How to Mark Decorative Content as Artifacts in a PDF
Standards this affects
- PDF/UA — ISO 14289-1, clause 7.1 (artifacts vs. real content)
- WCAG 2.1 — 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A)
- Section 508 — 502 / WCAG 2.0 AA by reference
What this means
In a PDF, content is either "real content" (in the tag tree, read by assistive technology) or an "artifact" (decorative or repeating, ignored by assistive technology). Page numbers, running headers/footers, background images, and decorative rules should be artifacts.
Why it matters
If decorative elements are left in the tag tree, a screen reader announces them on every page — reading the page number, the company name in the header, and a description of a background swirl over and over. Marking them as artifacts keeps the experience clean and is required for PDF/UA conformance.
How the checker flags it
- A screen reader repeats headers, footers, or page numbers on every page.
- The checker flags decorative images that have neither alt text nor artifact status.
- Background graphics appear in the tag tree as figures.
How to fix it
- 1
Identify decorative and repeating content
List the elements that carry no unique meaning: page numbers, running headers/footers, decorative lines, watermarks, and purely aesthetic images.
- 2
Mark them as artifacts in Acrobat Pro
Use the Reading Order tool to select the element and choose "Background" (artifact), or in the Tags panel change the element to an artifact. They will then be skipped by assistive technology.
- 3
Keep meaningful content tagged
Be careful not to artifact anything that conveys information. A logo that includes the only instance of the company name, for example, should stay tagged with alt text.
Check your PDF for this issue
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Frequently asked questions
- What's the difference between an artifact and alt text?
- Alt text describes a meaningful image so it IS announced. Marking something as an artifact does the opposite — it tells assistive technology to skip it entirely because it carries no information.