OUTLOOK EXPRESS

Enabling HTML formatting
To add stationery backgrounds to your e-mail messages, you must first make sure your HTML formatting is enabled. Oh, don't let the acronym for HyperText Mark-up Language intimidate you. HTML is a simple code that Outlook Express uses to place backgrounds into your e-mail message. Here's how to enable HTML formatting:

1. Click the Tools menu on the toolbar, then click Options. The Options dialog box will appear.

 

2. Click the Send tab. Under "Mail sending format," select the option button next to HTML.

Sender beware! If your e-mail recipients don't have HTML built into their e-mail programs, they might not be able to view your fancy stationery. Instead, they will receive the body of your message in text format and your colorful background as a separate graphic attachment.

Creating your own e-mail stationery Right this way! Follow these steps to create your own astromatic, e-mail stationery. First you'll customize the font, then add a background image. Finally, you'll increase the indentation of the text area to make your messages really zing.

To customize the font:

1. Click the Compose Message button to open a New Message window. Click the Format menu to see if Rich Text (HTML) is selected. You'll know it is selected if you see a black dot beside it. If there isn't one, click Rich Text (HTML).

2. Click the Format menu again, then click Font. The Font dialog box will open.


3. In the Font box, select the font named "Verdana" (or choose another font if this one isn't available).

4. In the Style box, select Bold Italic.


5. In the Size box, select 14.


6. Click OK to save the changes. The Font dialog box will close.


7. In the new message window, try typing the word "Announcing". It should look something like this:

To add a background image to your stationery:

1. Click the Format menu, point to Background, then click Picture. The Background Picture dialog box will open.


2. In the File box, find and select the graphics file called tiki.gif.

3. Click OK. The Background Picture dialog box will close, and the image you selected is now added to your stationery.

Using your own stationery to compose new messages
Is there a stationery design you like so much that you want to use it all the time? Outlook Express lets you set a default stationery so you can add the same design to every message you create.

To set default stationery:

Outlook Express will create your default stationery at light speed. Be sure to open a new message window to see how your design looks.

To create your own signature:

4. After you've created your signature, click OK to close the Signature dialog box, then click OK to close the Stationery dialog box.

Once you've created your own signature, you can add it to individual messages or to every new message you compose. It's up to you.

To add your signature to an individual message:

1. Type your message. When you are finished, click the Insert menu, then click Signature. Your signature will appear at the end of your message.

Including a signature in all your messages
You can also tell Outlook Express to include your signature in every new message you compose.

1. In the Outlook Express window, click the Tools menu, then click Stationery. The Stationery dialog box will open.


2. Click the Signature button. The Signature dialog box will open.


3. Select the check box next to "Add this signature to all outgoing messages".

4. Click OK to close the Signature dialog box, then click OK to close the Stationery dialog box.

Attaching files to your messages
All types of files can be attached to e-mail messages: Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, graphics, sound clips...there's no limit. Just make sure you know where the file is located on your computer, and you're ready.

1. On the toolbar, click the Compose Message button to open a new message window.

2. Type your message.

3. Click the Insert menu, then click File Attachment (Or, click the File Attachment icon on the toolbar). The Insert Attachment dialog box will open.

4. In the Look in box, find the location of the file. Is it on your hard drive or a floppy disk?



5. In the File name box, type or select the name of the file, then click the Attach button. A file attachment icon will appear beneath your message.

6. Click the Send button to move your message and attachment to the Outbox.

Note: When sending a file attachment, it's important to know what programs the recipients have on their computers. If the file you send is created in a program that your recipients don't have, then they might not be able to open the file. Wouldn't that be a bummer of meteroric proportions?

Viewing an attachment in a message
How do you know when someone has attached a file to a message? Look for the paper clip icon next to the message title in your message list.

Here's how to open and read that file:

1. In the Message list, double-click the message. The message window will open, and the attached file icon will appear beneath the message.

2. To open the file, double-click the file attachment icon.

Saving an attachment from an incoming message
Some attachments will probably be worth saving. Afterall, you never know when you'll want to watch Kramer slide into action. Isn't he a gaseous nebula?

To save an attached file for future reference:

1. Click the File menu and select Save Attachments. Click the file name when it appears to the right of the menu. The Save Attachment As dialog box will open.

 

2. In the Look in box, select a place to store the file; perhaps on your hard drive or a floppy disk.

 

3. Enter a name for the file in the File name box.

4. Enter a file type in the Save as type box (for example: .doc, .txt, .htm). Click the Save button. The file is now saved for future use.

You can also save a file attachment directly from the message window without opening the file. Here's how:

1. Position your mouse point over the file attachment icon at the bottom of the message window.

2. Click your right mouse button. A pop-up menu will appear.