The OXPS or Open XML Paper Specification file extension represents highly compressed document files, much like Adobe’s PDF file format. These files store the document structures along with any image or text styling information. This makes them ideal for documents that need to be shared and displayed in exactly the same way, regardless of device, as these files save both formatting and structure.
Roots – How the OXPS File Extension Was Developed
The OXPS extension is very similar to the XPS document format that was used in Windows 7 or even earlier operating systems. The XPS file format originally used the XML paper specification to encode and preserve content, until in 2009, the European Computer Manufacturers Association, or Ecma, adopted the OpenXPS specification and standardized it with some modifications. This new specification allowed for better compression and security, making OXPS files much better than the old XPS format. When Microsoft released Windows 8, it adopted the standard OXPS format as its default document format and has stuck with it ever since.
Internals – How does the OXPS file extension work?
The OXPS file format works much like the original XPS format; uses XML or Extensible Markup Language to encode documents with their structures intact, such as a web page, then, using standardized specifications, encrypts them and makes them write-protected. This results in a secure, structured document file with a very high level of compression that looks exactly the same to everyone. It works much like Adobe’s PDF format, but OXPS supports higher resolution images as well as multi-layered TIFF files. This, combined with a better compression algorithm that results in better full file compression, makes OXPS better than the Portable Document Format, resulting in smaller, sharper documents.
Usability – How do I make a document with the OXPS file extension?
One of the best things about OXPS documents is that you don’t need any additional software to create or view them if you’re using Windows 8 or higher. The native WordPad application that comes with Windows allows users to create OXPS documents as easily as any other document file. Just type the text, add the images, format everything, add the digital signatures you want to include, and you’re done. Save the document and “print” it as an OXPS document using the OXPS file printer that comes pre-installed in Windows. Windows also comes with an OXPS file viewer that allows users to open OXPS documents without any problem, making it a very useful and accessible document format.
Which is better: PDF or OXPS?
Microsoft never really marketed the XPS or OXPS formats, and because of this, very few people really know what this file extension represents. They just don’t know how to access or view it, and this PDF gives them a huge advantage over them. Adobe commercialized its format heavily, and the result is that almost everyone who uses a computer will know how to open a PDF file. This gives PDF a distinct advantage, even though OXPS features better compression and support for better, sharper images.