Images of Text (No Exception)
Images of text are used only for pure decoration or where a particular presentation of text is essential to the information being conveyed (e.g., logotypes).
What it requires
WCAG 2.0 SC 1.4.9 (AAA) goes further than 1.4.5 (AA): it removes the AA carve-out for "essential" customization of text appearance. Body text rendered as PNG, marketing copy baked into a hero image — all fail at AAA.
Logotypes (the brand name as a designed mark) and decorative typography (a watermark behind a hero image) are exempt. Everything else must be live HTML text.
Common Shopify failure
Promotional banner with the offer text rendered as a flat PNG. Email-capture popup with a hand-lettered "Sign up" headline as an image.
How to fix it
AccessComply detects images whose accessible-name appears to contain marketing copy and flags them for replacement with HTML text + CSS styling.
Primary source: W3C — WCAG 2.0 Understanding 1.4.9