DSSSL does not standardize the back-end formatters that generate the language's output.
It was developed by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34 (ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1, Subcommittee 34 - Document description and processing languages).
DSSSL can convert to a wide range of formats, including RTF, HTML, and LaTeX.
In 1997, software engineer Geir Ove Grønmo published a syntax highlighting language definition for KEDIT.
Sometime in or before 1994, Opera Software began drafting a "DSSSL Lite" specification for the consideration of the World Wide Web Consortium, since DSSSL was thought to be too complex for the World Wide Web.