w:position (Vertical Text Position)

Raises or lowers text in a run relative to the baseline, expressed in half-points.

Parent elements

w:rPr

Description

w:position shifts characters in a run vertically relative to the text baseline. A positive value raises the text (superscript-like effect); a negative value lowers it (subscript-like effect). Unlike w:vertAlign, this element does not reduce the font size — the characters remain at their declared size.

It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §17.3.2.36.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Possible Values	Description
`w:val`	`ST_SignedHpsMeasure`	Signed integer in half-points (e.g. `12` = 6 pt raised, `-8` = 4 pt lowered)	Vertical offset from the text baseline. Positive = up, negative = down.

Examples

<!-- Raised by 6 pt -->
<w:r>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:position w:val="12"/>
    <w:sz w:val="16"/>
  </w:rPr>
  <w:t>raised</w:t>
</w:r>

<!-- Lowered by 4 pt -->
<w:r>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:position w:val="-8"/>
  </w:rPr>
  <w:t>lowered</w:t>
</w:r>

using DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Wordprocessing;

// Raised 6 pt (12 half-points)
var raised = new Run(
    new RunProperties(
        new Position { Val = "12" },
        new FontSize { Val = "16" }
    ),
    new Text("raised")
);

// Lowered 4 pt (8 half-points)
var lowered = new Run(
    new RunProperties(new Position { Val = "-8" }),
    new Text("lowered")
);

Measurement Conversions

Raise/Lower	Half-Points	Points
Raise 2pt	4	2
Raise 6pt	12	6
Lower 4pt	-8	-4
Lower 6pt	-12	-6

Notes

No Font Scaling: w:position shifts without resizing (unlike w:vertAlign).
Half-Point Values: All values in half-points; divide by 2 for points.
Precision Adjustment: Use for fine baseline tuning, ordinal markers, footnote references.
Positive = Up: Positive values raise text; negative values lower it.
Works with Any Font: Position shifts apply uniformly regardless of font family or size.
Combines with Size: Can combine with w:sz for full superscript/subscript custom behavior.
RTL Compatible: Position shifts work consistently with right-to-left text.
Print Stable: Position offsets render and print reliably.