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background-position-y : Background Vertical Position Property

The background-position-y property sets the vertical position of background images within an element in PDF documents. This property allows independent control of vertical positioning without affecting horizontal placement.

Usage 

selector {
    background-position-y: value;
}

The background-position-y property controls the vertical placement of a background image, allowing fine-tuned positioning along the y-axis independently from horizontal positioning.

Supported Values

Keywords

  • top - Align to top edge (equivalent to 0%)
  • center - Center vertically (equivalent to 50%)
  • bottom - Align to bottom edge (equivalent to 100%)

Percentage Values

  • 0% - Top edge
  • 50% - Center (default)
  • 100% - Bottom edge
  • Any percentage: 25%, 75%, etc.
  • Percentages align image and container at the same percentage point

Length Values

  • Offset from top edge: 20pt, 30px, 1in, etc.
  • Units: pt (points), px (pixels), in (inches), cm (centimeters), mm (millimeters)
  • Positive values move down, negative values move up

Edge-Offset Syntax

  • bottom 20pt - 20pt from bottom edge
  • top 30pt - 30pt from top edge

Supported Elements

The background-position-y property can be applied to:

  • Block elements (<div>, <section>, <article>)
  • Paragraphs (<p>)
  • Headings (<h1> through <h6>)
  • Table cells (<td>, <th>)
  • Table rows (<tr>)
  • Page headers and footers
  • All container elements with background images

Notes

  • Only affects elements with background-image set
  • Default value is 50% (center)
  • Does not affect horizontal positioning (use background-position-x for that)
  • Can be used independently or combined with background-position-x
  • More specific than background-position when only vertical adjustment is needed
  • Useful for responsive layouts where only vertical positioning changes
  • Percentages align the image percentage point with container percentage point
  • Length values offset from the top edge by default
  • Negative values move images outside the element boundaries
  • Use with background-repeat: no-repeat for precise positioning

Data Binding

The background-position-y property supports dynamic data binding, enabling vertical positioning control based on data for flexible document layouts and adaptive designs.

Example 1: Dynamic vertical positioning from layout preferences 

<style>
    .document-watermark {
        background-image: url('');
        background-position-x: center;
        background-position-y: ;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: pt pt;
        min-height: 792pt;
        padding: 40pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="document-watermark">
        <h1></h1>
        <p></p>
    </div>
</body>

Enables administrators to control watermark vertical placement (top, center, bottom, or specific offsets) through configuration while keeping horizontal centering. Perfect for different document types requiring watermarks at various vertical positions.

Example 2: Conditional vertical positioning by content length 

<style>
    .certificate-seal {
        background-image: url('');
        background-position-x: center;
        background-position-y: bottom 40pt60%;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 100pt 100pt;
        padding: 60pt;
        min-height: ;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="certificate-seal">
        <h1 style="text-align: center; font-size: 28pt;"></h1>
        <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 30pt;"></p>
        <p style="text-align: center; font-size: 24pt; font-weight: bold;"></p>
        
        <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 20pt;"></p>
        
    </div>
</body>

Intelligently adjusts seal vertical position based on content - certificates with extensive text push seals to the bottom with fixed offset, while shorter certificates position seals proportionally for better balance.

Example 3: Multi-layer vertical positioning with data 

<style>
    .branded-document {
        background-image: url(''), url('');
        background-position-x: center, center;
        background-position-y: , ;
        background-repeat: repeat-x, repeat-x;
        background-size: auto pt, auto pt;
        padding-top: pt;
        padding-bottom: pt;
        min-height: 792pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="branded-document">
        <h1></h1>
        <p></p>
    </div>
</body>

Creates documents with separate header and footer decorative elements, each with configurable vertical positioning. Organizations can fine-tune the exact placement of both elements independently to match their brand guidelines and document requirements.

Examples 

<style>
    .top-logo {
        background-image: url('images/company-logo.png');
        background-position-x: center;
        background-position-y: top;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        min-height: 150pt;
        padding-top: 80pt;
        padding-left: 20pt;
        padding-right: 20pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="top-logo">
        <h2>Company Report</h2>
        <p>Annual financial summary</p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 2: Bottom-aligned seal 

<style>
    .bottom-seal {
        background-image: url('images/official-seal.png');
        background-position-x: center;
        background-position-y: bottom;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 100pt 100pt;
        padding: 40pt;
        padding-bottom: 120pt;
        min-height: 500pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="bottom-seal">
        <h1 style="text-align: center; font-size: 28pt;">Certificate</h1>
        <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 30pt;">Awarded to Jane Smith</p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 3: Centered vertically 

<style>
    .centered-vertical {
        background-image: url('images/watermark.png');
        background-position-x: center;
        background-position-y: center;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 300pt 100pt;
        min-height: 600pt;
        padding: 40pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="centered-vertical">
        <h1>Confidential Document</h1>
        <p>Vertically centered watermark.</p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 4: Offset from top edge 

<style>
    .top-offset {
        background-image: url('images/header-graphic.png');
        background-position-x: center;
        background-position-y: 30pt;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 200pt 60pt;
        padding-top: 110pt;
        padding-left: 30pt;
        padding-right: 30pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="top-offset">
        <h1>Document Title</h1>
        <p>With header graphic 30pt from top.</p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 5: Offset from bottom edge 

<style>
    .bottom-offset {
        background-image: url('images/footer-logo.png');
        background-position-x: center;
        background-position-y: bottom 25pt;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 120pt 40pt;
        padding: 30pt;
        padding-bottom: 80pt;
        min-height: 400pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="bottom-offset">
        <h2>Report Section</h2>
        <p>Footer logo 25pt from bottom edge.</p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 6: Percentage-based vertical positioning 

