PDF vs. XPS: The Format War That Ended

In the mid-2000s, Microsoft introduced XPS (XML Paper Specification). It was built into Windows Vista. It was technically superior in some ways (based on XML, easier to parse). It was supposed to be the “PDF Killer.” Today, nobody uses it. Why?

1. The First Mover Advantage

Adobe launched PDF in 1993. By 2006 (when XPS launched), PDF was already the global standard. Everyone had Adobe Reader installed. Nobody had an XPS viewer (except Windows users). If you sent an XPS file to a Mac user, they couldn’t open it. Game over.

2. Standardization (ISO)

Adobe made a brilliant move: they handed PDF over to the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) in 2008. PDF became an open standard (ISO 32000-1). It wasn’t “Adobe’s format” anymore; it was the world’s format. XPS remained largely a Microsoft project.

3. The Ecosystem

Printers, scanners, and design software all spoke PDF. To switch to XPS, the entire hardware industry would have to update their drivers. They didn’t bother.

Conclusion

Technology isn’t just about code; it’s about adoption. PDF won because it was ubiquitous, cross-platform, and open.

The standard. MergeCanvas focuses exclusively on PDF generation because it is the only format that guarantees universal compatibility.