When I try to print, "Save XPS document window" appears.

[Printing Error with XPS]

When I try to print, "Save XPS document window" appears. Even thoug I save
the file in *xps, the document will not print. Using Office XP in Windows XP.
Started when I uninstalled all of Office and reinstalled just WORD.

 

[Scott M.]

You need to setup a default printer. Word is trying to "print" to an .xps
document, rather than your actual printer.


"Printing Error with XPS" <Printing Error with
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[Robert]

When I try to print, "Save XPS document window" appears. Even thoug I save
the file in *xps, the document will not print. Using Office XP in Windows XP.
Started when I uninstalled all of Office and reinstalled just WORD.

´.xps¡ files are like ´.pdf¡ files. They are neither read nor printed from
Word. Word can only create (save) them through a very special ´printer
driver¡.
If you want to actually print your document from Word, save it as a ´.doc¡
or ´.docx¡ file first.
If you save your document as an ´.xps¡ file, you have to open it in the
dedicated application first, i.e. Internet Explorer. And print it from
there, not from Word.
HTH.

 

[Gordon Bentley-Mix]

Robert,

I reckon Scott M. is on the right track. The way I read the it, the OP only
saved the file in .xps format _after_ trying to print it. The behaviour
described looks to me like Word is trying to print to the "Microsoft XPS
Document Writer" - possibly because there are no other printers installed
or because it has been set as the default.

I've run into similar situations when setting up a new computer. If I
install Word before I set up a printer, the "Microsoft Office Document Image
Writer" gets set as the default printer. Then if I install a printer and
forget to set it as the default, Word continues to use this "printer" until
someone complains and I go in and change it.

While it's true that you can't print (as in hardcopy print) .xps or .pdf
documents directly from Word, you can certainly "print" _to_ .xps or .pdf
from within Word - and the dialog that's presented when you do this is a
"Save" dialog. It's bloody confusing because it's not consistent; you don't
'save' in some sort of '.paper' format when you print them on a printer, so
why should you 'save' when you "print" them to .xps or .pdf?
--
Cheers!

Gordon Bentley-Mix
Word MVP

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup.

Read the original version of this post in the Office Discussion Groups - no
membership required!

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You "save" to PDF or XPS because Word requires a filename for the new
document that results from the conversion to PDF or XPS format.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

Robert,

I reckon Scott M. is on the right track. The way I read the it, the OP
only saved the file in .xps format _after_ trying to print it. The
behaviour described looks to me like Word is trying to print to the
"Microsoft XPS Document Writer" - possibly because there are no other
printers installed or because it has been set as the default.

I've run into similar situations when setting up a new computer. If I
install Word before I set up a printer, the "Microsoft Office Document
Image Writer" gets set as the default printer. Then if I install a printer
and forget to set it as the default, Word continues to use this "printer"
until someone complains and I go in and change it.

While it's true that you can't print (as in hardcopy print) .xps or .pdf
documents directly from Word, you can certainly "print" _to_ .xps or .pdf
from within Word - and the dialog that's presented when you do this is a
"Save" dialog. It's bloody confusing because it's not consistent; you
don't 'save' in some sort of '.paper' format when you print them on a
printer, so why should you 'save' when you "print" them to .xps or .pdf?
--
Cheers!

Gordon Bentley-Mix
Word MVP

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup.

Read the original version of this post in the Office Discussion Groups -
no membership required!

 

[Robert]

While it's true that you can't print (as in hardcopy print) .xps or .pdf
documents directly from Word, you can certainly "print" _to_ .xps or .pdf
from within Word - and the dialog that's presented when you do this is a
"Save" dialog. It's bloody confusing because it's not consistent; you don't
'save' in some sort of '.paper' format when you print them on a printer, so
why should you 'save' when you "print" them to .xps or .pdf?

Hi Gordon,
What I personally find confusing is that a command that doesnÿt actually
print anything is called a ´print to¡ command. It would stand to reason to
name it as a ´save to¡ or ´convert to¡ command. Especially as a new file is
actually ´created¡ (or ´saved¡) in the ´.xps¡ format.
When we are supposed to ´print to .xps¡, nothing gets printed at all. If a
´.xps¡ document is to be ´printed¡ at all, it has to be opened in the
dedicated application (viewer) and actually ´printed¡ from there. This
cannot be done from MS Word. Word only saves the document under the chosen
name and format.
I personally would much prefer having commands that print named as
´printing¡ commands, and commands that only ´save¡ named as ´saving¡
commands.

 

[Graham Mayor]

I can understand the confusion, but as far as Word is concerned the process
is 'printing'. The fact that the active driver outputs to a file and not to
paper is really immaterial as Word has no way of establishing the output
format of the active driver. It merely directs the document to it for
processing. Indeed any 'printer' driver can be directed to a file.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

 

[Jay Freedman]

I think this is another case of the technologists at MS being apparently
unaware of what is understood by the non-technologists among their audience.
Just because the software that does the job is technically a "printer
driver", that's no longer a reason for the UI to say that what it does is
"printing". If most people think of making a PDF file as "saving", then
that's how it should appear. Software in general, and Office in particular,
is already loaded with plenty of these "little white lies".

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Robert]

The fact that the active driver outputs to a file and not to
paper is really immaterial as Word has no way of establishing the output
format of the active driver.

Hi Graham,
I am sure that the MS Word developers know perfectly well what is going to
happen to the file that is ´printed to the .xps driver¡. As a matter of
fact, for the corresponding ´printer¡ name, they did not use something like
´Canon MP140 Series Printer¡, but actually ´Microsoft XPS Document Writer¡.
This is clear recognition that no actual printing is involved. A ´Document
Writer¡ cannot ´print¡ to a file, it merely ´writes¡ (or creates¡) a text
to a file.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Well, Word 2007 does use the term "Publish" rather than print when you use
its own PDF creator, but if you choose Adobe PDF as the printer, then you're
"printing."

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[ProfSchiavo]

My document is not from PDF or other format. I typed it directly into Word. I do not lack a default printer. My regular printer is identified as the default. I'm running Win 7(64) and keep my system clean with the standard scan products.

When I try to print, I get the save-as dialog, set up for an xps file. I cannot print. I'm not sure which "valuable update" initiated this handy behavior but I'm sick of it and eager to find a fix for it, if anyone would kindly address it. It's maddening; but then, you know that, having observed it yourself.

Many thanks for any useful help.
PS