<style>
    .percent-vertical {
        background-image: url('images/accent-graphic.png');
        background-position-x: left;
        background-position-y: 25%;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 50pt 100pt;
        padding-left: 70pt;
        padding-top: 30pt;
        padding-bottom: 30pt;
        min-height: 400pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="percent-vertical">
        <h2>Important Section</h2>
        <p>Accent graphic positioned at 25% vertically.</p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 7: Multiple background images with different y positions 

<style>
    .multi-y-position {
        background-image: url('images/top-banner.png'), url('images/bottom-banner.png');
        background-position-x: center, center;
        background-position-y: top, bottom;
        background-repeat: repeat-x, repeat-x;
        background-size: auto 20pt, auto 20pt;
        padding-top: 35pt;
        padding-bottom: 35pt;
        padding-left: 30pt;
        padding-right: 30pt;
        min-height: 300pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="multi-y-position">
        <h2 style="text-align: center;">Framed Content</h2>
        <p style="text-align: center;">With decorative top and bottom borders</p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 8: Watermark at specific vertical position 

<style>
    .watermark-position {
        background-image: url('images/draft-watermark.png');
        background-position-x: center;
        background-position-y: 35%;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 350pt 120pt;
        min-height: 700pt;
        padding: 40pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="watermark-position">
        <h1>Project Proposal - DRAFT</h1>
        <p>This is a preliminary version of the proposal.</p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 9: Certificate ribbon at top 

<style>
    .certificate-ribbon {
        background-image: url('images/ribbon-graphic.png');
        background-position-x: center;
        background-position-y: top;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 80pt 120pt;
        padding-top: 140pt;
        padding-left: 40pt;
        padding-right: 40pt;
        min-height: 500pt;
        border: 3pt solid #b45309;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="certificate-ribbon">
        <h1 style="text-align: center; font-size: 28pt; color: #b45309;">
            Certificate of Excellence
        </h1>
        <p style="text-align: center; margin-top: 30pt; font-size: 18pt;">
            Presented to
        </p>
        <p style="text-align: center; font-size: 24pt; font-weight: bold; color: #1e40af;">
            Michael Anderson
        </p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 10: Invoice stamp at bottom 

<style>
    .invoice-stamp {
        background-image: url('images/paid-stamp.png');
        background-position-x: right 30pt;
        background-position-y: bottom 30pt;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 100pt 100pt;
        padding: 30pt;
        padding-bottom: 150pt;
        min-height: 500pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="invoice-stamp">
        <h1 style="font-size: 32pt; color: #1e3a8a;">INVOICE</h1>
        <p>Invoice #: INV-2025-350</p>
        <p>Date: January 15, 2025</p>
        <p>Amount Due: $1,250.00</p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 11: Letterhead logo at precise vertical position 

<style>
    .letterhead-precise {
        background-image: url('images/letterhead-logo.png');
        background-position-x: center;
        background-position-y: 40pt;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 150pt 55pt;
        padding-top: 115pt;
        padding-left: 40pt;
        padding-right: 40pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="letterhead-precise">
        <p>Date: January 15, 2025</p>
        <p>Dear Customer,</p>
        <p>We are pleased to present...</p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 12: Decorative element at middle-top 

<style>
    .decorative-top {
        background-image: url('images/ornament.png');
        background-position-x: center;
        background-position-y: 20%;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 80pt 60pt;
        padding: 50pt 30pt;
        min-height: 400pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="decorative-top">
        <h2 style="text-align: center; margin-top: 80pt;">Elegant Document</h2>
        <p style="text-align: center;">With decorative element near top</p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 13: Report section with accent bar 

<style>
    .accent-bar {
        background-image: url('images/horizontal-accent.png');
        background-position-x: left;
        background-position-y: center;
        background-repeat: repeat-x;
        background-size: auto 3pt;
        padding-top: 30pt;
        padding-bottom: 30pt;
        padding-left: 20pt;
        padding-right: 20pt;
        min-height: 200pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="accent-bar">
        <h3>Key Findings</h3>
        <p>This section is divided by a centered horizontal accent.</p>
    </div>
</body>

<style>
    .footer-badge {
        background-image: url('images/quality-badge.png');
        background-position-x: right 40pt;
        background-position-y: bottom 15pt;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 60pt 60pt;
        padding: 20pt;
        padding-right: 120pt;
        padding-bottom: 80pt;
        border-top: 1pt solid #d1d5db;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="footer-badge">
        <p style="font-size: 9pt;">© 2025 Company Name. All rights reserved.</p>
        <p style="font-size: 9pt;">ISO 9001 Certified Quality Management</p>
    </div>
</body>

Example 15: Adjusting only vertical position 

<style>
    .default-center {
        background-image: url('images/logo.png');
        background-position: center center;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 150pt 60pt;
        min-height: 300pt;
        padding: 30pt;
        border: 1pt solid #d1d5db;
    }
    .adjusted-y-position {
        background-image: url('images/logo.png');
        background-position-x: center;
        background-position-y: top 40pt;
        background-repeat: no-repeat;
        background-size: 150pt 60pt;
        min-height: 300pt;
        padding: 30pt;
        border: 1pt solid #d1d5db;
        margin-top: 20pt;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <div class="default-center">
        <h3 style="text-align: center; margin-top: 120pt;">Default Centered</h3>
    </div>
    <div class="adjusted-y-position">
        <h3 style="text-align: center; margin-top: 120pt;">Adjusted Y Position</h3>
        <p style="text-align: center;">Horizontal position remains centered</p>
    </div>
</body>

See Also