imagechar() function in PHP

The imagechar() function in PHP draws a single character horizontally on an image. This function is useful for adding text elements to dynamically generated images.

Syntax

bool imagechar(resource $image, int $font, int $x, int $y, string $c, int $color)

Parameters

• image − An image resource created by functions like imagecreate() or imagecreatetruecolor()

• font − Font size (1-5 for built-in fonts, or a loaded font identifier)

• x − x-coordinate for the character position

• y − y-coordinate for the character position

• c − The character to draw (only the first character of the string is used)

• color − A color identifier created with imagecolorallocate()

Return Value

Returns TRUE on success or FALSE on failure.

Example 1: Drawing a Single Character

Here's how to draw a single character on an image ?

<?php
    // Create a 400x300 image
    $img = imagecreate(400, 300);
    
    // Allocate colors
    $bgcolor = imagecolorallocate($img, 30, 80, 70);
    $textcolor = imagecolorallocate($img, 255, 255, 255);
    
    // Draw character 'A' at position (100, 90) with font size 5
    imagechar($img, 5, 100, 90, 'A', $textcolor);
    
    // Output the image
    header('Content-type: image/png');
    imagepng($img);
    imagedestroy($img);
?>

Example 2: Multiple Characters with Different Positions

Drawing multiple characters by calling the function multiple times ?

<?php
    // Create a 350x270 image
    $img = imagecreate(350, 270);
    
    // Allocate colors
    $bgcolor = imagecolorallocate($img, 70, 100, 130);
    $textcolor = imagecolorallocate($img, 200, 195, 210);
    
    // Draw characters 'P', 'H', 'P' at different positions
    imagechar($img, 4, 50, 70, 'P', $textcolor);
    imagechar($img, 4, 70, 70, 'H', $textcolor);
    imagechar($img, 4, 90, 70, 'P', $textcolor);
    
    // Output the image
    header('Content-type: image/png');
    imagepng($img);
    imagedestroy($img);
?>

Key Points

• Only the first character of the string parameter is drawn

• Font sizes 1-5 are built-in fonts (1 is smallest, 5 is largest)

• For drawing complete strings, use imagestring() instead

• Always call imagedestroy() to free memory after image operations

Conclusion

The imagechar() function is ideal for drawing individual characters on images. For complete text rendering, consider using imagestring() or imagettftext() for more advanced typography options.