Make a Quote Image: Sizes, Fonts and Layout

A quote image is a short quote set in large type on a plain background, sized for where it will be posted. It works when the words are readable, the contrast is high and the author is credited. This guide covers sizes, fonts, contrast and layout, and the free quote card maker applies them for you. It is one of our tools, listed with the others on the tools page, and the quotes in it come from the same verified set as the daily quote archive. Need words to set first? Browse our collection of love quotes.

What size should a quote image be?

Size the image for the platform, and start from the numbers each platform publishes. Facebook says to use link-share images that are at least 1200 × 630 pixels for the best display on high-resolution devices, and to keep the aspect ratio close to 1.91:1 so the full image shows in the feed without cropping. Instagram says that photos wider than 1080 pixels are sized down to a 1080-pixel width, and that photos are kept as they are when the aspect ratio is between 1.91:1 and 3:4, which is a height of 566 to 1440 pixels at 1080 wide. If the ratio falls outside that range, Instagram crops the photo.

Use	Size in the maker	Why
Link share	1200 × 630	Matches Facebook’s recommended minimum and 1.91:1 ratio
Square post	1080 × 1080	1080 wide, 1:1, inside Instagram’s range
Portrait post	1080 × 1350	1080 wide, 4:5, inside Instagram’s range

What fonts and contrast should I use?

Use one legible font and high contrast. The W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), in success criterion 1.4.3, ask for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between text and its background, and 3:1 for large text. Contrast is the ratio of the lighter color’s luminance to the darker one’s, each with 0.05 added. Black on white scores 21:1, and a mid grey such as #999999 on white scores only 2.85:1, which fails.

For type, our maker offers Playfair Display, a high-contrast serif that suits short, strong lines, and Lora, a calmer serif for longer quotes. Both are bundled with the site, so nothing loads from another site and the image looks the same each time.

What layout rules help?

Keep the layout simple. A few rules do most of the work:

• Short quotes win. Two to three lines read best. If the quote is long, cut it at a sentence you can verify, using an ellipsis, rather than shrinking the type.
• Wide margins. The maker leaves a margin of 9% of the shorter side on every edge so nothing is cropped by an app.
• One alignment. Center short quotes. Left-align long ones if you edit by hand.
• Credit line smaller, not faint. The author line is smaller than the quote but uses the same color so it stays readable.
• Plain background. A solid color keeps the contrast number meaningful.

Should I credit the author?

Yes. Put the author’s name under the quote, and the work if you know it. A credit makes the image honest and lets viewers check the source. Only credit a quote you can trace: many popular lines are attributed to famous people who never said them, and an image spreads that mistake faster than a page does. This is the rule we follow on QuotesGiant. We list a quote only when its exact wording is found in a cited source, and the maker’s picker fills in the author and work for you.

Are quotes copyrighted, and can I post one?

Sometimes they are. The U.S. Copyright Office says fair use allows limited portions of a work, including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism and scholarly reports. It also says there are no legal rules permitting a specific number of words, and that fair use depends on all the circumstances. Words from works in the public domain are free to use. Every quote in our archive comes from a public-domain work or a government document. This is general information, not legal advice.

How do I make one, step by step?

1. Open the quote card maker and pick a verified quote, or type your own.
2. Check the credit line.
3. Choose a size: 1200 × 630, 1080 × 1080 or 1080 × 1350.
4. Pick a font and a color scheme, then read the contrast line. Aim for 4.5:1 or higher.
5. Press Download PNG.

What is a worked example?

Take Emerson’s “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.” Set it in dark text #1f1a24 on a paper background #fbf9f6. The maker measures a contrast ratio of about 16.2:1, which passes every WCAG level. At 1200 × 630 the quote fits on two lines at a large size with the credit “Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance” underneath. The same quote on a square card fills more of the space, so the type can be larger still.

Want a message instead of a quote? Our message helper writes sympathy and birthday messages, and our love quotes pages explain where each quote comes from.