Assistance with Moving Image Behind Text in RTF Template Rendered as HTML in Oracle BI Publisher

Question

I am working on a customized notification in Oracle BI Publisher and need assistance with rendering an RTF template as HTML. Specifically, I want to position an image as a background behind the text.

Here’s a summary of the issue:

-I attempted to insert the image as a watermark in the RTF template, but it didn't achieve the desired result when rendered as HTML.

-The image only displays when used as inline with the text in HTML format, but I need the image to be positioned behind the text.

Could you please advise on how to correctly position the image behind the text in this scenario?

krishnan · Answer

Hi everyone,

I'm creating an RTF template in Oracle BI Publisher to generate a certificate-style report. The goal is to display a background image (a certificate design) with dynamic field values printed on top — for example, the recipient's name, date, etc.

What I Did:

* Inserted the certificate design image into the RTF template.
* Set the image to "Behind Text" using Microsoft Word formatting.
* Placed BI Publisher fields (<?field_name?>) over the image in the desired locations.
* When I run the report and generate PDF output, everything works perfectly — both the image and the field values appear as expected.

The Issue:

When the report is run and rendered in other formats (RTF, HTML, Excel, etc.), the image does not appear at all — only the field values are shown. It seems the background image is not being included in the output for non-PDF formats.

What I Tried:

* Inserting the image as a Watermark — same result, only works in PDF.
* Splitting the image into smaller parts and placing them — works visually but introduces alignment and color gradient issues.
* Tried different image formats (PNG, JPEG) and sizes — no change.
* Tested rendering in multiple output formats — image only reliably appears in PDF.

Questions:

* Is this a known limitation of BI Publisher with RTF templates — that background images only render in PDF output?
* Is there a supported way to get the image to appear in RTF or other formats as well?
* Are there any best practices or alternative approaches for creating certificate-style templates with a full-page background image?

Kevin M-Oracle · Answer

Water Marks and background images are supported for PDF and PPT output only.

You could try using shapes. They are supported with Shapes in HTML output.

Adding Text to Shapes

See:

https://docs.oracle.com/middleware/bi12214/bip/BIPRD/GUID-A229808F-D2F6-458E-8E52-9E7FA156FF0E.htm#GUID-A43F6006-8FE9-4A20-9C5C-547CDD605E70

Rgds,

Kevin