No need to look at the pixels or start working with your own font..
You can use a GraphicsPath instead of DrawString or TextRenderer, as it will let you know its net bounds rectangle with GraphicsPath.GetBounds() .
When you know it, you can calculate how to move the Graphics object using TranslateTransform:
private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { string text = "Y"; // whatever Bitmap bmp = new Bitmap(64, 64); // whatever bmp.SetResolution(96, 96); // whatever float fontSize = 32f; // whatever using ( Graphics g = Graphics.FromImage(bmp)) using ( GraphicsPath GP = new GraphicsPath()) using ( FontFamily fontF = new FontFamily("Arial")) { testPattern(g, bmp.Size); // optional GP.AddString(text, fontF, 0, fontSize, Point.Empty, StringFormat.GenericTypographic); // this is the net bounds without any whitespace: Rectangle br = Rectangle.Round(GP.GetBounds()); g.DrawRectangle(Pens.Red,br); // just for testing // now we center: g.TranslateTransform( (bmp.Width - br.Width ) / 2 - br.X, (bmp.Height - br.Height )/ 2 - br.Y); // and fill g.FillPath(Brushes.Black, GP); g.ResetTransform(); } // whatever you want to do.. pictureBox1.Image = bmp; bmp.Save("D:\\__test.png", ImageFormat.Png); }
A small test routine to let us see the centering better:
void testPattern(Graphics g, Size sz) { List<Brush> brushes = new List<Brush>() { Brushes.SlateBlue, Brushes.Yellow, Brushes.DarkGoldenrod, Brushes.Lavender }; int bw2 = sz.Width / 2; int bh2 = sz.Height / 2; for (int i = bw2; i > 0; i--) g.FillRectangle(brushes[i%4],bw2 - i, bh2 - i, i + i, i + i ); }
The GetBounds method returns a RectangleF; in my example it is {X=0.09375, Y=6.0625, Width=21, Height=22.90625}. Do note that due to rounding things can always be off by one..
You may or may not want to change the Graphics setting to special Smoothingmodes etc..
Also it should be noted that this will do automatic ie mechanical centering by the bounds rectangle. This may be quite different from 'optical or visual centering', which is rather hard to code and to some extent a matter of personal taste. But typography is as much an art as a profession..
LM/TM/RM/BM(left/top/right/bottom margin): To position the upper-left corner:pos.X -= LM; pos.Y -= TM. To correct a center placement (assuming you've already adjustedposto center):pos.X -= (LM-RM)/2; pos.Y -= (TM-BM)/2;