Figure
| Description | Represents visual content like images, graphs, or charts in a PDF document. |
|---|---|
| Namespace | 1.7 2.0 |
| Category | grouping block inline |
Attributes
Specifies how the element is placed relative to surrounding content (e.g., block-level or inline flow).
Defines the direction of text flow (e.g., left-to-right, right-to-left, or vertical).
Sets the background color for the element’s content area.
Specifies the color of the border around the element.
Indicates the style of the border (e.g., solid, dashed, dotted).
Defines the thickness of the border line in user space units (such as points).
Determines the space between the element’s border (or boundary) and its inner content.
Applies the primary color (fill or stroke) for the text or graphic content.
Declares an explicit width for the element in user space units.
Declares an explicit height for the element in user space units.
Shifts the text baseline up or down (used for subscripts, superscripts, etc.).
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.
Properties
An optional text label or title for this structure element—can serve as a short descriptor (e.g., for a heading).
Identifies the primary language for the text in this element (e.g., 'en-US'), aiding in proper text processing and accessibility.
Provides alternative text describing the element’s content, primarily for accessibility (screen readers).
Gives an exact text equivalent for non-textual or symbolic content, allowing screen readers to read it as plain text.
Differences
Well tagged PDF:
Includes required structural tagging for figures, plus appropriate alternative or replacement text to support basic reuse and accessibility needs in a PDF. Purely decorative figures are artifacted rather than tagged.
As per Well-Tagged PDF (WTPDF) 1.0, any figure conveying meaning must be enclosed in a Figure structure element with at least one of the following: an Alt property (ISO 32000-2:2020, 14.9.3) or an ActualText property representing the figure’s content. If the figure is decorative or background-only, it should be artifacted. Where captions are used, they shall be tagged with the Caption structure element and placed as the first or last child of the figure’s parent element. All figure content (including background imagery deemed essential) should be enclosed in a single Figure element to accurately represent the real content.
PDFUA:
Strict adherence to PDF/UA-2 requirements for Figures, ensuring meaningful images are fully accessible through text-based descriptions.
Under ISO 14289-2, each Figure structure element must have at least one of the following: an Alt property or an ActualText property representing the image’s content. Purely decorative (background-only) images should be artifacted instead of tagged as Figures. If ActualText is used, the Figure must be enclosed within an appropriate block-level element. ISO 14289-2 also requires that any integral substructure be contained within the same Figure element, so that assistive technologies can programmatically access all visual content and its text equivalents. Additional requirements in Section 8.5 mandate text-based equivalents for all non-text objects, ensuring end-users relying on assistive technologies can interpret the intended meaning or function of each figure.
Use cases
Inline Figure element used inside of a paragraph
Try itFigure element used as a block following a paragraph
Try itFigure element with Caption used as a block following a paragraph
Try itMultiple figures in an advertising section
Try itTag Relationships
Permitted Parent Tags
Permitted Child Tags
Click on any tag to view its details.
Related Matterhorn Protocol checkpoints
- Tags are not in logical reading order.
- Structure elements are nested in a semantically inappropriate manner. (e.g. a table inside a heading).
- The structure type (after applying any role-mapping as necessary) of a structure element is not semantically appropriate.
- Graphics objects other than text objects and artifacts are not tagged with a Figure tag.
- Figure tag alternative or replacement text missing.
- Actual text used for a Figure for which Alternative text is more appropriate.
- Graphics objects that possess semantic value only within a group of graphics objects is tagged on its own.
- A more accessible representation is not used.
Examples
- An image
- A drawing
- A chart, including the text that denotes values on each axis
- An organization chart enclosed by a single Figure structure element that itself contains substructure to describe each subunit of the chart.
- A background image intersecting an image which the author considers to be an intrinsic part of the figure is artifact content in this case