Pixel Font Generator
Text as genuine pixel art, exported at the exact grid shown.
Rendered at the pixel height you chose, then scaled up with smoothing off - so what you download is exactly the grid shown, not a blurred enlargement.
What this tool does
Type your text, choose how many pixels tall the letters should be, and it renders as pixel art. The text is drawn once at that pixel height and scaled up with smoothing off, so what downloads is the exact grid on screen rather than an enlarged, blurry version of ordinary text.
Renders text at a real pixel height and scales it up without smoothing, so the result is genuine pixel art.
Exports as PNG, or copies as text art made of hashes and spaces.
How to use it
- Type your text.
- Pick the pixel height - 8 is the classic arcade size.
- Raise the scale to make each pixel bigger.
- Adjust the edge cutoff if the letters look too soft or too blocky.
- Tap a palette such as Game Boy or Amber CRT, or set the two colours yourself.
- Download the PNG, or copy the text art - pick the ink character first if it is going into a README or a terminal.
Why use this generator
Retro games, favicons and avatars need crisp pixel lettering, and scaling a normal font blurs. Rendering at a real pixel height and enlarging without smoothing keeps edges sharp.
Why we built it
We built the pixel font generator to export the exact grid you see, drawn once at pixel height and scaled with smoothing off. Draw further with the pixel art generator and the ASCII art generator.
If your task goes further, try the Leet Speak Translator.
Who this tool is for
- Game developers and pixel artists
- Designers making retro graphics
- Hobbyists making badges
When to use it
- Creating retro-style headings or game titles.
- Making pixel text for avatars and badges.
- Producing text art in a README.
- Previewing text at tiny sizes.
How the pixelation actually works
Small first, then enlarged - not the other way round.
The text is drawn once at the pixel height you choose - eight pixels tall, say - onto a canvas that is literally eight pixels tall. That small render is then scaled up with image smoothing switched off, so one small pixel becomes one large square. That is what a bitmap font is: a glyph sampled onto a small grid.
Doing it the other way round - rendering large text and then pixelating it - loses the crispness, because you are averaging pixels that were never on a grid to begin with. Rendering small first means the grid is real.
It also means any typeface on your machine works, and there is no bundled glyph data to go stale or to get wrong. A hand-authored 5x7 bitmap font is 95 glyphs nobody can review by eye.
The edge cutoff
The control that decides whether it looks like pixel art at all.
Canvas anti-aliases text, so the small render has semi-transparent pixels around every edge. Scale those up and you get soft grey fringes, which is exactly why pixel text from most generators does not look like pixel art. Every pixel here is forced fully on or fully off against a cutoff, and the cutoff is yours to set: lower keeps more of the edge and gives rounder letters, higher gives a harder, blockier shape.
Text art as well as PNG
For the places a picture will not go.
The same grid copies out as hashes and spaces, which drops straight into a README, a commit message, a terminal banner or a code comment. The grid is already a set of on/off values, so this costs nothing to offer and nobody else does.
What you give it, and what you get back
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Input | The text and a pixel height. |
| Output | A PNG at the exact grid, or text art made of hashes and spaces. |
| Controls | Scale and colours. |
Issues you may run into
| What you see | Why it happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Letters look rough | Very small heights lose detail. | Use a larger pixel height. |
| A font file was expected | This produces an image. | Use a font editor to make a .ttf. |
| Text art is misaligned | It needs a monospace font. | Paste into a monospace area. |
Assumptions and limitations
- It renders text as an image. It does not produce a .ttf or .otf font file - that is a different tool for a much smaller audience.
- Very small pixel heights lose detail on complex letterforms, which is a property of the format rather than a fault. At five pixels tall some letters genuinely cannot be distinguished.
- The typefaces offered are the ones on your device, so results differ slightly between machines and browsers.
Frequently asked questions
What does this actually do?
The text is drawn once at the pixel height you choose - eight pixels tall, say - onto a canvas that is literally eight pixels tall. That small render is then scaled up with image smoothing switched off, so one small pixel becomes one large square. That is what a bitmap font is: a glyph sampled onto a small grid.
Why does my pixel text look blurry elsewhere?
Because the generator rendered the text large and scaled it, or left the anti-aliased edges in. Both give soft grey fringes. This renders small first and hard-thresholds the edges, which is what keeps it crisp.
What is the edge cutoff for?
Canvas anti-aliases text, so the small render has semi-transparent pixels around every edge. Scale those up and you get soft grey fringes, which is exactly why pixel text from most generators does not look like pixel art. Every pixel here is forced fully on or fully off against a cutoff, and the cutoff is yours to set: lower keeps more of the edge and gives rounder letters, higher gives a harder, blockier shape.
Can I download a .ttf font file?
No. This renders text as pixel art rather than authoring a font. If you need an actual font file, a dedicated bitmap font editor is the right tool.
Can I use the result commercially?
The image is yours. Be aware that the typeface you rendered with is your device’s, and a font’s own licence can cover artwork made from it - worth checking for a commercial project.
Does it upload anything?
No. The rendering happens in your browser on a canvas, and nothing is sent anywhere.