a:rPr (Run Properties)

Specifies formatting properties for text runs, including font, size, color, bold, italic, and character-level effects.

Parent elements

Child elements

Description

a:rPr (Run Properties) is the character-level formatting container in DrawingML. It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §20.1.2.3.1 and controls all visual presentation of individual text characters within a run (a:r).

Purpose and Scope

Run properties specify formatting that applies to every character in the run:

Typography — Font family, size, weight (bold), slant (italic)
Text Decoration — Underline, strikethrough, overline styles
Color and Fill — Solid color, gradient, pattern, transparency
Outline — Line properties (width, dash, color)
Effects — Shadow, glow, reflection, soft edge, blur
Position and Spacing — Baseline offset, kerning, character spacing, rotation
Language and Proofing — Language code for spell check and hyphenation

When a:rPr is omitted, the run inherits formatting from:

Paragraph properties (a:pPr)
Default run properties (a:defRPr in master/theme)
Master slide theme
Application defaults

Hierarchy and Precedence

Formatting precedence (highest to lowest):

Explicit run properties (a:rPr in a:r) — Most specific
Default run properties (a:defRPr in list style)
Paragraph properties (a:pPr)
Master/theme defaults — Least specific

Content Organization

The a:rPr element contains:

Attributes (inline) — sz, b, i, u, strike, lang, etc.
Child elements (nested) — solidFill, latin, effectLst, ln, etc.

All attributes and child elements are optional. If an attribute is not specified, the preceding level’s value is used.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Range/Values	Default	Description
`sz`	Integer (EMU)	100–400000	Inherited	Font size in hundredths of points (100 = 1pt, 2400 = 24pt).
`b`	Boolean	0, 1, true, false	false	Bold text weight.
`i`	Boolean	0, 1, true, false	false	Italic (slanted) style.
`u`	Enum	`none`, `sng`, `dbl`, `heavy`, `dash`, `dashDotDotHeavy`, `wave`	none	Underline style.
`strike`	Enum	`noStrike`, `sngStrike`, `dblStrike`	noStrike	Strikethrough style.
`kern`	Integer (EMU)	0–51200	0	Kerning threshold; smaller values kern tighter.
`spc`	Integer (twips)	-20000–20000	0	Character spacing (positive = wider, negative = tighter).
`baseline`	Integer (%)	-100000–100000	0	Vertical position: positive = superscript, negative = subscript.
`lang`	String (BCP-47)	e.g., `en-US`, `fr-FR`, `zh-CN`	Inherited	Language code for spellcheck, hyphenation, and proofing.
`altLang`	String	e.g., `ja-JP`	Inherited	Alternate language code.
`dirty`	Boolean	0, 1, true, false	true	Text has changed; requires recalculation.
`smtClean`	Boolean	0, 1, true, false	true	Text proofed (spelling/grammar); false = needs check.
`noProof`	Boolean	0, 1, true, false	false	Disable proofing/spell check for this run.
`normalizeH`	Boolean	0, 1, true, false	false	Normalize height.
`kumimoji`	Boolean	0, 1, true, false	false	Kumimoji (Japanese) formatting.
`cap`	Enum	`none`, `small`, `all`	none	Capitalization: small caps or all caps.
`rot`	Integer (1/60000°)	0–5400000	0	Character rotation: 5400000 = 90°.
`spaceBef`	Integer (EMU)	-4000–4000	0	Space before character.
`spaceAft`	Integer (EMU)	-4000–4000	0	Space after character.

Child Elements

Element	Occurrence	Purpose
`a:solidFill`	0–1	Solid color fill for text.
`a:schemeClr`	0–1	Theme color reference.
`a:srgbClr`	0–1	RGB color fill.
`a:latin`	0–1	Font family for Latin characters.
`a:ea`	0–1	Font family for East Asian (CJK) characters.
`a:cs`	0–1	Font family for Complex Script (Arabic, Hebrew, etc.) characters.
`a:sym`	0–1	Font family for symbol characters.
`a:ln`	0–1	Outline (border) properties.
`a:effectLst`	0–1	List of effects (shadow, glow, reflection, soft edge).

