Apparatus (10) for generating text messages comprises means for selecting, from a library, a sequence of text images (22) to form a message, each text image having associated therewith a sequence of characters, means to concatenate the characters to form a text message, and means (12, 14, 16, 18) to send the text message to a selected recipient (20). Apparatus for receiving and viewing text messages comprises means (10) to receive a string of characters, successively comparing the characters in the string with each of a stored array of groups of characters to seek any match therebetween, where each group of characters has, associated therewith, a respective image (22), and means successively to display the string of characters and the associated image together.