Let's see the relevant part of the code.

I have a few thoughts:

- Could the problem be an "unable to render as instructed" case? If your designed shape doesn't fit in the available space, the browser will alter the rendering.

- Could it be a 'condensing whitespace" case? The browser will throw away all whitespace except one blank character, unless you specifically tell it not to.

- Could it be a problem with a variable-width font? Spaces are not the same width as asterisks in most fonts.

- Is the browser substituting fonts? Remember that each user can pick his own default rendering font. Also remember that your chosen font might not exist on the user's computer.