diff --git a/font_to_py/bin_writer.py b/font_to_py/bin_writer.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..d1e9391
--- /dev/null
+++ b/font_to_py/bin_writer.py
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+# Some code adapted from Daniel Bader's work at the following URL
+# https://dbader.org/blog/monochrome-font-rendering-with-freetype-and-python
+# With thanks to Stephen Irons @ironss for various improvements, also to
+# @enigmaniac for ideas around handling `bdf` and `pcf` files.
+
+# The MIT License (MIT)
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2016-2023 Peter Hinch
+#
+# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+# of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+# in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+# to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+# copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+# furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+#
+# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+# all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+#
+# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+# IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+# AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+# LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+# OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+# THE SOFTWARE.
+
+
+import click
+import freetype
+
+from .font import Font
+
+
+# BINARY OUTPUT
+# hmap reverse magic bytes
+# 0    0       0x3f 0xe7
+# 1    0       0x40 0xe7
+# 0    1       0x41 0xe7
+# 1    1       0x42 0xe7
+def write_binary_font(op_path, font_path, height, hmap, reverse):
+    try:
+        fnt = Font(
+            font_path, height, 32, 126, True, None, ""
+        )  # All chars have same width
+    except freetype.ft_errors.FT_Exception:
+        click.echo(f"Can't open {font_path}")
+        return False
+    sig = 1 if hmap else 0
+    if reverse:
+        sig += 2
+    try:
+        with open(op_path, "wb") as stream:
+            data = fnt.build_binary_array(hmap, reverse, sig)
+            stream.write(data)
+    except OSError:
+        click.echo(f"Can't open {op_path} for writing")
+        return False
+    return True
diff --git a/font_to_py/cli.py b/font_to_py/cli.py
index ec8c66d..daa1e84 100755
--- a/font_to_py/cli.py
+++ b/font_to_py/cli.py
@@ -34,7 +34,8 @@ from pathlib import Path
 import click
 import freetype
 
-from .writer import write_binary_font, write_font
+from .bin_writer import write_binary_font
+from .py_writer import write_font
 
 if freetype.version()[0] < 1:
     click.echo("freetype version should be >= 1. Please see FONT_TO_PY.md")
diff --git a/font_to_py/py_writer.py b/font_to_py/py_writer.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..7d15839
--- /dev/null
+++ b/font_to_py/py_writer.py
@@ -0,0 +1,184 @@
+# Some code adapted from Daniel Bader's work at the following URL
+# https://dbader.org/blog/monochrome-font-rendering-with-freetype-and-python
+# With thanks to Stephen Irons @ironss for various improvements, also to
+# @enigmaniac for ideas around handling `bdf` and `pcf` files.
+
+# The MIT License (MIT)
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2016-2023 Peter Hinch
+#
+# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+# of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+# in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+# to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+# copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+# furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+#
+# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+# all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+#
+# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+# IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+# AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+# LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+# OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+# THE SOFTWARE.
+
+import importlib.metadata
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import click
+import freetype
+
+from .byte_writer import ByteWriter
+from .font import Font
+
+VERSION = importlib.metadata.version("micropython-font-to-py")
+
+
+# Define a global
+def var_write(stream, name, value):
+    stream.write(f"{name} = {value}\n")
+
+
+STR01 = """# Code generated by font_to_py.
+# Font: {font:s}{charset:s}
+# Cmd: {cmd:s}
+version = '{version:s}'
+
+"""
+
+# Code emitted for charsets spanning a small range of ordinal values
+STR02 = """_mvfont = memoryview(_font)
+_mvi = memoryview(_index)
+ifb = lambda l : l[0] | (l[1] << 8)
+
+def get_ch(ch):
+    oc = ord(ch)
+    ioff = 2 * (oc - {min:d} + 1) if oc >= {min:d} and oc <= {max:d} else 0
+    doff = ifb(_mvi[ioff : ])
+    width = ifb(_mvfont[doff : ])
+"""
+
+# Code emiited for large charsets, assumed by build_arrays() to be sparse.
+# Binary search of sorted sparse index.
