HTML Email in Outlook - Is there a Solution for me?

[Fernando Veloso]

Hi guys,

Just developed a nice HTML email for a friend and he needs to use Outlook to send this eflyer of a party. Problem is this is a HTML eflyer developed in Dreamweaver and i tried some tricks but in all tests in just receive the text + header - missing the background (both color and picture) and the styles I applied.

Is there a solution for this?

HTML email, developed in Dreamweaver, and to send in Outlook.

Fernando

P.S. - Man, it looks i got back 5 years. Outlook? What? lol

[iw433]

Outlook is a microsoft product, try frontpage, or click on source code and hand code.

[Fernando Veloso]

Originally Posted by iw433

Outlook is a microsoft product, try frontpage, or click on source code and hand code.

Thanks Bill, I have tried the source code trick, the IE send email trick, insert html file trick... but none of them work 100%.

[WendellC]

Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso

Hi guys,

Just developed a nice HTML email for a friend and he needs to use Outlook to send this eflyer of a party. Problem is this is a HTML eflyer developed in Dreamweaver and i tried some tricks but in all tests in just receive the text + header - missing the background (both color and picture) and the styles I applied.

Is there a solution for this?

HTML email, developed in Dreamweaver, and to send in Outlook.

Fernando

P.S. - Man, it looks i got back 5 years. Outlook? What? lol

Fernando -

Hi.

Any possibility that you can send this flyer as a PDF attachment? Alternatively, if the flyer is not too big or complex you can create a JPG of it and then send it as an inserted pic in the email.

Just a couple of other options...

Wendell

[Ben Roy]

This might seem a little simplistic, but have you tried emailing it to him from something else that handles HTML input a little better? Outlook usually does a good job of rendering HTML mail that it receives. If it shows up ok, maybe he can just hit forward and delete out the extra crap that gets inserted.

[Steve Diamond]

Fernando, it's been years for me, too, since I worked with Outlook. I know there's a way to do this but I can't find anything in the Help files.

I do have an idea, and it just might work. Create a new, blank HTML message in Outlook. Display the flyer in a web browser, preferably IE, directly from the computer's disk. Select the entire thing using Ctrl-A. Copy. And paste into the blank message. That could be all it takes.

I have a vague recollection of an option setting somewhere to tell Outlook to send all the graphics embedded in the message. But I can't find it and I don't think it's needed anyway when you copy and paste like this.

Let me know if it works.

Steve

[Fernando Veloso]

Thanks Steve, that's definitely the answer - it works.

Just needed to open the html email page in IE, select all, copy and paste in blank Outlook message.

Now I just need to figure why the background color stays white - even when it's black.



Thanks Steve, much appreciated.

[n7 Studios]

Outlook doesn't handle CSS well, and Outlook 2007 uses Word to render HTML, which results in emails with missing background colours, misalignment etc. It's a well documented issue:
Microsoft Breaks HTML Email Rendering in Outlook 2007
http://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/...mail-design-b/

You'll also need to test the email in other mail clients, depending on who your friend will be sending this HTML email to (as an example, I test email campaigns in Outlook Express, 2000, 2003, 2007, Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail and AOL as a minimum). Just because it works in Outlook doesn't mean it'll look or behave the same in Gmail.

It's also worth including a link at the top of the email, saying something like "Email not displaying correctly? View in your web browser". This link would take you to a web page containing the same HTML (which should be easier to code as there are fewer differences between browsers than email clients).

Finally, there's a good article over at Sitepoint: How to Code HTML Email Newsletters [HTML & XHTML Tutorials] - which covers some of the 'best' practices to ensure your HTML email works consistently across all major email clients, and the specific quirks Outlook might throw your way.

[Steve Diamond]

Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso

Thanks Steve, that's definitely the answer - it works.

Just needed to open the html email page in IE, select all, copy and paste in blank Outlook message.

Now I just need to figure why the background color stays white - even when it's black.



Thanks Steve, much appreciated.

You're very welcome. I'm glad it works!

For the background color there's a separate setting. In Outlook 2007 it's on the Options tab in the message window: Page Color. Position the cursor in the message body, or the Page Color control will be grayed out.

Steve

[Fernando Veloso]

Originally Posted by Steve Diamond

You're very welcome. I'm glad it works!

For the background color there's a separate setting. In Outlook 2007 it's on the Options tab in the message window: Page Color. Position the cursor in the message body, or the Page Color control will be grayed out.

Steve

Sure shot again Steve. Question solved. Warriors rock.

[Steve Diamond]

I knew that copy of Outlook 2007 would turn out to be useful for something.

Actually I used it for some accounts up until a couple of years ago, when I switched everything to Gmail. One less resource hog to put up with!

Steve