w:emboss (Embossed Text Effect)

Applies an embossed (raised) 3-D effect to the characters of a run by using light and shadow simulation.

Parent elements

w:rPr

Description

w:emboss is a toggle property that applies an embossed rendering to text — characters appear raised above the page surface, simulated using light and shadow gradients.

It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §17.3.2.13.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Possible Values	Description
`w:val`	`ST_OnOff`	`true`, `false`, `1`, `0`, `on`, `off`	Enables the emboss effect. Omit to inherit.

Examples

<w:r>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:emboss/>
  </w:rPr>
  <w:t>Embossed text</w:t>
</w:r>

using DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Wordprocessing;

var run = new Run(
    new RunProperties(new Emboss()),
    new Text("Embossed text")
);

Notes

w:emboss and w:imprint are mutually exclusive — enabling one disables the other.
These are legacy effects. DrawingML offers more detailed 3-D text effects for modern documents.
Typical appearance: light gradient on top-left edges, shadow on bottom-right edges.