13-004 <Figure> tag alternative or replacement text missing.

A Figure has neither alternative text nor replacement text.

Checkpoint

13: Graphics

ISO 14289-1 (PDF/UA-1) clause

7.3-3

Test type in the protocol

Machine-testable

Applies to

A single object

WCAG 2.x (AxisRemedy's informative mapping)

1.1.1 Non-text Content (level A)

How to fix it

Every Figure in the tag tree needs a text a screen reader can speak in place of the picture. Which text, and how long, depends on what the picture does on the page. Writing it is a human job: a tool can add the place for the text, but only a person who has read the page knows what the picture is for.

Decide what the picture is

• It carries information (a chart, a photo that the text refers to, a diagram): describe what a reader would take from it, in a sentence or two. For a chart, state the point it makes, and give the numbers in the surrounding text or a table.
• It is a logo, button or link image: say what it names or does, such as the organization name or the destination.
• It is only decoration (a rule, a background, a border): it should not be a Figure at all. Mark it as an artifact, so it is skipped and needs no text.

In Acrobat Pro

1. Open Tools, then Accessibility, then Set Alternate Text. Acrobat steps through each figure and asks for a text, or lets you mark it as decorative.
2. Or open the Tags panel, find the Figure, open its Properties and fill in Alternate Text.

In Word, before you export

Right-click the image, choose View Alt Text (or Edit Alt Text), type the description or tick the decorative option. When you export to PDF, keep the option that creates document structure tags, so the text travels into the PDF.

Writing the text

• Say what the picture shows or does, not "image of" or "picture of".
• Keep it short. If a chart needs a paragraph, put the paragraph in the page text and keep the alternative text to the main point.
• Do not repeat a caption that sits right next to the figure; the reader would hear it twice.

Source: W3C, Technique PDF1, Applying text alternatives to images with the Alt entry in PDF documents. Menu names differ a little between Acrobat and Word versions.

How AxisRemedy handles it

Tested by the app. AxisRemedy tests this condition itself. For each document it records passed, failed or not applicable, and for every failure the object and the page.

What the check covers

Checks the Figure elements in the structure tree, role-mapped ones included. A non-blank /Alt or /ActualText satisfies it. Whether the text describes the image is for a person: the report lists these as review items.

Repairs that target it

• Placeholder alternative text for Figures without any
• Figure descriptions from the person's model written as /Alt needs a value from you

Repairs are optional. The few that could change how a page looks, such as embedding a missing font, need your explicit consent.