1. In a system for the transmission of images: means for encoding an image by generating a set of data representing said image, said means for encoding comprising means for dividing the image into selected subpictures; means for representing each subpicture with a character selected from a font of characters, each character in the font having an outline which is either square or rectangular, and the particular character being selected to match each subpicture such that the pattern in that character most closely matches said subpicture; means for replacing adjacent identical selected characters with larger characters from said font of characters, each larger character in the font having an outline which is either square or rectangular; and means for generating said set of data, said set of data representing the characters selected from said font of characters; and means for reproducing a facsimile of said image from said set of data, wherein no apparatus for decoding is required at the receiver other than to identify the proper characters in said font of characters to be used for reproducing the image from said set of data.