diff --git a/customizer.scad b/customizer.scad
index 9e0ac33..61076c4 100644
--- a/customizer.scad
+++ b/customizer.scad
@@ -162,12 +162,14 @@ $double_sculpted = false;
 //valign = "top" or "center" or "bottom"
 // Currently does not work with thingiverse customizer, and actually breaks it
 $legends = [];
+$autolegends = [];
 
 //list of front legends to place on a key format: [text, halign, valign, size]
 //halign = "left" or "center" or "right"
 //valign = "top" or "center" or "bottom"
 // Currently does not work with thingiverse customizer, and actually breaks it
 $front_legends = [];
+$front_autolegends = [];
 
 // print legends on the front of the key instead of the top
 $front_print_legends = false;
@@ -175,6 +177,9 @@ $front_print_legends = false;
 // how recessed inset legends / artisans are from the top of the key
 $inset_legend_depth = 0.2;
 
+// legends are not allowed to print within this many mm of the edge of the key
+$legend_margin = 0.8;
+
 // Dimensions of alps stem
 $alps_stem = [4.45, 2.25];
 
@@ -1105,6 +1110,18 @@ module front_legend(text, position=[0,0], size=undef) {
     children();
 }
 
+module autolegend(texts) {
+    // $autolegends = [for(L=[$legends, [[text, position, font_size]]], a=L) a];
+    $autolegends = texts;
+    children();
+}
+
+module front_autolegend(texts) {
+    font_size = size == undef ? $font_size : size;
+    $front_autolegends = [for(L=[$front_legends, [[text, position, font_size]]], a=L) a];
+    children();
+}
+
 module bump(depth=undef) {
     $key_bump = true;
     $key_bump_depth = depth == undef ? $key_bump_depth : depth;
@@ -5034,6 +5051,45 @@ module legends(depth=0) {
     }
   }
 }
+module autolegends(depth=0) {
+  if (len($front_autolegends) > 0) {
+    front_of_key() {
+      for (i=[0:len($front_legends)-1]) {
+        rotate([90,0,0]) keytext($front_legends[i][0], $front_legends[i][1], $front_legends[i][2], depth);
+  	  }
+    }
+  }
+  if (len($autolegends) > 0) {
+    // legends are printed in a square grid - 1, 4, 9 legends, etc
+    grid_size = len($autolegends)^0.5;
+    echo("grid_size", grid_size);
+    max_width = (top_total_key_width() - $legend_margin * (grid_size + 1)) / grid_size;
+    max_height = (top_total_key_height() - $legend_margin * (grid_size + 1)) / grid_size;
+
+    top_of_key() {
+      for (column=[0:grid_size-1]) {
+          for (row=[0:grid_size-1]) {
+            top_left_corner = [-top_total_key_width()/2, top_total_key_height()/2];
+            centering_offset = [max_width / 2, -max_height / 2];
+            position_offset = [(max_width + $legend_margin) * column, (-max_height-$legend_margin) * row];
+            margin_offset = [$legend_margin, -$legend_margin];
+
+            translate(top_left_corner + centering_offset + position_offset + margin_offset) {
+              translate([0,0,-depth]) {
+                color($tertiary_color) linear_extrude(height=$dish_depth + depth){
+                  // resize([0, max_height, 0]) {
+                    resize([max_width, 0], auto=true) {
+                      text(text=$autolegends[row * grid_size + column], font=$font, halign="center", valign="center");
+                    }
+                  // } 
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
 // use skin() instead of successive hulls. much more correct, and looks faster
 // too, in most cases. successive hull relies on overlapping faces which are
 // not good. But, skin works on vertex sets instead of shapes, which makes it
@@ -6242,7 +6298,10 @@ module additive_features(inset) {
     if($key_bump) keybump($key_bump_depth, $key_bump_edge);
     if(!inset && $children > 0) color($secondary_color) children();
   }
-  if($outset_legends) legends(0);
+  if($outset_legends) {
+    legends(0);
+    autolegends(0);
+  }
   // render the clearance check if it's enabled, but don't have it intersect with anything
   if ($clearance_check) %clearance_check();
 }
@@ -6252,7 +6311,10 @@ module subtractive_features(inset) {
   top_of_key() {
     if (inset && $children > 0) color($secondary_color) children();
   }
-  if(!$outset_legends) legends($inset_legend_depth);
+  if(!$outset_legends) {
+    legends($inset_legend_depth);
+    autolegends($inset_legend_depth);
+  }
   // subtract the clearance check if it's enabled, letting the user see the
   // parts of the keycap that will hit the cherry switch
   // this is a little confusing as it eats the stem too
@@ -6468,12 +6530,14 @@ $double_sculpted = false;
 //valign = "top" or "center" or "bottom"
 // Currently does not work with thingiverse customizer, and actually breaks it
 $legends = [];
+$autolegends = [];
 
 //list of front legends to place on a key format: [text, halign, valign, size]
 //halign = "left" or "center" or "right"
 //valign = "top" or "center" or "bottom"
 // Currently does not work with thingiverse customizer, and actually breaks it
 $front_legends = [];
+$front_autolegends = [];
 
 // print legends on the front of the key instead of the top
 $front_print_legends = false;
@@ -6481,6 +6545,9 @@ $front_print_legends = false;
 // how recessed inset legends / artisans are from the top of the key
 $inset_legend_depth = 0.2;
 
+// legends are not allowed to print within this many mm of the edge of the key
+$legend_margin = 0.8;
+
 // Dimensions of alps stem
 $alps_stem = [4.45, 2.25];
 
diff --git a/keys.scad b/keys.scad
index 74b22ab..602a1ba 100644
--- a/keys.scad
+++ b/keys.scad
@@ -9,8 +9,11 @@ include <./includes.scad>
 
