diff --git a/index.d.ts b/index.d.ts
index 31f6910..10bfe71 100644
--- a/index.d.ts
+++ b/index.d.ts
@@ -21,3 +21,15 @@ log(chalk.red.bgBlack(chalkTemplate`2 + 3 = {bold ${2 + 3}}`));
 ```
 */
 export default function chalkTemplate(text: TemplateStringsArray, ...placeholders: unknown[]): string;
+
+/**
+Terminal string styling. It is preferred that you use the template tag (default export) but this function is useful if you'd like to wrap the color template function.
+
+@example
+```
+import { template } from 'chalk-template';
+
+log(template('Today is {red hot}')
+```
+*/
+export function template(text: string): string;
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index acaf034..7686387 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ function buildStyle(styles) {
 	return current;
 }
 
-function template(string) {
+export function template(string) {
 	const styles = [];
 	const chunks = [];
 	let chunk = [];
diff --git a/index.test-d.ts b/index.test-d.ts
index 496454e..c9d46fc 100644
--- a/index.test-d.ts
+++ b/index.test-d.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import {expectType} from 'tsd';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
-import chalkTemplate from './index.js';
+import chalkTemplate, {template} from './index.js';
 
 // -- Template literal --
 expectType<string>(chalkTemplate``);
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ const name = 'John';
 expectType<string>(chalkTemplate`Hello {bold.red ${name}}`);
 expectType<string>(chalkTemplate`Works with numbers {bold.red ${1}}`);
 
+expectType<string>(template('Today is {bold.red hot}'));
+
 // -- Complex template literal --
 expectType<string>(chalk.red.bgGreen.bold(chalkTemplate`Hello {italic.blue ${name}}`));
 expectType<string>(chalk.strikethrough.cyanBright.bgBlack(chalkTemplate`Works with {reset {bold numbers}} {bold.red ${1}}`));
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index c9e40b4..8f72f2a 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 		"node": ">=12"
 	},
 	"scripts": {
-		"test": "xo && ava test/index.js && cross-env FORCE_COLOR=0 ava test/no-color.js && cross-env FORCE_COLOR=3 TERM=dumb ava test/full-color.js && tsd"
+		"test": "xo && ava test/index.js && cross-env FORCE_COLOR=0 ava test/no-color.js && cross-env FORCE_COLOR=3 TERM=dumb ava test/full-color.js && cross-env FORCE_COLOR=3 TERM=dumb ava test/template.js && tsd"
 	},
 	"files": [
 		"index.js",
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
 		"ava": "^3.15.0",
 		"cross-env": "^7.0.3",
 		"tsd": "^0.18.0",
+		"typescript": "^4.6.2",
 		"xo": "^0.45.0"
 	}
 }
diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
index bac35ba..df59873 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -58,6 +58,16 @@ Note that function styles (`rgb()`, etc.) may not contain spaces between paramet
 
 All interpolated values (`` chalkTemplate`${foo}` ``) are converted to strings via the `.toString()` method. All curly braces (`{` and `}`) in interpolated value strings are escaped.
 
+## Template function
+
+You may also use the template function as an alternative to the tagged template function.
