Both methods differ in their result, each having advantages and disadvantages. Relative positioning allows one to change the position of boxes without affecting the other elements. A relatively positioned element can be thought of as a normal element that is moved from its original position once the page is laid out. The typical function for using relative positioning is to position elements away from their normal position. This method is used by programmers to provide a means for animating their text.
Negative values move it up and left.
With absolute positioning, all elements are placed according to the pixels on the screen. Absolute positioning takes an element out of its present position and places it somewhere else. This process is concluded disregarding what is already there. An advantage of absolute positioning is that it allows the designer to place elements exactly where intended. A disadvantage of absolute positioning is that in order to add more text, the coordinates of each property list have to be altered.