Examples

Basic Font Properties (Size, Bold, Italic)

<a:r>
  <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400" b="1" i="0">
    <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
  </a:rPr>
  <a:t>Bold 24pt in Calibri</a:t>
</a:r>

var rPr = new RunProperties 
{
  Language = "en-US",
  FontSize = 2400,    // 24pt
  Bold = true,
  Italic = false
};
rPr.Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" });

var run = new Run(rPr, new Text("Bold 24pt in Calibri"));

Colored Text with Solid Fill

<a:r>
  <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400">
    <a:solidFill>
      <a:srgbClr val="C55A11"/>
    </a:solidFill>
    <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
  </a:rPr>
  <a:t>Orange colored text</a:t>
</a:r>

var rPr = new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400 };

var solidFill = new SolidFill();
solidFill.Append(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "C55A11" });
rPr.Append(solidFill);

rPr.Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" });

var run = new Run(rPr, new Text("Orange colored text"));

Underlined and Strikethrough Text

<a:r>
  <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400" u="sng" strike="sngStrike">
    <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
  </a:rPr>
  <a:t>Underlined + Struck through</a:t>
</a:r>

var rPr = new RunProperties
{
  Language = "en-US",
  FontSize = 2400,
  Underline = TextUnderlineValues.Single,
  Strike = TextStrikeValues.SingleStrike
};
rPr.Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" });

var run = new Run(rPr, new Text("Underlined + Struck through"));

Superscript and Subscript

<a:p>
  <a:pPr lvl="0"/>
  <a:r>
    <a:rPr sz="2400" lang="en-US">
      <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
    </a:rPr>
    <a:t>H</a:t>
  </a:r>
  <a:r>
    <a:rPr sz="1200" baseline="-25000" lang="en-US">
      <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
    </a:rPr>
    <a:t>2</a:t>
  </a:r>
  <a:r>
    <a:rPr sz="2400" lang="en-US">
      <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
    </a:rPr>
    <a:t>O and E=mc</a:t>
  </a:r>
  <a:r>
    <a:rPr sz="1200" baseline="35000" lang="en-US">
      <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
    </a:rPr>
    <a:t>2</a:t>
  </a:r>
</a:p>

var para = new Paragraph(new ParagraphProperties { Level = 0 });

para.Append(new Run(
  new RunProperties { FontSize = 2400, Language = "en-US" }
    .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
  new Text("H")));

para.Append(new Run(
  new RunProperties { FontSize = 1200, Baseline = -25000, Language = "en-US" }
    .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
  new Text("2")));

para.Append(new Run(
  new RunProperties { FontSize = 2400, Language = "en-US" }
    .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
  new Text("O and E=mc")));

para.Append(new Run(
  new RunProperties { FontSize = 1200, Baseline = 35000, Language = "en-US" }
    .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
  new Text("2")));

Multi-Language Text with Font Substitution

<a:r>
  <a:rPr sz="2400" lang="en-US">
    <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
    <a:ea typeface="SimSun"/>
    <a:cs typeface="Arial"/>
  </a:rPr>
  <a:t>English and 中文 Mixed Language Text</a:t>
</a:r>

var rPr = new RunProperties { FontSize = 2400, Language = "en-US" };
rPr.Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" });
rPr.Append(new EastAsianFont { Typeface = "SimSun" });
rPr.Append(new ComplexScriptFont { Typeface = "Arial" });

var run = new Run(rPr, new Text("English and 中文 Mixed Language Text"));

Text with Shadow and Glow Effects

<a:r>
  <a:rPr sz="3600" lang="en-US">
    <a:solidFill>
      <a:srgbClr val="4472C4"/>
    </a:solidFill>
    <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
    <a:effectLst>
      <a:outerShdw blurRad="50800" dist="38100" dir="2700000" algn="tl" rotWithShape="0">
        <a:srgbClr val="000000">
          <a:alpha val="75000"/>
        </a:srgbClr>
      </a:outerShdw>
      <a:glow rad="50800">
        <a:srgbClr val="00B0F0">
          <a:alpha val="100000"/>
        </a:srgbClr>
      </a:glow>
    </a:effectLst>
  </a:rPr>
  <a:t>Text with shadow and glow</a:t>
</a:r>

var effectLst = new EffectList();

var shadow = new OuterShadow 
{
  BlurRadius = 50800,
  Distance = 38100,
  Direction = 2700000,
  Alignment = RectangleAlignmentValues.TopLeft,
  RotateWithShape = false
};
shadow.Append(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "000000" }
  .Append(new Alpha { Val = 75000 }));
effectLst.Append(shadow);

var glow = new Glow { Radius = 50800 };
glow.Append(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "00B0F0" }
  .Append(new Alpha { Val = 100000 }));
effectLst.Append(glow);

var rPr = new RunProperties { FontSize = 3600, Language = "en-US" };
rPr.Append(new SolidFill(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "4472C4" }));
rPr.Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" });
rPr.Append(effectLst);

var run = new Run(rPr, new Text("Text with shadow and glow"));

