ASCII Art Text Generator
Turn text into big ASCII banner letters with 47 FIGlet fonts, wrap to 80 columns, add // or # comment markers for code, then copy it or download a .txt file.
The interactive tool loads here when JavaScript runs.
About this toolWhat is the ASCII Art Text Generator?
Type a word or a short phrase and this generator draws it in large letters made from ordinary keyboard characters, using the FIGlet font format that Unix users have put in terminals, source files and email signatures since 1991. Pick from 47 fonts in six groups, from the classic Standard and Slant to block shapes like ANSI Shadow, 3D styles, small fonts and novelties.
Control the letter spacing (the font default, full width, fitted or smushed), wrap long text at 40 to 120 columns so it fits a terminal, and wrap the output in // , # , /* */ , <!-- --> or -- comment markers so it can go straight into source code, a shell script, YAML or SQL. Copy the banner or download it as a .txt file.
Preview all fonts renders your text in every font at once so you can compare them, and clicking a preview selects it. Fonts load on demand and rendering happens in your browser.
- 47 curated FIGlet fonts in six groups
- Full width, fitted, smushed and font-default layouts
- Wrap to 40, 60, 80, 100 or 120 columns
- Output as comments for C/JS, Python/shell, block, HTML and SQL
- Preview every font with your text and pick one
- Copy or download as .txt; fonts load lazily and nothing is uploaded
How to use the ASCII Art Text Generator
- Type your text. A new line starts a new banner row; keep each row short for wide fonts.
- Pick a font. Start with Standard or Slant for readability, ANSI Shadow for a bold look, or Small and Mini when space is tight.
- Set a wrap width so long text breaks at 80 columns for terminals, or turn wrapping off for a single line.
- Choose an output style: plain text, or comment markers for the language you are pasting into.
- Copy the banner or download it as a .txt file. Use Preview all fonts to compare styles side by side.
Worked examples
Standard font
Input
Hi
Output
_ _ _ | | | (_) | |_| | | | _ | | |_| |_|_|
Five rows high. The H and i are smushed so their vertical bars touch, which is why the result is narrower than two separate letters.
A banner for a Python script
Input
deploy, font Small, output "# Python, shell, YAML"
Output
Each line starts with "# " so the banner is a comment
Trailing spaces are trimmed so linters do not complain, and the banner can sit at the top of the file.
Fitting 80 columns
Input
Hello world from a long banner, font Small, wrap 40 columns
Output
Several banner rows, none wider than 40 characters
FIGlet breaks at spaces when it can. Wide fonts like Banner may need a shorter phrase or a smaller font to fit.
Background and insight
FIGlet was written in 1991 by Glenn Chappell and Ian Chai, based on a signature-banner program by Frank Sheeran; the name stands for Frank, Ian and Glenn's letters. Its font files (.flf) are plain text: a header line such as "flf2a$ 6 5 16 15 13" gives the hardblank character, the letter height, the baseline, the widest letter, the layout rules and the number of comment lines, followed by each character drawn line by line. Thousands of fonts have been contributed since, and FIGlet-compatible renderers exist in most languages. This page uses figlet.js by Patrick Gillespie.
What makes FIGlet output look tidy is smushing. Instead of placing letters side by side, the renderer slides each letter left until it touches the previous one and then, where the font allows, merges the touching characters by rules: identical characters merge, an underscore gives way to a border character, opposite brackets become a vertical bar, "/" and "\" make an X, and so on. "Fitted" stops at touching, "full width" never overlaps, and "smushed" applies the font's rules; each font sets its own default.
FIGlet fonts cover printable ASCII (codes 32 to 126) plus, in many fonts, a few Latin-1 letters. Characters a font does not define simply do not render, which the tool warns about. Some fonts, such as ANSI Shadow and ANSI Regular, use Unicode box-drawing and block characters; they look best in modern terminals and editors but are not plain 7-bit ASCII.
Common use cases
README and docs headers
Put a project name in big letters at the top of a README, man page or changelog inside a code block.
Code comments and section markers
Mark sections in long config files or scripts so they stand out when scrolling.
CLI splash screens
Show a name and version when a command-line tool or server starts.
Chat, forums and signatures
Post a banner in a monospace code block on Slack, Discord or a forum.
Terminal art and retro projects
Build login messages (MOTD), BBS-style screens and printouts.
Tips and limitations
- ASCII art only lines up in a monospaced font. In chat apps wrap it in a code block (three backticks).
- Keep banners under 80 columns for terminals and code; under 60 is safer for chat on phones.
- Fonts like ANSI Shadow use Unicode block characters. Pick Standard, Slant or Big if the target only supports 7-bit ASCII.
- Emoji and most accented letters are not in FIGlet fonts and are left out.
- Screen readers read ASCII art as a jumble of symbols. Put the plain text next to it, or mark the banner as decorative in HTML.
- HTML comments cannot contain "--", so the HTML option breaks runs of hyphens with a space.
Frequently asked questions
What is FIGlet?
FIGlet is a program from 1991 that turns text into large letters made of ordinary characters, using font files in the .flf format. Many tools, including this one, use FIGlet fonts and rules, so the same font names work across them.
Why does my banner look broken when I paste it?
The destination is probably using a proportional font, or it collapsed repeated spaces. Paste into a monospaced code block (triple backticks in Slack, Discord, GitHub and most Markdown) or a <pre> element in HTML.
What do fitted, smushed and full width mean?
Full width puts every letter in its own cell. Fitted slides letters together until they touch. Smushed overlaps the touching characters using the font's rules, for the most compact result. Font default uses whatever the font designer chose.
Which font is best for code comments?
Standard, Slant, Small or Big. They use only plain ASCII, read well and stay a reasonable height. Small and Mini are good for long names.
Can I use accented letters or emoji?
Mostly no. FIGlet fonts define printable ASCII and, in some fonts, a few Latin-1 letters. Unsupported characters are skipped and listed under the text box.
Can I use the generated ASCII art commercially?
The text you render is yours. FIGlet fonts were released by their authors for free use and redistribution, generally asking that credit in the font file be kept; the output banner is not the font file itself.
Is there an in-depth guide to the ASCII Art Text Generator?
Yes. “ASCII Art Text with FIGlet: Fonts, Smushing and Where to Use It” covers the background, how it works, common pitfalls and worked examples. Read the full guide.
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