XML support from Global Graphics

Global Graphics have announced a RIP that supports XPS, the XML based page description that ships with Vista. Recent financial reports from Global Graphics have admitted that sales of Vista have been slower than expected. However, Microsoft is still influential in some circles. If going from Office to hard copy is easy with XPS, some people will be interested. Meanwhile there is no news at all about MARS. Perhaps Adobe think the current PDF format is doing well enough not to need any updating.

I am almost tempted to start a "bloggers for Microsoft XML" trend, just to see when the Adobe response would kick in. The recent moves to support the Open Document Format (ODF) create a bit of space. It seems there will be a route for all the old .docs to be saved as open documents.

Sorry to be brief about this. Leaving Exeter for actual drupa this evening. My theory is that by Tuesday all the press releases will be available, including the last minute ones that could have been released several weeks ago and made discussion easier.

The innovation parc is the main focus, based on XML and PDF. So if MARS takes more shape most of the discussion will have to start again.

My impression from a distance is that Adobe are only partly connected with print. Searching blogs.adobe finds almost nothing on the print engine, and that from 2006.

I still think the absence of Apple is the big news so far but cannot find any other comment. Also Google, Sun and open source are a bit crucial wherever they are.