 
 // example key
-dcs_row(5) legend("⇪", size=9) key();
-
+$stem_inner_slop = 0;
+dcs_row(5) autolegend(["q", "w", "a", "z", "e", "r", "t", "", "hoobastank"]) {
+  $stem_positions = [[2,2]];
+  key();
+}
 // example row
 /* for (x = [0:1:4]) {
   translate_u(0,-x) dcs_row(x) key();
diff --git a/src/features.scad b/src/features.scad
index b0ae94a..88c610b 100644
--- a/src/features.scad
+++ b/src/features.scad
@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@
 include <features/key_bump.scad>
 include <features/clearance_check.scad>
 include <features/legends.scad>
+include <features/autolegends.scad>
diff --git a/src/features/autolegends.scad b/src/features/autolegends.scad
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24243f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/features/autolegends.scad
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+module autolegends(depth=0) {
+  if (len($front_autolegends) > 0) {
+    front_of_key() {
+      for (i=[0:len($front_legends)-1]) {
+        rotate([90,0,0]) keytext($front_legends[i][0], $front_legends[i][1], $front_legends[i][2], depth);
+  	  }
+    }
+  }
+  if (len($autolegends) > 0) {
+    // legends are printed in a square grid - 1, 4, 9 legends, etc
+    grid_size = len($autolegends)^0.5;
+    echo("grid_size", grid_size);
+    max_width = (top_total_key_width() - $legend_margin * (grid_size + 1)) / grid_size;
+    max_height = (top_total_key_height() - $legend_margin * (grid_size + 1)) / grid_size;
+
+    top_of_key() {
+      for (column=[0:grid_size-1]) {
+          for (row=[0:grid_size-1]) {
+            top_left_corner = [-top_total_key_width()/2, top_total_key_height()/2];
+            centering_offset = [max_width / 2, -max_height / 2];
+            position_offset = [(max_width + $legend_margin) * column, (-max_height-$legend_margin) * row];
+            margin_offset = [$legend_margin, -$legend_margin];
+
+            translate(top_left_corner + centering_offset + position_offset + margin_offset) {
+              translate([0,0,-depth]) {
+                color($tertiary_color) linear_extrude(height=$dish_depth + depth){
+                  // resize([0, max_height, 0]) {
+                    resize([max_width, 0], auto=true) {
+                      text(text=$autolegends[row * grid_size + column], font=$font, halign="center", valign="center");
+                    }
+                  // } 
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
diff --git a/src/key.scad b/src/key.scad
index 15768ba..2c94372 100644
--- a/src/key.scad
+++ b/src/key.scad
@@ -180,7 +180,10 @@ module additive_features(inset) {
     if($key_bump) keybump($key_bump_depth, $key_bump_edge);
     if(!inset && $children > 0) color($secondary_color) children();
   }
-  if($outset_legends) legends(0);
+  if($outset_legends) {
+    legends(0);
+    autolegends(0);
+  }
   // render the clearance check if it's enabled, but don't have it intersect with anything
   if ($clearance_check) %clearance_check();
 }
@@ -190,7 +193,10 @@ module subtractive_features(inset) {
   top_of_key() {
     if (inset && $children > 0) color($secondary_color) children();
   }
-  if(!$outset_legends) legends($inset_legend_depth);
+  if(!$outset_legends) {
+    legends($inset_legend_depth);
+    autolegends($inset_legend_depth);
+  }
   // subtract the clearance check if it's enabled, letting the user see the
   // parts of the keycap that will hit the cherry switch
   // this is a little confusing as it eats the stem too
diff --git a/src/key_transformations.scad b/src/key_transformations.scad
index 4d98cdf..1c5caf7 100644
--- a/src/key_transformations.scad
+++ b/src/key_transformations.scad
@@ -170,6 +170,18 @@ module front_legend(text, position=[0,0], size=undef) {
     children();
 }
 
+module autolegend(texts) {
+    // $autolegends = [for(L=[$legends, [[text, position, font_size]]], a=L) a];
+    $autolegends = texts;
+    children();
+}
+
+module front_autolegend(texts) {
+    font_size = size == undef ? $font_size : size;
+    $front_autolegends = [for(L=[$front_legends, [[text, position, font_size]]], a=L) a];
+    children();
+}
+
 module bump(depth=undef) {
     $key_bump = true;
     $key_bump_depth = depth == undef ? $key_bump_depth : depth;
diff --git a/src/settings.scad b/src/settings.scad
index 90dbe4d..14ee6d9 100644
--- a/src/settings.scad
+++ b/src/settings.scad
@@ -147,12 +147,14 @@ $double_sculpted = false;
 //valign = "top" or "center" or "bottom"
 // Currently does not work with thingiverse customizer, and actually breaks it
 $legends = [];
+$autolegends = [];
 
 //list of front legends to place on a key format: [text, halign, valign, size]
 //halign = "left" or "center" or "right"
 //valign = "top" or "center" or "bottom"
 // Currently does not work with thingiverse customizer, and actually breaks it
 $front_legends = [];
+$front_autolegends = [];
 
 // print legends on the front of the key instead of the top
 $front_print_legends = false;
@@ -160,6 +162,9 @@ $front_print_legends = false;
 // how recessed inset legends / artisans are from the top of the key
 $inset_legend_depth = 0.2;
 
+// legends are not allowed to print within this many mm of the edge of the key
+$legend_margin = 0.8;
+
 // Dimensions of alps stem
 $alps_stem = [4.45, 2.25];