diff --git a/plugins/Cardinal/src/ImGuiTextEditor.cpp b/plugins/Cardinal/src/ImGuiTextEditor.cpp
index 3e12638..d0b0bc9 100644
--- a/plugins/Cardinal/src/ImGuiTextEditor.cpp
+++ b/plugins/Cardinal/src/ImGuiTextEditor.cpp
@@ -38,7 +38,10 @@ struct ImGuiTextEditor::PrivateData {
 
 ImGuiTextEditor::ImGuiTextEditor()
     : ImGuiWidget(),
-      pData(new PrivateData) {}
+      pData(new PrivateData())
+{
+    setUseMonospaceFont();
+}
 
 ImGuiTextEditor::~ImGuiTextEditor()
 {
diff --git a/plugins/Cardinal/src/ImGuiWidget.cpp b/plugins/Cardinal/src/ImGuiWidget.cpp
index dbe2a2f..d3317dd 100644
--- a/plugins/Cardinal/src/ImGuiWidget.cpp
+++ b/plugins/Cardinal/src/ImGuiWidget.cpp
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ struct ImGuiWidget::PrivateData {
     ImGuiContext* context = nullptr;
     bool created = false;
     bool fontGenerated = false;
+    bool useMonospacedFont = false;
     float originalScaleFactor = 0.0f;
     float scaleFactor = 0.0f;
 
@@ -86,17 +87,31 @@ struct ImGuiWidget::PrivateData {
 
         fontGenerated = true;
 
-#ifndef DGL_NO_SHARED_RESOURCES
         ImGuiIO& io(ImGui::GetIO());
-        using namespace dpf_resources;
-        ImFontConfig fc;
-        fc.FontDataOwnedByAtlas = false;
-        fc.OversampleH = 1;
-        fc.OversampleV = 1;
-        fc.PixelSnapH = true;
-        io.Fonts->AddFontFromMemoryTTF((void*)dejavusans_ttf, dejavusans_ttf_size, 13.0f * scaleFactor, &fc);
-        io.Fonts->Build();
+
+        if (useMonospacedFont)
+        {
+            const std::string fontPath = asset::system("fonts/ShareTechMono-Regular.ttf");
+            ImFontConfig fc;
+            fc.OversampleH = 1;
+            fc.OversampleV = 1;
+            fc.PixelSnapH = true;
+            io.Fonts->AddFontFromFileTTF(fontPath.c_str(), 13.0f * scaleFactor, &fc);
+            io.Fonts->Build();
+        }
+        else
+        {
+#ifndef DGL_NO_SHARED_RESOURCES
+            using namespace dpf_resources;
+            ImFontConfig fc;
+            fc.FontDataOwnedByAtlas = false;
+            fc.OversampleH = 1;
+            fc.OversampleV = 1;
+            fc.PixelSnapH = true;
+            io.Fonts->AddFontFromMemoryTTF((void*)dejavusans_ttf, dejavusans_ttf_size, 13.0f * scaleFactor, &fc);
+            io.Fonts->Build();
 #endif
+        }
     }
 
     void resetStyle()
@@ -170,6 +185,13 @@ void ImGuiWidget::setAsCurrentContext()
     ImGui::SetCurrentContext(imData->context);
 }
 
+void ImGuiWidget::setUseMonospaceFont(const bool useMonoFont)
+{
+    DISTRHO_SAFE_ASSERT_RETURN(!imData->fontGenerated,);
+
+    imData->useMonospacedFont = useMonoFont;
+}
+
 void ImGuiWidget::onHover(const HoverEvent& e)
 {
     ImGui::SetCurrentContext(imData->context);
diff --git a/plugins/Cardinal/src/ImGuiWidget.hpp b/plugins/Cardinal/src/ImGuiWidget.hpp
index bcb0ba7..778069f 100644
--- a/plugins/Cardinal/src/ImGuiWidget.hpp
+++ b/plugins/Cardinal/src/ImGuiWidget.hpp
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ protected:
     void onSelectKey(const SelectKeyEvent& e) override;
     void onSelectText(const SelectTextEvent& e) override;
     void setAsCurrentContext();
+    void setUseMonospaceFont(bool useMonoFont = true);
 
     virtual void drawImGui()
     {
diff --git a/plugins/Cardinal/src/TextEditor.cpp b/plugins/Cardinal/src/TextEditor.cpp
index 3602f13..cbad142 100644
--- a/plugins/Cardinal/src/TextEditor.cpp
+++ b/plugins/Cardinal/src/TextEditor.cpp
@@ -26,14 +26,31 @@
 
 // --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-// defaults
-#define DEFAULT_LANG "C++"
-#define DEFAULT_TEXT "" \
-"// Welcome to a real text editor inside Cardinal\n\n"  \
-"#define I_AM_A_MACRO\n\n"                              \
-"int and_i_am_a_variable;\n\n"                          \
-"/* look ma, a comment! */\n"                           \
-"int such_highlight_much_wow() { return 1337; }\n"
+// defaults (artwork based on content from https://www.asciiart.eu/animals/cats)
+#define DEFAULT_LANG "None"
+#define DEFAULT_TEXT ""                                     \
+"                                                   \n"     \
+"        ^ ^        ,_,                             \n"     \
+"       (O,O)      (.,.)                            \n"     \
+"       (   )      (   )                            \n"     \
+"--------\"-\"---dwb--\"-\"---dwb-                      \n" \
+"                                                   \n"     \
+"                                                   \n"     \
+"                                                   \n"     \
+"                                                   \n"     \
+"                                                   \n"     \
+"                                                   \n"     \
+"                                                   \n"     \
+"      /^--^\\     /^--^\\     /^--^\\                 \n"  \
+"      \\____/     \\____/     \\____/                 \n"  \
+"     /      \\   /      \\   /      \\                \n"  \
+"    |        | |        | |        |               \n"     \
+"     \\__  __/   \\__  __/   \\__  __/                \n"  \
+"|^|^|^|^\\ \\^|^|^|^/ /^|^|^|^|^\\ \\^|^|^|^|^|^|^|^|^|\n" \
+"| | | | |\\ \\| | |/ /| | | | | |\\ \\| | | | | | | | |\n" \
+"#########/ /#####\\ \\###########/ /#################\n"   \
+"| | | | |\\/ | | | \\/| | | | | |\\/ | | | | | | | | |\n"  \
+"|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|\n"
 #define DEFAULT_WIDTH 30
 
 struct TextEditorModule : Module {