Birthday and cheer-up cards Send an ASCII letter by link
Write a message and send the link. It types itself out on their screen, and the letter is never stored on a server.
The letter lives only after the # in the link. Anyone with the link can read it, so leave out phone numbers and passwords.
, , ,
| | |
.-'---'---'-.
| * * * * |
.-'-----------'-.
| ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ |
'---------------'How to use it
- Pick an occasion (birthday, love, good luck, thanks, Halloween, Christmas, or New Year) and a picture. Each occasion fills in a starter message.
- Fill in the recipient, your message, and your name. The preview shows exactly what they will see, and Replay plays the typing again.
- Click Send as link and share it in any chat app. When they open it, the letter types itself out.
The letter lives inside the link
An ASCII letter stores the recipient, message, sender, and picture after the # in the link. Browsers do not send that part to the server, so the letter is never kept on lab.ascii servers or in a database. When someone opens the link, their own browser reads the letter from the address and draws it. Anyone with the link sees the same letter, so do not write anything others must not read.
When the letter opens, the banner and the picture appear line by line and the message is typed character by character, as if someone ran a command in a terminal. The banner uses the FIGlet Small font, the same one in the text banner tool, with short words so it stays readable on phones. On devices with reduced motion turned on, the whole letter appears at once.
For birthdays or exam days, write the letter the night before and send it at midnight. Recipients can save the letter as an image with the PNG button, and Reply opens a new letter with the names swapped.
Frequently asked questions
Where is my letter stored?
Nowhere. The letter sits after the # in the link, and that part is not sent to the server when the page opens. Analytics drop it too. Anyone with the link can read the letter, though, so leave out phone numbers, passwords, and other private details.
How do I send it?
Click Send as link. On phones the share sheet opens so you can pick a chat app. On computers the link is copied, ready to paste into a chat.
Can I edit a letter after sending it?
No. The letter is inside the link, so a link you sent cannot change. Edit the letter, make a new link, and send it again.
How long can a letter be?
Messages can be up to 300 characters and 12 lines, and names up to 20 characters, so the whole letter fits on one phone screen.
Can the recipient keep the letter?
Yes. The copy, TXT, and PNG buttons above the letter save it as text or an image. Bookmarking the link also works, since the letter is inside it.
Related guides
What is ASCII art?
How pictures made from keyboard characters work, and where they came from.Read →Pasting into Discord without breaking it
Wrap the art in a code block (```) so Discord shows it in a monospaced font.Read →When lines shift in chat apps
Chat windows are narrow and rarely monospaced. Pick a narrow font or send an image.Read →Kaomoji meanings and uses
Brackets make the face and the characters inside make the eyes and mouth. Learn the parts and you can read or build any kaomoji.Read →Birthday message ideas
From one-line symbols to an ASCII letter sent by link, without art falling apart in chat apps.Read →
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