The XPS document design provides a single, high-fidelity document solution that supports multiple uses:

• Reading, writing and storing fixed-document content and resources as a single, portable, and easy-to-distribute file (you can use Microsoft XPS Document Writer to create XPS document, and this XPS Document Writer already installed on Windows Vista and Windows 7).
• Displaying documents with the XPS Viewer application (standard XPS Viewer already installed on Windows Vista and Windows 7). The standard XPS Viewer provides an intuitive user interface that provides built-in support for common operations including print output, copy to clipboard, zoom and text search features. The control provides access to pages of content through a familiar scrolling mechanism.
• Support security features, such digital signatures, to provide greater document security. When applied to a document, these digital signatures can help ensure the identity of the author and the validity of the document content.
• Outputting documents in the native print spool output format of Windows Vista.
• Routing documents directly to a XPS-compatible printer.

Typical uses for XPS document include desktop publishing, word processing, and form layout, where adherence to the precise positional placement of content elements independent of the display or print device in use. The page layout remains the same in all cases, while the document quality maximized to the capabilities of each device.