Create XPS documents in Windows 7

Microsoft has created the XPS format of documents, in the hope that one day they would replace the popular PDF documents. Most of the documents available from Microsoft’s site are also available in XPS and PDF format both. Windows 7 has a built in XPS document viewer. In Windows 7, you can convert any other document into the XPS format easily. Here is how :

  1. Open any document you want to convert, in its usual program. For example, open a picture in picture viewer or open a text document in Notepad.
  2. Choose to print that document from the menubar or toolbar. Different programs have this in different places. Most of the programs accept Ctrl + P as a keyboard shortcut for printing the open document.
  3. In the Print options window, select the printer Microsoft XPS Documents Writer as shown (for Firefox’s print options window) :

  4. You will see a Save As dialog. Choose a file name for your new XPS document.
  5. Soon, Windows will create the document for you which you can open by double-clicking on it (the XPS file).

  6. In the XPS viewer you can even digitally sign the newly created document (if you have a digital certificate) by choosing Signatures → Sign this docment. By digitally signing the document, you make sure that the document will not be changed since you modified it. If the document is changed by a third party, the embedded digital certificate will become invalid.