The two companies are collaborating to make it possible for Independent Hardware Vendors (IHVs) to be ready to market with qualified products as soon as the XPS format becomes available in the next version of Microsoft’s operating system, Windows Vista, currently scheduled for availability at the end of 2006.
Current print devices do not support XPS and IHVs will need to enable support for XPS in their products. Global Graphics revealed its credentials and commitment to providing the industry with an XPS compatible RIP at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in April 2005 when it announced that it had been providing consultancy and proof of concept development services to Microsoft for almost two years. One of the highlights of this event was an on-stage demonstration by Global Graphics of native XPS printing, using the XPS RIP it had already developed.
Jim Freidah, Global Graphics’ chief operating officer comments, “We made a commitment to XPS three years ago as part of our broader technology strategy for RIP development. Today we have the technology and tools in place to enable the industry to adopt high quality XPS RIPping and native printing easily and affordably. Our relationship with QualityLogic will further allow the industry to have independently validated XPS print implementations.”
James Mater, QualityLogic president and CEO adds, “Working with Global Graphics gives us a head start on developing our test suites for XPS. They are providing us with advanced XPS RIP technology that will accelerate our development of useful tests that can be printed on a real device. These tests will be critical in helping IHVs assess conformance to XPS requirements. We have no doubt that Global Graphics will be a critical contributor to the successful implementation of the Microsoft XPS technology.”
