“BigText” formating: how to adapt the fontsize to make all lines have the same width?

Question

As in this question on stackoverflow, I want to replicate the so-called 'big text' formatting:

Functioning:

1. You give as input:
   • the line (column) width for each line,
   • and the content of each line.
2. The font size is dynamically adapted for each line so that they all have the same width.

(Note that, in previous example, each line is only one word long. However, I would like to be able to have longer lines (in terms of words number) as in this example.)

Question: how to achieve this formatting with LaTeX?

---

Partial/not satisfactory solutions (so far):

• Of course, justified text is not satisfactory, since it adapt the line length by modulating the character and/or interword spacing... and not the font size.
• Fit text into given box by adjusting the fontsize develops a solution, but is rather a "maximum" constraint (it won't makes the text bigger to fill all the space).

---

Edit:

What makes this formatting visually strong is that the very first/last pixel of each line are aligned (or in other words: there is no kerning nor protrusion)^*. In suggested answers however, their is a protrusion that is especially noticeable at the beginning of the last two lines.

So, is it be possible to 'pixel-align' the beginning and the end of each line? (if yes, how?!)

_{*to be honest, I observed that there is a small protrusion in the given example. But it is less noticeable than in suggested answer, and I'd like to be able to have no protrusion at all.}

Answer 1

An implementation with expl3 for a cleaner syntax:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{xparse}

\ExplSyntaxOn
\NewDocumentCommand{\bigtext}{mm}
 { % #1 = width, #2 = text, with \\ to separate lines
  \ebo_bigtext:nn { #1 } { #2 }
 }

\seq_new:N \l_ebo_bigtext_text_seq
\box_new:N \l_ebo_bigtext_line_box

\cs_new_protected:Nn \ebo_bigtext:nn
 {
  \begin{minipage}{#1}
  \baselineskip=-\maxdimen \lineskip=4pt
  \seq_set_split:Nnn \l_ebo_bigtext_text_seq { \\ } { #2 }
  \seq_map_inline:Nn \l_ebo_bigtext_text_seq
   {
    \hbox_set:Nn \l_ebo_bigtext_line_box { ##1 }
    \box_resize_to_wd:Nn \l_ebo_bigtext_line_box { \textwidth }
    \box_use:N \l_ebo_bigtext_line_box
   }
  \end{minipage}
 }
\ExplSyntaxOff

\begin{document}

\noindent
\bigtext{15em}{SOME \\ TOTALLY \\ HIPSTER \\ QUOTE \\ ABOUT \\ LIFE}
\quad
\sffamily
\bigtext{15em}{SOME \\ TOTALLY \\ HIPSTER \\ QUOTE \\ ABOUT \\ LIFE}

\end{document}

Spaces around \\ are ignored.

One might add an optional argument to set the vertical space between lines, in the macros above set to 3pt.

---

With XeLaTeX, but it needs a further refinement for the case when the line has a single letter:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{xparse,l3regex}
\usepackage{fontspec}

\ExplSyntaxOn
\NewDocumentCommand{\bigtext}{mm}
 { % #1 = width, #2 = text, with \\ to separate lines
  \ebo_bigtext:nn { #1 } { #2 }
 }

\seq_new:N \l_ebo_bigtext_text_seq
\box_new:N \l_ebo_bigtext_line_box
\tl_new:N \l_ebo_bigtext_line_tl

