Do You Need Text Recognition? Recognize text

SIX to XPS Converter

Convert SIXEL art to XPS documents online for free

Drop files here. 1 GB maximum file size or Sign Up
to
Facebook Amazon Microsoft Tesla Nestle Walmart L'Oreal

Fast Conversion

SIX to XPS processing completes in seconds for typical image sizes. Cloud infrastructure keeps turnaround times consistently short.

Multi-File Processing

Queue several SIX files at once and convert them all to XPS simultaneously. Batch mode streamlines repetitive conversion work.

Any Device Works

Convert SIX to XPS from a desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone. Any device with a modern browser and internet connection works.

How to convert SIX to XPS

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose xps or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your xps file right afterwards

About formats

SIX is a file extension for SIXEL (Six Pixel) graphics data, a bitmap graphics format developed by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1983 and introduced with the LA50 dot matrix printer. SIXEL encodes images as a sequence of printable ASCII characters, where each character represents a column of six vertical pixels (a 'sixel') — the character's ASCII value minus 63 provides a 6-bit binary pattern, with each bit controlling one pixel in the vertical column. The encoding is structured as a series of sixel bands (each six pixels tall) across the image width, with control sequences for color selection (up to 256 registers with HLS or RGB specification), repeat counts (run-length encoding for efficiency), carriage return, and newline commands. SIXEL data is transmitted to the output device using DEC's standard escape sequence protocol, embedded within the text stream alongside regular character output. Originally designed for DEC's line of printers and later supported by DEC VT-series terminals (VT240, VT330, VT340), SIXEL has experienced a remarkable revival in modern terminal emulator software. One advantage is terminal-native image display: SIXEL allows images to be rendered directly within a text terminal session without requiring a graphical window system, enabling command-line tools to display graphs, photographs, and previews inline with text output. This capability has driven adoption in modern terminals like mlterm, xterm, WezTerm, and foot. SIX/SIXEL data can be generated by ImageMagick, libsixel, and chafa, and viewed in any SIXEL-capable terminal emulator.
Initial release: 1983
XPS (XML Paper Specification) is a fixed-layout document format developed by Microsoft, first released with Windows Vista and .NET Framework 3.0 in November 2006. Conceived as Microsoft's alternative to Adobe's PDF, XPS uses XML-based page description markup within a ZIP-based Open Packaging Conventions container. Each page is described as a FixedPage element containing paths (vector shapes with fill and stroke), glyphs (text positioned at precise coordinates), images, and canvas groupings — all specified with exact coordinates for pixel-precise rendering. The format embeds all required resources: fonts are subset and included, images are stored within the package, and the complete rendering specification travels with the document. Windows includes the XPS Document Writer as a virtual printer, allowing any application to generate XPS output through the standard print dialog. One advantage is exact visual fidelity — XPS documents render identically on any compliant viewer because every element is positioned absolutely, with no interpretation variance. Native Windows integration is another strength: XPS viewing, creation, and printing are built into Windows without additional software, and the .NET Framework provides APIs for programmatic XPS generation. While XPS did not achieve the ubiquity of PDF as a universal document format, it remains used in Windows printing infrastructure, enterprise document workflows, and scenarios where the Windows platform provides native end-to-end support.
Developer: Microsoft
Initial release: November 2006

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert SIX to XPS?

SIXEL graphics only render in compatible terminals. A XPS conversion captures the visual content in a universally supported format.

What programs can open XPS?

Microsoft XPS Viewer (built into Windows), Pagemark XPS Viewer, and Evince on Linux open XPS documents natively.

Will I lose image quality converting SIX to XPS?

XPS preserves image data without lossy compression, so the visual content from your SIX is retained faithfully during conversion.

How long does SIX to XPS conversion take?

The process is fast — cloud-based processing handles SIX to XPS conversion in seconds for standard-sized images, even on slower connections.

Does Convertio support batch SIX to XPS conversion?

Yes — upload multiple SIX files in one session and convert them all to XPS simultaneously. Batch processing saves time on repetitive tasks.

Can I convert terminal screenshots?

If the screenshot is saved as a SIX file with SIXEL encoding, yes. Upload it to Convertio and convert to XPS for universal viewing.