Accessible images with text

As you move your print or in-person communications to a digital format, remember that an image of text on its own is not accessible.

The best practice is to use real text, which can be:

  • Made larger without losing clarity.
  • Modified by users who need higher color contrast for text and background colors.
  • Read by assistive technologies, including screen readers and literacy software like Read&Write.

If you must use an image with text, consider:

  • Images with minimal text
    For images with a small amount of text, make sure to add alternate text that is the same as the text in the image. For the image below, the alternative text would be “Getting Started.”
  • Images with a large amount of text
    It is not ideal to share an image with a large amount of text, such as an image of a letter.  But if you need to do so, below are a few options to provide that information in an accessible way: