Key Points
- You can convert XPS files to JPEG format offline using FolderMill, DocuFreezer, and Universal Document Printer.
- To convert XPS files to JPG online, Convertio, Zamzar, and Online2PDF can be used.
- For JPG to XPS conversion, Convertio can be used.
Although not very popular, you can still come across XPS files from time to time. The XML Paper Specification is a file format that contains the content, as well as other information about the content and how it is presented. The content inside an XPS file can be plain text or images, as there are in PDF files.
XPS files are similar to PDF files, which is why they can be inter-converted as well. However, the individual pages inside an XPS file can be saved as images, if needed, by converting them to the JPG file format.
In this guide, we shall discuss different methods to convert an XPS file to a JPG format using both offline and online tools. But before we do, let us see what the XPS and JPG files are.
Table of Contents
What is an XML Paper Specification (XPS) file
Microsoft developed the XPS file format to compete with Portable Document Format (PDF). However, it did not gain similar popularity.
An XML file is a document that can contain regular text as well as additional information about the content, such as its layout and appearance. With this information, XPS files can be used for viewing and printing content.
An XPS file may have an extension .xps or .oxps (OpenXPS). The purpose behind the creation of XPS was to eliminate the use of paper in an attempt by Microsoft to go green. However, the PDF file format remains the more popular choice for users.
What is a JPG/JPEG File?
A JPEG file is a raster image file that supports up to 24-bit color depth. It utilizes a lossy compression algorithm which significantly reduces the size of the file, saving space on your storage device. However, it also means that it compromises the image quality.
Nonetheless, the quality degradation is usually not visible to the human eye. This is why the JPEG format has become a standard to share and store digital images around the world.
The JPG and JPE formats are other forms of the JPEG file format with the same data and everything, the only difference is the shorter abbreviation. They can be converted from one format to another by simply changing the file extension.
Convert XPS to JPG format offline
When talking about offline conversion methods, it means that you do not need to be on the web to fulfill the conversion process. Instead, you can install applications on your computer and perform the conversion locally.
There are a few tools that you can use.
Convert XPS to JPG using FolderMill
FolderMill is a paid tool that creates folders, known as “Hot Folders“, which perform a designated action on the elements inside the folder. With this tool, we can apply a task on a Hot Folder to convert anything inside into images. FolderMill is also available in a free version, which is sufficient to convert XPS files to JPGs.
These are the reasons why FolderMill is at the top of our list.
Here is how you can use to convert XPS files to the JPG format using FolderMill:
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Download and install FolderMill from the website.
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Run the tool and click “Create new Hot Folder“.
Create a Hot Folder -
On the next window, configure the folder properties according to your needs. The highlighted parts in the image below are important, such as naming the Hot Folder, setting its refresh time, and the location of the folder.
Configure the folder properties -
When done, click “Create new Action Set” and then click “Convert to Image“.
Apply action on folder -
Note down the output folder location, adjust the image format and other settings, and then click OK.
Adjust image settings -
Click “Apply changes“.
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Click Start.
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Now, using File Explorer, navigate to the XPS file to convert, select it, and press CTRL + C to copy it.
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Then navigate to the incoming folder of the Hot Folder and paste the XPS file there.
Paste XPS file in the Hot Folder -
Now go to the Output folder in the Hot Folder, and you shall find the converted image file there.
XPS file successfully converted to JPG
Convert XPS to JPG using DocuFreezer
DocuFreezer is another great utility that can convert XPS files to JPG images. However, it is a paid tool but provides a free trial period. It is used to convert file types into different formats and can convert files to PDF, JPEG, JIFF, TXT, and some other formats.
Here is how you can convert an XPS file to JPEG using DocuFreezer:
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Download and install DocuFreezer from the website.
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Launch the app, click “Add files“, and then select the XPS file to convert.
Add file to DocuFreezer for conversion -
Select the output file type “JPEG” from the drop-down menu.
Select JPEG as the output file type -
Click Start.
Start the conversion process
After performing these steps, DocuFreezer will save the converted JPEG file in the same folder as the original XPS file.
Convert XPS to JPG using a virtual printer
You can also convert XPS files to JPG or JPEG format using a virtual printer. A virtual printer is software that is detected as a physical printer by your computer. Using such software, you can print one document into another format, which outputs a different file type.
One such virtual printer is the “Universal Document Printer” which supports both XPS and JPG formats. So with this software, you can convert XPS files to JPG images. Here is how:
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Download and install the Universal Document Printer from the website.
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Open the XPS file using the XPS Viewer.
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Click File and then click Print.
Print the XPS file -
Select “Universal Document Converter” as the printer, and then click “More settings“.
Note: If you see the legacy print menu, click Preferences after selecting the printer.
Select Universal Document Converter -
In the “File Format” tab, select JPEG as the output format, adjust other settings if required, and then click OK.
You may also scroll other tabs to make further adjustments to the converted image file.
Select JPEG as output file format -
Back on the print menu, click Print.
After performing these steps, the output JPEG image files should be created in the same directory as the original XPS file.
Batch convert XPS files to JPG
If you want to convert multiple XPS files to JPG, I would recommend using the 2jpeg command line tool for this purpose. This way, you can convert all the XPS files within a folder with a single command. Here is how:
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First, accumulate all the XPS files into a single folder using File Explorer.
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Download 2jpeg from the website.
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Now open the Command Prompt and change the working directory to where the 2jpeg.exe file is downloaded.
Change directory to 2jpeg file -
Now use the following syntax to convert the XPS files to JPEGs while replacing the variables in the square brackets [] according to your setup:
2jpeg.exe -src "[PathToSourceFolder]\*.xps" -dst "[PathToOutputFolder]"
Batch convert XPS files to JPEG images. Source: 2jpeg
Convert XPS to JPG format online
Apart from the offline tools discussed above, you can also use the trusted tools available online to convert your XPS files to JPG image files. The online tools do not require any downloads or installations. You only need to upload your file, select the output format, begin the conversion process, and then download the converted file.
Reputed and trusted websites do not keep the files that you upload, keeping them private. Therefore, it is recommended that you only use online tools for the conversion process that are trusted.
Here are a few online tools that I recommend to convert XPS files to JPG:
Convert JPEG/JPG files to XPS format
While converting XPS files to JPEGs is relatively easier, doing the opposite is not so much. There is sometimes the need for converting XPS files to images for sharing purposes, or simply to open the XPS file in a supported application. However, since the XPS format is not so popular, very few people want to convert to the XPS format from other formats.
That said, the tools for converting JPG files to the XPS format are very limited. I found no offline tools for conversion purposes. However, I did come across an online tool that successfully converted JPEG files to XPS files.
The tool that successfully got the job done is Convertio JPG to XPS. Some other websites were offering the conversion as well, but they did not work. Either the conversion didn’t take place, or the converted file was corrupted.
Takeaway
The takeaway here is that not every file that can be converted from one format to the other can be converted back into its original format. While, technically, it is possible, whether such tools exist or not is another question.
Since the XPS file format from Microsoft is not very popular and not supported by many common apps and programs, it is difficult to find tools that will convert files in other formats into the XPS format. However, it is slightly more convenient to convert XPS files to other formats, such as PDFs and JPGs, which is perhaps also because of the same reason – the XPS format not being common.