\cs_new_protected:Nn \ebo_bigtext:nn
 {
  \begin{minipage}{#1}
  \baselineskip=-\maxdimen \lineskip=4pt
  \seq_set_split:Nnn \l_ebo_bigtext_text_seq { \\ } { #2 }
  \seq_map_inline:Nn \l_ebo_bigtext_text_seq
   {
    \hbox_set:Nn \l_ebo_bigtext_line_box { \ebo_bigtext_remsb:n { ##1 } }
    \box_resize_to_wd:Nn \l_ebo_bigtext_line_box { \textwidth }
    \box_use:N \l_ebo_bigtext_line_box
   }
  \end{minipage}
 }
\cs_new_protected:Nn \ebo_bigtext_remsb:n
 {
  \tl_set:Nn \l_ebo_bigtext_line_tl { #1 }
  \regex_replace_once:nnN { \A(.) } { \c{ebo_kleft:n}\cB\{\1\cE\} } \l_ebo_bigtext_line_tl
  \regex_replace_once:nnN { (.)\Z } { \c{ebo_kright:n}\cB\{\1\cE\} } \l_ebo_bigtext_line_tl
  \tl_use:N \l_ebo_bigtext_line_tl
 }
\cs_new_protected:Nn \ebo_kleft:n
 {
  \kern-\XeTeXglyphbounds1~\the\XeTeXcharglyph`#1 #1
 }
\cs_new_protected:Nn \ebo_kright:n
 {
  #1\kern-\XeTeXglyphbounds3~\the\XeTeXcharglyph`#1
 }
\ExplSyntaxOff

\begin{document}

\noindent
\bigtext{15em}{SOME \\ TOTALLY \\ HIPSTER \\ QUOTE \\ ABOUT \\ LIFE}
\quad
\sffamily
\bigtext{15em}{SOME \\ TOTALLY \\ HIPSTER \\ QUOTE \\ ABOUT \\ LIFE}

\end{document}

Answer 2

Here is a solution using adjustbox The vertical spacing between lines could be altered a bit, and the syntax could probably need some approvements.

Output

Code

\documentclass[11pt, margin=5pt]{standalone}
\usepackage{adjustbox}
\usepackage{xcolor}
\usepackage{pgffor}
\usepackage{helvet}

\definecolor{Pink}{HTML}{E22E3B}
\definecolor{Blue}{HTML}{0C2153}
\definecolor{DarkBlue}{HTML}{0C1C3B}
\definecolor{Red}{HTML}{C51E1F}

\setlength{\fboxrule}{4pt}
\setlength{\fboxsep}{10pt}

\newcommand{\BigWords}[1]{%
        \adjustboxset{min width=\linewidth, margin*=0.2em 1ex 0ex 0ex}%
        \foreach \i [count=\ni] in {#1}{%
                \ifnum\ni=1    
                        \adjustbox{}{\i}%
                \else
                        \\\adjustbox{}{\i}%
                \fi
        }\vspace{-1ex}%
}
\begin{document}
\fbox{%
    \begin{minipage}{15cm}
    \bfseries\sffamily
    \BigWords{SOME,TOTALLY,HIPSTER,QUOTE,ABOUT,LIFE}%
    \end{minipage}%
}%
\hspace{2em}%
\setlength{\fboxrule}{0.5pt}%
\fbox{%
    \begin{minipage}{20cm}
    \bfseries\sffamily
    \BigWords{
    \textcolor{Pink}{RUN},
    \textcolor{Blue}{LIKE},
    \textcolor{DarkBlue}{RYAN},
    \textcolor{Red}{GOSLING},
    \textcolor{Pink}{IS WAITING},
    \textcolor{Blue}{FOR YOU},
    \textcolor{DarkBlue}{AT THE},
    \textcolor{Red}{FINISH LINE},
    \textcolor{Pink}{(WITH A PUPPY)}%
    }%
    \end{minipage}%
}
\end{document}

Answer 3

Here's one option, just using resizebox

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\begin{document}
\newlength\foo
\setlength\foo{15em}
\noindent
\resizebox{\foo}{!}{SOME}\\
\resizebox{\foo}{!}{TOTALLY}\\
\resizebox{\foo}{!}{HIPSTER}\\
\resizebox{\foo}{!}{QUOTE}\\
\resizebox{\foo}{!}{ABOUT}\\
\resizebox{\foo}{!}{LIFE}\\
\end{document}

It's inelegant and cumbersome. But it's a proof of concept. This could be combined with the answers to this question for a more automatic solution.