Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing: The First Stanza in Green and Cream

Robert Robinson's hymn from 1758 opens with a prayer that God would 'tune my heart to sing thy grace,' and this print gives that whole first stanza a page of its own. Deep green capitals carry the title, with the eight lines in a calm italic beneath them and Robinson's name and the year at the foot. Wide cream margins surround the text, so the print looks restful on a busy wall and still reads clearly from across a room.

What the first stanza of Come Thou Fount says

Robinson calls God the 'fount of every blessing,' a spring that never runs dry, and asks for a heart able to answer it in song: 'streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.' In the second half he asks to be taught the song the angels sing, 'some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above,' and he ends by fixing his eyes on the 'mount of thy redeeming love.' The print carries these eight lines complete. Later stanzas of the hymn, including the familiar 'prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,' are left off, which keeps the page short enough to take in while walking past it.

Deep green capitals on warm cream

The layout is simple and centered. A small line of spaced capitals reads CLASSIC HYMN, and below it the title COME THOU FOUNT follows in large serif capitals in a deep forest green. A tiny four-pointed ornament on a hairline separates the title from the verse. The eight lines of the stanza are set in a dark italic serif, and ROBERT ROBINSON · 1758 sits underneath in small green capitals. Two thin green rules run across the top and bottom of the sheet, like the edges of a hymnal page. The background is a warm cream, which makes the print look softer than black type on white paper and leaves generous space for a mat.

Where it hangs and when to give it

Because the text block is small and centered, the print sits well where a busier design would feel crowded, such as a narrow wall by the front door or the space above a dresser. The cream and green go easily with natural wood and linen. As a gift it suits a baptism, for a teenager or a woman being baptized, and a confirmation for a young adult. A pastor or worship leader who loves the old hymns will know the lines at once. For a family moving into a new home, it makes a first piece for the hallway that already carries a prayer over the house.

Files, ratios and how to print the green

The download holds four JPG files in the 2:3, 3:4, 4:5 and 11:14 ratios and a multi-page PDF with all four, five files in total. Each ratio is matched to the frames in the table, from 4x6 up to 24x36 inches. The files hold 300 DPI up to 16x20 and 18x24, and the larger poster sizes still print at more than 200 DPI. Since the cream is part of the file, white paper prints the background warm on its own. Matte or fine-art paper keeps the thin rules and the italic lines crisp. Deep green can come out darker on some home printers, so make a small test print before a large one and turn off automatic color correction if your printer offers it.

Sizes and formats: 300 DPI up to 16x20 and 18x24, 200+ DPI at poster sizes

Frequently asked questions

Which part of the hymn is on the print?

The complete first stanza, all eight lines, from 'Come thou fount of every blessing' to 'mount of thy redeeming love.' Nothing in it is shortened. The later stanzas, including 'prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,' are not part of this design, which keeps the page uncluttered and easy to read from a few steps away.

Is there a matching hymn print to hang beside it?

Yes. The Doxology print in the shop, Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow, uses the same layout, the same cream paper and the same thin rules. Its title is set in near-black capitals with small gold details, where this one is deep green. Hung side by side in matching frames, the two look like pages from one hymnal.

Will the cream background print if I use white paper?

Yes. The warm cream color is part of the image, so it prints onto plain white paper without any adjustment from you. If you print on cream paper as well, the tone becomes deeper and more yellow. One test sheet on the paper you plan to use shows how your printer renders the background and the green type.

What size works on a shelf or a small wall?

For a shelf or a desk, an 8x10 print from the 4:5 file or a 6x8 from the 3:4 file leans nicely against the wall. For a small section of wall, 11x14 or 12x16 makes the italic lines readable from a few steps away. Larger walls take 16x20, 18x24 or the 24x36 poster from the 2:3 file.

Does it work as a baptism or confirmation gift?

It does. A hymn about grace and a heart tuned to sing fits the day someone makes their faith public. Print it at 8x10 or 11x14, frame it with a white mat and write the date and a short note on the back of the frame, so the gift also keeps a record of the occasion.