Connection
  42. Limitations of Deploying Printers Using Group Policy
  43. Migrating Print Servers
  44. Migrate Print Servers Using Print Management
  45. Migrating Print Servers Using PrintBRM
  46. Monitoring and Troubleshooting Printers
  47. Configuring E-Mail Notifications
  48. Configuring Print Server Notifications
  49. Configuring Script Actions
  50. Configuring Detailed Event Logging