diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 47a94d8f..b9d28037 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 - Add a `hidden` option to form annotation methods, for a field that should start hidden (e.g. one an interactive action reveals later) instead of the usual default of visible and printable
 - Fix annotations placed under `doc.rotate()` marking the wrong area, because `_convertRect` derived each corner's y from the already transformed x and mapped only two of the four corners, so the rectangle a viewer makes interactive did not follow the rotated content. Fixes #1153
 - Add `onClick`, `onMouseDown`, `onMouseEnter`, `onMouseExit`, `onFocus` and `onBlur` options to form annotation methods, for the JavaScript a field runs on each of those events. Each accepts a string or a plain function, whose source text is written into the action
+- Fix the accents of capitals such as Ä and Õ being cut off in the first line of a table cell, because the text mask started exactly at the top padding while those glyphs rise above the font ascender where the first line begins. Fixes #1720
 
 ### [v0.20.2] - 2026-08-29
 
diff --git a/lib/table/render.js b/lib/table/render.js
index 751bb6fc..96bae558 100644
--- a/lib/table/render.js
+++ b/lib/table/render.js
@@ -134,7 +134,13 @@ function renderCellText(cell) {
 
   // Create text mask to cut off any overflowing text
   // Mask cuts off at the padding not the actual cell, this is intentional!
-  doc.save().rect(x, y, Aw, Ah).clip();
+  // The first line starts at the font's ascender, but accented capitals can
+  // rise above it, so the mask extends into the top padding by that amount.
+  const maskOvershoot = Math.min(glyphOvershoot(doc), cell.padding.top);
+  doc
+    .save()
+    .rect(x, y - maskOvershoot, Aw, Ah + maskOvershoot)
+    .clip();
 
   doc.fillColor(cell.textColor).strokeColor(cell.textStrokeColor);
   if (cell.textStroke > 0) doc.lineWidth(cell.textStroke);
@@ -147,6 +153,22 @@ function renderCellText(cell) {
   if (cell.font) doc.font(rollbackFont, rollbackFontFamily, rollbackFontSize);
 }
 
+/**
+ * How far the glyphs of the current font can rise above its ascender
+ *
+ * @param {PDFDocument} doc
+ * @returns {number}
+ * @private
+ */
+function glyphOvershoot(doc) {
+  const font = doc._font;
+  const bbox = font?.bbox;
+  if (!bbox) return 0;
+  // Standard fonts store the bbox in 1000 units, embedded fonts in font units
+  const top = Array.isArray(bbox) ? bbox[3] : bbox.maxY * font.scale;
+  return (Math.max(0, top - font.ascender) / 1000) * doc._fontSize;
+}
+
 /**
  * @this PDFTable
  * @memberOf PDFTable
diff --git a/tests/unit/table.spec.js b/tests/unit/table.spec.js
index b7e3d7e5..ffd6b7fa 100644
--- a/tests/unit/table.spec.js
+++ b/tests/unit/table.spec.js
@@ -69,6 +69,57 @@ describe('table', () => {
       expect(spy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(REGULAR, 'Condensed');
     });
   });
+
+  describe('text mask', () => {
+    // Returns the rect of each clip applied while rendering
+    function textMasks(document, render) {
+      const rect = vi.spyOn(document, 'rect');
+      const clip = vi.spyOn(document, 'clip');
+      render();
+      return clip.mock.invocationCallOrder.map((order) => {
+        const i = rect.mock.invocationCallOrder.findLastIndex((o) => o < order);
+        return rect.mock.calls[i];
+      });
+    }
+
+    test('leaves room for glyphs that rise above the ascender', () => {
+      // Accented capitals such as Ä and Õ rise above the Helvetica ascender
+      // (718), up to the top of its bbox (931). The first line starts at the
+      // ascender, so a mask at the top padding cut off their accents.
+      const document = new PDFDocument({ margin: 0 });
+      const [[, y, , height]] = textMasks(document, () =>
+        document.table().row(['ÕÜÖÄ'], true),
+      );
+      const padding = 3; // default 0.25em at 12pt
+      const overshoot = ((931 - 718) / 1000) * 12;
+      expect(y).toBeCloseTo(padding - overshoot);
+      // the bottom of the mask still stops at the padding
+      expect(y + height).toBeCloseTo(document.y - padding);
+    });
+
+    test('does not extend past the top of the cell', () => {
+      const document = new PDFDocument({ margin: 0 });
+      const [[, y, , height]] = textMasks(document, () =>
+        document.table({ defaultStyle: { padding: 1 } }).row(['ÕÜÖÄ'], true),
+      );
+      expect(y).toBeCloseTo(0);
+      expect(y + height).toBeCloseTo(document.y - 1);
+    });
+
+    test('uses the bbox of an embedded font', () => {
+      const document = new PDFDocument({
+        margin: 0,
+        font: 'tests/fonts/Roboto-Regular.ttf',
+      });
+      const [[, y]] = textMasks(document, () =>
+        document.table().row(['ÕÜÖÄ'], true),
+      );
+      const { font } = document._font;
+      const overshoot = ((font.bbox.maxY - font.ascent) / font.unitsPerEm) * 12;
+      expect(overshoot).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+      expect(y).toBeCloseTo(3 - overshoot);
+    });
+  });
 });
 
 describe('utils', () => {