Character Spacing and Rotation

<a:r>
  <a:rPr sz="2400" spc="60" rot="5400000" lang="en-US">
    <a:solidFill>
      <a:srgbClr val="70AD47"/>
    </a:solidFill>
    <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
  </a:rPr>
  <a:t>Wide spaced & rotated 90°</a:t>
</a:r>

var rPr = new RunProperties 
{
  FontSize = 2400,
  Spacing = 60,       // Wider spacing
  Rotation = 5400000, // 90 degrees
  Language = "en-US"
};
rPr.Append(new SolidFill(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "70AD47" }));
rPr.Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" });

var run = new Run(rPr, new Text("Wide spaced & rotated 90°"));

Text Decoration Values

Value	Appearance	Use Case
`none` (or omitted)	No underline	Normal text
`sng`	Single line below text	Standard underline
`dbl`	Double line below text	Important/emphasized
`heavy`	Thick single line	Bold emphasis
`wave`	Wavy line	Spell check indicator
`dash`	Dashed line	Temporary or draft

Capitalization Values

Value	Effect	Example
`none`	No change	Sample Text
`small`	Small capitals	SAMPLE TEXT (with smaller capitals)
`all`	All capitals	SAMPLE TEXT

Font Size Reference Table

Value	Points	Use Case
800	8pt	Small text, footnotes
1000	10pt	Body text (minimal)
1200	12pt	Standard body text
1800	18pt	Subheading
2400	24pt	Normal heading
3600	36pt	Large heading
4400	44pt	Slide title
5600	56pt	Very large title

Language Code Examples

Code	Language
`en-US`	English (US)
`en-GB`	English (UK)
`fr-FR`	French
`de-DE`	German
`zh-CN`	Chinese (Simplified)
`ja-JP`	Japanese
`ar-SA`	Arabic

Common Formatting Patterns

Small Caps (Legal/Academic Documents)

<a:rPr sz="2400" cap="small">
  <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
</a:rPr>

Kerning (Professional Typography)

<a:rPr sz="2400" kern="2000">
  <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
</a:rPr>

Thin Outline + Fill (Outlined Text)

<a:rPr sz="2400">
  <a:solidFill><a:srgbClr val="FFFFFF"/></a:solidFill>
  <a:ln w="12700"><a:solidFill><a:srgbClr val="000000"/></a:solidFill></a:ln>
  <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
</a:rPr>

Notes

Element Relationships

Parents (three contexts):
- a:r (text run): Character properties for a specific text run within a paragraph.
- a:defRPr (default run properties): Default character properties for a list/paragraph style.
- a:endParaRPr (end paragraph run properties): Formatting for the paragraph mark itself.
Children (optional formatting elements):
- Color: a:solidFill, a:schemeClr, a:srgbClr, a:sysClr, a:hslClr, a:prstClr, a:scrgbClr
- Fonts: a:latin, a:ea, a:cs, a:sym (form a fallback chain)
- Styling: a:ln (outline), a:effectLst (effects), a:outerShdw (shadow)

General Notes

Inheritance Chain: Run properties inherit from paragraph properties (a:pPr), which inherit from paragraph list style (a:lstStyle). Character-level attributes override inherited values.
Applied to: Run properties control formatting for text within a:r, but also appear in a:defRPr (default run properties for the style) and a:endParaRPr (paragraph mark formatting).
Optional Element: Run properties are optional; formatting defaults to theme or paragraph-level settings if omitted.
Font Stack: Multiple font elements (a:latin, a:ea, a:cs, a:sym) form a fallback chain. Consumers pick the first applicable font for the text language/script.
Font Size Conversion: Size is in hundredths of points (sz = 100 × point size). Examples: 1200 = 12pt, 2400 = 24pt, 7200 = 72pt.
Color System: Color can come from RGB (a:srgbClr), theme colors (a:schemeClr), system colors (a:sysClr), or HSL (a:hslClr). Theme colors enable color scheme switching.
Outline vs Fill: The a:ln (outline) is a line stroke around text characters, not a paragraph border; rarely used in body text.
Spacing: Character spacing (a:spc) is in 1/100th of a point, applied after base font size.
Compatibility: Run properties structure mirrors WordML w:rPr, ensuring consistent text formatting across Office formats.