How to: Open an XPS format file on the Mac

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How to: Open an XPS format file on the Mac

23 May 2012 2,898 views 6 Comments

how to open an xps document on your mac, try graphicconverter or openoffice.

Did you know that Microsoft created an “open” answer to Adobe’s PDF, which itself is an “open” standard? I remember reading about Open XML some years back, but had never knowingly run across Redmond’s twist. That blissful ignorance came to end today when an email from my son’s school arrived with an XPS formatted attachment.

Open XML Paper Specification — [A]n XML-based (more precisely XAML-based) specification, based on a new print path and a color-managed vector-based document format that supports device independence and resolution independence. OpenXPS was standardized as an open standard document format on June 16, 2009 — Wikipedia.

See also: Opening Microsoft XPS docs with a Mac (Apple Support)

And, here’s the punchline — you can open an XPS with MS Office, OpenOffice, NeoOffice, XPS Viewer (demo), LibreOffice and, interestingly enough, free and nearly infinitely useful GraphicConverter, which opens more than 200 different file formats.

A friend told me he successfully used GraphicConverter to open a tin of corned beef after the little metal pull strip broke off — GC is really, really useful and opens hundreds of formats.

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6 Comments »

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# 12 July 2012 at 4:28 pm