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

by Fernando Veloso
10 replies
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

#email #html #outlook #solution
  • Profile picture of the author iw433
    Outlook is a microsoft product, try frontpage, or click on source code and hand code.
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    • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
      Originally Posted by iw433 View Post

      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%.
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  • Profile picture of the author WendellC
    Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso View Post

    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
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    • Profile picture of the author 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
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  • Profile picture of the author 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.
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  • Profile picture of the author 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.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steve Diamond
      Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso View Post

      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
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      • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
        Originally Posted by Steve Diamond View Post

        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.
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        • Profile picture of the author 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
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  • Profile picture of the author 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.
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