What the standard says
If the technologies being used can achieve the visual presentation, text is used to convey information rather than images of text except for the following:
Why it matters
An image of text does not reflow, does not zoom cleanly, and cannot be restyled by a reader who needs a different font.
What a failure looks like
- failsA promotional banner where the headline and price are baked into the JPEG.
How to fix it
- doSet the text in HTML over the image. Logos are the exception the criterion allows.
How A11ySignal checks it
manual
No automated rule can judge this criterion, and we will not pretend otherwise. A clean scan does not mean 1.4.5 passes — it means nothing we can measure fails. This one needs a person.
What a tool cannot tell you
A scanner cannot see text inside an image. This one needs eyes.