Outlook Express / Windows Mail Email Signature Installation Instructions

FAQ’s (These may be helpful AFTER installation)

Part 1 - Copying Your Signature to Your Clipboard

Note: If you don’t currently have your signature open in a browser tab, display it now:

  

In the tab with your signature, press Ctrl-A then Ctrl-C - this will select your entire signature and then copy it to your clipboard.

Note: Mac users will use Command-A and Command-C.

Part 2 - Outlook Express / Windows Mail - Email Signature Installation

Instructions

1. Go to Outlook Express and open a NEW MAIL message. Make use it’s completely blank (remove any existing signature or stationery) and type in your standard closing block. Then position your cursor beneath your closing block.

2. PASTE the graphical signature that you have copied to your computer’s clipboard beneath your closing block.

3. Once everything is set just the way you want it, click FILE in the upper left corner of your window and select SAVE AS from the menu.

A windows dialog box will appear. At the bottom of this dialog box you will see an option labeled “Save as Type:” - this must be set to HTML (.htm;.html) or Web Page (.htm;.html) - if it isn’t set that way use the little downward pointing triangle at the right of this text box to change this setting.

At the top of the dialog box you will see the phrase “Save In.” This is probably set to “My Documents.” You may save your signature file to any folder you want to, but _ you must remember where you have saved it _ - you will need to navigate to this folder again shortly.

Finally, back to the bottom of the windows dialog box where it says “File Name:” type in a short name that ends with the characters .HTML (that is “period” HTML). For example, your filename might be: new-Signature.html

Click the SAVE button in the lower right corner of the dialog box.

You can now close this email message.

4. From your inbox, click TOOLS on the top menu and pull down to OPTIONS. Click on the SIGNATURES tab.

5. Click the button labeled NEW.

6. The lower portion of the dialog box is labeled “Edit Signature” - click the option labeled “File” - doing this will cause the BROWSE button to become active.

7. Click the BROWSE button.

8. Now navigate to the folder that you saved your file in (in step 3 above).

At the bottom of this dialog box you’ll see a setting labeled “Files of Type”. This is probably set to “Text Files - .txt.” You must change this to either HTML Files or ALL FILES - use the little downward pointing triangle at the right to make this change. You should now be able to find the file you previously saved in the middle section of this dialog box. Double click this file - you will be returned to the SIGNATURES tab.

9. You should see your signature in the list with a number beside it - something like “Signature #1 or Signature #2” - it may make sense for you to use the RENAME function to give it a more descriptive name at this point, although doing so is not necessary.

10. If you only have one signature in your list, it will automatically be your default signature - the SET AS DEFAULT BUTTON will be inactive. If you have multiple signatures in your list, you need to highlight this new one and then click the SET AS DEFAULT button to make this your default signature.

11. Make sure that at the top of the SIGNATURES tab where it says “Add signatures to all outgoing messages” is CHECKED.

12. Make sure that “Don’t add signatures to Replies and Forwards” is UNCHECKED.

13. Now click the SEND tab. In the top section of this tab you should see six checkboxes. The bottom one is labeled “Reply to messages using the format in which they were sent.” UNCHECK this box.

14. Beneath those six checkboxes on the SEND tab is a section labeled “Mail Sending Format” - make sure you have HTML selected.

15. Now click the COMPOSE tab. In the middle section labeled “Stationery” make sure the checkbox next to “Mail” is UNCHECKED.

16. Click APPLY and then OK to close the OPTIONS dialog box. The next time you click CREATE MAIL your signature should appear.

Note: Hyperlinks in email never work while you are composing or responding to a message. To test your links, compose a message to yourself, and try the links when you have received it and are reading it.