+
+```js
+import {template} from 'chalk-template';
+
+console.log(template('Today is {red hot}'));
+```
+
 ## Related
 
 - [chalk](https://github.com/chalk/chalk) - Terminal string styling done right
diff --git a/test/template.js b/test/template.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf13899
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/template.js
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+import test from 'ava';
+import {template} from '../index.js';
+
+test('correctly parse and evaluate color-convert functions', t => {
+	t.is(template('{bold.rgb(144,10,178).inverse Hello, {~inverse there!}}'),
+		'\u001B[1m\u001B[38;2;144;10;178m\u001B[7mHello, '
+		+ '\u001B[27m\u001B[39m\u001B[22m\u001B[1m'
+		+ '\u001B[38;2;144;10;178mthere!\u001B[39m\u001B[22m');
+
+	t.is(template('{bold.bgRgb(144,10,178).inverse Hello, {~inverse there!}}'),
+		'\u001B[1m\u001B[48;2;144;10;178m\u001B[7mHello, '
+		+ '\u001B[27m\u001B[49m\u001B[22m\u001B[1m'
+		+ '\u001B[48;2;144;10;178mthere!\u001B[49m\u001B[22m');
+});
+
+test('properly handle escapes', t => {
+	t.is(template('{bold hello \\{in brackets\\}}'),
+		'\u001B[1mhello {in brackets}\u001B[22m');
+});
+
+test('throw if there is an unclosed block', t => {
+	t.throws(() => {
+		template('{bold this shouldn\'t work ever\\}');
+	}, {
+		message: 'Chalk template literal is missing 1 closing bracket (`}`)',
+	});
+
+	t.throws(() => {
+		template('{bold this shouldn\'t {inverse appear {underline ever\\} :) \\}');
+	}, {
+		message: 'Chalk template literal is missing 3 closing brackets (`}`)',
+	});
+});
+
+test('throw if there is an invalid style', t => {
+	t.throws(() => {
+		template('{abadstylethatdoesntexist this shouldn\'t work ever}');
+	}, {
+		message: 'Unknown Chalk style: abadstylethatdoesntexist',
+	});
+});
+
+test('properly style multiline color blocks', t => {
+	t.is(
+		template(`{bold
+			Hello! This is a
+			${'multiline'} block!
+			:)
+		} {underline
+			I hope you enjoy
+		}`),
+		'\u001B[1m\u001B[22m\n'
+		+ '\u001B[1m\t\t\tHello! This is a\u001B[22m\n'
+		+ '\u001B[1m\t\t\tmultiline block!\u001B[22m\n'
+		+ '\u001B[1m\t\t\t:)\u001B[22m\n'
+		+ '\u001B[1m\t\t\u001B[22m \u001B[4m\u001B[24m\n'
+		+ '\u001B[4m\t\t\tI hope you enjoy\u001B[24m\n'
+		+ '\u001B[4m\t\t\u001B[24m',
+	);
+});
+
+test('should allow bracketed Unicode escapes', t => {
+	t.is(template('\u{AB}'), '\u{AB}');
+	t.is(template('This is a {bold \u{AB681}} test'), 'This is a \u001B[1m\u{AB681}\u001B[22m test');
+	t.is(template('This is a {bold \u{10FFFF}} test'), 'This is a \u001B[1m\u{10FFFF}\u001B[22m test');
+});
+
+test('should handle special hex case', t => {
+	t.is(template('{#FF0000 hello}'), '\u001B[38;2;255;0;0mhello\u001B[39m');
+	t.is(template('{#:FF0000 hello}'), '\u001B[48;2;255;0;0mhello\u001B[49m');
+	t.is(template('{#00FF00:FF0000 hello}'), '\u001B[38;2;0;255;0m\u001B[48;2;255;0;0mhello\u001B[49m\u001B[39m');
+	t.is(template('{bold.#FF0000 hello}'), '\u001B[1m\u001B[38;2;255;0;0mhello\u001B[39m\u001B[22m');
+	t.is(template('{bold.#:FF0000 hello}'), '\u001B[1m\u001B[48;2;255;0;0mhello\u001B[49m\u001B[22m');
+	t.is(template('{bold.#00FF00:FF0000 hello}'), '\u001B[1m\u001B[38;2;0;255;0m\u001B[48;2;255;0;0mhello\u001B[49m\u001B[39m\u001B[22m');
+	t.is(template('{#FF0000.bold hello}'), '\u001B[38;2;255;0;0m\u001B[1mhello\u001B[22m\u001B[39m');
+	t.is(template('{#:FF0000.bold hello}'), '\u001B[48;2;255;0;0m\u001B[1mhello\u001B[22m\u001B[49m');
+	t.is(template('{#00FF00:FF0000.bold hello}'), '\u001B[38;2;0;255;0m\u001B[48;2;255;0;0m\u001B[1mhello\u001B[22m\u001B[49m\u001B[39m');
+});