If you’ve ever opened the "Print" dialog box in Windows, you’ve likely seen Microsoft XPS Document Writer listed as an available printer. While it looks like a printer, it is technically a virtual printer . The Core Function: Digital "Printing" to a File Unlike a physical printer that puts ink on paper, the Microsoft XPS Document Writer creates a digital file on your computer. When you "print" to it, you are not producing a physical document. Instead, you are converting your original document (a Word file, web page, Excel sheet, etc.) into an XPS file (XML Paper Specification).