diff --git a/dlib/image_transforms/draw.h b/dlib/image_transforms/draw.h
index 0e2b647b8..9ee2f9dad 100644
--- a/dlib/image_transforms/draw.h
+++ b/dlib/image_transforms/draw.h
@@ -225,6 +225,61 @@ namespace dlib
         }
     }
 
+// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    struct string_dims
+    {
+        string_dims() = default;
+        string_dims (
+            unsigned long width,
+            unsigned long height
+        ) : width(width), height(height) {}
+        unsigned long width = 0;
+        unsigned long height = 0;
+    };
+
+    template <
+        typename T, typename traits,
+        typename alloc
+    >
+    string_dims compute_string_dims (
+        const std::basic_string<T, traits, alloc>& str,
+        const std::shared_ptr<font>& f_ptr = default_font::get_font()
+    )
+    {
+        using string = std::basic_string<T, traits, alloc>;
+
+        const font& f = *f_ptr;
+
+        long height = f.height();
+        long width = 0;
+        for (typename string::size_type i = 0; i < str.size(); ++i)
+        {
+            // ignore the '\r' character
+            if (str[i] == '\r')
+                continue;
+
+            // A combining character should be applied to the previous character, and we
+            // therefore make one step back. If a combining comes right after a newline,
+            // then there must be some kind of error in the string, and we don't combine.
+            if (is_combining_char(str[i]))
+            {
+                width -= f[str[i]].width();
+            }
+
+            if (str[i] == '\n')
+            {
+                height += f.height();
+                width = f.left_overflow();
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            const letter& l = f[str[i]];
+            width += l.width();
+        }
+        return string_dims(width, height);
+    }
+
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     template <
diff --git a/dlib/image_transforms/draw_abstract.h b/dlib/image_transforms/draw_abstract.h
index 512eb1d71..e8bfef926 100644
--- a/dlib/image_transforms/draw_abstract.h
+++ b/dlib/image_transforms/draw_abstract.h
@@ -79,6 +79,44 @@ namespace dlib
             - The drawn rectangle will have edges that are thickness pixels wide.
     !*/
 
+// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    struct string_dims
+    {
+        /*!
+            WHAT THIS OBJECT REPRESENTS
+                This is a simple struct that represents the size (width and height) of a
+                string in pixels.
+        !*/
+
+        string_dims() = default;
+        string_dims (
+            unsigned long width,
+            unsigned long height
+        ) : width(width), height(height) {}
+        unsigned long width = 0;
+        unsigned long height = 0;
+    };
+
+// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    template <
+        typename T, typename traits,
+        typename alloc
+    >
+    string_dims compute_string_dims (
+        const std::basic_string<T, traits, alloc>& str,
+        const std::shared_ptr<font>& f_ptr = default_font::get_font()
+    )
+
+    /*!
+        ensures
+            - computes the size of the given string with the specified font in pixels.  To be very specific,
+              if dims is the returned object by this function, then:
+              - dims.width == width of the string
+              - dims.height == height of the string
+    !*/
+
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     template <
@@ -177,4 +215,3 @@ namespace dlib
 #endif // DLIB_DRAW_IMAGe_ABSTRACT
 
 
-