+# Offset into data array is saved after dividing by 8
+STRSP = """_mvfont = memoryview(_font)
+_mvsp = memoryview(_sparse)
+ifb = lambda l : l[0] | (l[1] << 8)
+
+def bs(lst, val):
+    while True:
+        m = (len(lst) & ~ 7) >> 1
+        v = ifb(lst[m:])
+        if v == val:
+            return ifb(lst[m + 2:])
+        if not m:
+            return 0
+        lst = lst[m:] if v < val else lst[:m]
+
+def get_ch(ch):
+    doff = bs(_mvsp, ord(ch)) << 3
+    width = ifb(_mvfont[doff : ])
+"""
+
+# Code emitted for horizontally mapped fonts.
+STR02H = """
+    next_offs = doff + 2 + ((width - 1)//8 + 1) * {height:d}
+    return _mvfont[doff + 2:next_offs], {height:d}, width
+
+"""
+
+# Code emitted for vertically mapped fonts.
+STR02V = """
+    next_offs = doff + 2 + (({height:d} - 1)//8 + 1) * width
+    return _mvfont[doff + 2:next_offs], {height:d}, width
+
+"""
+
+# Extra code emitted where -i is specified.
+STR03 = '''
+def glyphs():
+    for c in """{}""":
+        yield c, get_ch(c)
+
+'''
+
+
+def write_func(stream, name, arg):
+    stream.write(f"def {name}():\n    return {arg}\n\n")
+
+
+def write_font(  # noqa: PLR0913
+    op_path,
+    font_path,
+    height,
+    monospaced,
+    hmap,
+    reverse,
+    minchar,
+    maxchar,
+    defchar,
+    charset,
+    iterate,
+    bitmapped,
+):
+    try:
+        fnt = Font(
+            font_path, height, minchar, maxchar, monospaced, defchar, charset, bitmapped
+        )
+    except freetype.ft_errors.FT_Exception:
+        click.echo(f"Can't open {font_path}")
+        return False
+    try:
+        with open(op_path, "w", encoding="utf-8") as stream:
+            write_data(stream, fnt, font_path, hmap, reverse, iterate, charset)
+    except OSError:
+        click.echo(f"Can't open {op_path} for writing")
+        return False
+    return True
+
+
+def write_data(  # noqa: PLR0913
+    stream, fnt, font_path, hmap, reverse, iterate, charset
+):
+    height = fnt.height  # Actual height, not target height
+    minchar = min(fnt.crange)
+    maxchar = max(fnt.crange)
+    st = "" if charset == "" else f" Char set: {charset}"
+    cl = " ".join([str(Path(sys.argv[0]).stem), *sys.argv[1:]])
+    stream.write(
+        STR01.format(font=Path(font_path).stem, charset=st, cmd=cl, version=VERSION)
+    )
+    write_func(stream, "height", height)
+    write_func(stream, "baseline", fnt._max_ascent)
+    write_func(stream, "max_width", fnt.max_width)
+    write_func(stream, "hmap", hmap)
+    write_func(stream, "reverse", reverse)
+    write_func(stream, "monospaced", fnt.monospaced)
+    write_func(stream, "min_ch", minchar)
+    write_func(stream, "max_ch", maxchar)
+    if iterate:
+        stream.write(STR03.format("".join(sorted(fnt.keys()))))
+    data, index, sparse = fnt.build_arrays(hmap, reverse)
+    bw_font = ByteWriter(stream, "_font")
+    bw_font.odata(data)
+    bw_font.eot()
+    if sparse:  # build_arrays() has returned a sparse index
+        bw_sparse = ByteWriter(stream, "_sparse")
+        bw_sparse.odata(sparse)
+        bw_sparse.eot()
+        stream.write(STRSP)
+        click.echo("Sparse")
+    else:
+        bw_index = ByteWriter(stream, "_index")
+        bw_index.odata(index)
+        bw_index.eot()
+        stream.write(STR02.format(min=minchar, max=maxchar))
+        click.echo("Normal")
+    if hmap:
+        stream.write(STR02H.format(height=height))
+    else:
+        stream.write(STR02V.format(height=height))