Artifact

Description	Denotes content that is non-structural or decorative, such as background graphics or other content not intended to be read in the logical order.
Namespace	2.0
Category	grouping block inline

Attributes

Placement

Specifies how the element is placed relative to surrounding content (e.g., block-level or inline flow).

WritingMode

Defines the direction of text flow (e.g., left-to-right, right-to-left, or vertical).

BackgroundColor

Sets the background color for the element’s content area.

BorderColor

Specifies the color of the border around the element.

BorderStyle

Indicates the style of the border (e.g., solid, dashed, dotted).

BorderThickness

Defines the thickness of the border line in user space units (such as points).

Padding

Determines the space between the element’s border (or boundary) and its inner content.

Color

Applies the primary color (fill or stroke) for the text or graphic content.

Type

role

Main indicator of type. This semantic association allows tools to present and support interaction with the object in a manner that is consistent with user expectations about other objects of that type.

Differences

Well tagged PDF:

The 'Artifact' element in Well-Tagged PDF is used for content that is decorative or non-essential to the logical structure. It marks items that should be ignored in content extraction and reflow.

Artifacts must be clearly marked to distinguish them from meaningful content. They should be excluded from the logical reading order to prevent interference with content reusability.

PDFUA:

In PDF/UA, the 'Artifact' element is critical for accessibility by identifying content that does not contribute to the semantic meaning, such as decorative images or layout markers.

Artifacts must be properly tagged and excluded from the primary reading order, ensuring that assistive technologies can skip them and focus on meaningful content.