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Name Board Maker

Create a tall name board with your idol's name or a cheer message, the kind fans hold up at Japanese concerts and events. Choose text and background colors plus a frame style (none, single, or double border), then download it as a PNG. Everything runs in your browser, so nothing you type is ever sent anywhere.

The text you enter and the image you create are processed entirely in your browser and never sent anywhere.

Type some text to see a preview here.

How to use

  1. Type your idol's name or a cheer message into the text box (up to 5 lines, 16 characters per line).
  2. Choose a text color, background color, and frame color and style (none, single, or double) to match your style.
  3. Select Download PNG to save the current design as an image.

How it works

What is a name board?

At Japanese concerts, idol events, and handshake/meet-and-greet sessions, fans often hold up a tall board printed with a member's name or a short message, so the performer can see who's in the crowd. Unlike a fan sign (uchiwa), which is glued onto a paper fan, a name board usually stays as a flat rectangular board and is often decorated with a colored border.

Canvas size

The canvas uses the tall, portrait proportions typical of a board held up to be read — A4 portrait (210mm x 297mm), converted to pixels at a 150dpi print resolution: 1240 x 1754px.

About the frame

Real name boards are commonly made by layering colored construction paper or fluorescent sheets to create a double-bordered edge — this is a well-established look in the fan-craft community. This tool offers three frame styles: none, a single border, or a double border. The border position and thickness are calculated as a percentage of the canvas's shorter side: a 5% inset, a 1.2% line thickness, and (for the double style) a 2% gap between the two lines.

Automatic text sizing

The largest font size that fits your text is calculated automatically, based on how many lines you entered, how wide each line is, and how much room your chosen frame style takes up. Half-width characters (Latin letters) and full-width characters (kanji, hiragana, katakana, emoji, and similar) are given different width weights.

Character limits

Each line can have up to 16 characters, and you can use up to 5 lines. Characters made of a Unicode surrogate pair (such as some rare kanji or emoji) are counted as one character each.

What gets sent anywhere

Everything from typing your text to exporting the PNG happens entirely in your browser. Nothing you type or create here is ever sent to a server or any external service.

FAQ

Is the text I type or the image I download sent anywhere?

No. Everything from typing your text to exporting the PNG happens entirely in your browser. Nothing is ever sent to a server or any external service.

How is this different from the Fan Sign Text Maker?

The Fan Sign Text Maker is for wide, landscape jumbo fan signs (uchiwa) and focuses on an outline around the text itself for readability. This tool is for tall name boards and focuses on a decorative border (single or double) around the whole board. Pick whichever matches what you're making.

Which frame style should I use?

No frame or a single border gives a simple look. A double border matches the layered, colored-paper look that's common on real fan-made name boards.

Is there a limit on how much text I can use?

Yes, up to 5 lines with 16 characters per line. If you go over, a message will ask you to shorten your text.

Does this work on a phone?

Yes. Typing text, choosing colors, and downloading the image all work in a mobile browser.