An email message does not have to be limited to plain text. Outlook provides you with the ability to create messages with rich formatting, including different fonts, images, charts, and a variety of other elements. No longer is email just for sending simple messages—an email can be, in essence, a small document with all of the impact that is possible with advanced formatting.
Outlook can create three types of email messages. The type of a message affects the extent to which you can apply formatting to the message. To a lesser extent the type of message also affects who can and cannot read the message. The three types of messages are
Plain text: The most basic type of message, plain text can be read by everyone, no matter how old their email program, but cannot contain any formatting.
HTML: This stands for Hypertext Markup Language, and is the same technique used to format web pages. HTML provides an excellent set of formatting options, and can be read by essentially any modern email client.
Rich text: The rich text format, sometimes referred to as RTF, was developed for word processors. It provides more powerful formatting tools than HTML but can be read by a limited set of email clients, including Outlook and Exchange.
Which format should you use? There's rarely a reason to use plain text unless you believe that your message will be going to people who are using out-of-date software, for example in some third-world countries.
RTF is desirable because of its powerful formatting capabilities. There are just some things you can do in RTF that you cannot do in HTML, although to be honest they are all pretty specialized and the majority of users are unlikely to ever use them.
However, the limitations for reading RTF messages are an important consideration. Unless you know that all recipients will have a compatible email client you should avoid using RTF. If, for example, your company has standardized on Outlook for its email client, it is probably safe to use RTF for your internal company messages.
HTML is generally the best choice of message formats for most users. It provides all the formatting capability that most people will ever need, and it can be read by most email clients. For this reason, HTML is Outlook's default message type.
When you are composing a new message, you can change its type by clicking the Plain Text, HTML, or Rich Text button on the Options ribbon (see Figure 5.1). The highlighted button shows the message's current format—which is HTML in the figure.
If you change an RTF or HTML message to plain text, any existing formatting will be lost.
As mentioned earlier, Outlook's default is to create messages in HTML format. If you want to change the default format, follow these steps:
Select Tools, Options to display the Options dialog box.
Click the Mail Format tab (shown in Figure 5.2).
In the Message Format section, select the desired default format in the list.
Click OK.
Now, every new email message that you create will have the specified format—although you can always change it for an individual message as described earlier.
Tools for formatting message text are located on the Format Text ribbon in the email window. Some of the more frequently used text formatting tools are duplicated on the Message ribbon, for ease of access. Text formatting is divided into two categories: font and paragraph.
Font formatting affects individual characters in a message. It encompasses things such as underlining and italic, and can be applied to anything from a single character to an entire message. Most font formatting can be applied in two ways, either to selected text or to text you are about to type. Some formatting can be applied only to selected text. Selecting text is done as in most other applications:
With the mouse, drag over the text.
With the keyboard, hold down Shift and use the cursor movement keys.
To unselect text, click anywhere outside the selected text or press any arrow key (without Shift).
The font formatting tools are located in the Font section of the Format Text ribbon. They are identified in Figure 5.3 and described here.
Font: Select the font, or typeface.
Font size: Select the font size, in points (1 point = 1/72 inch).
Increase/decrease font size: Increases or decreases font size by one step.
Clear formatting: Removes all formatting from text.
Bold: Toggles boldface on and off.
Italic: Toggles italic on and off.
Underline: Click the button to toggle the default single underline. Click the adjacent arrow to select different underline styles and colors.
Superscript/subscript: Click to toggle text between superscript or subscript and normal.
Change case: Click then select from the menu to change the case of selected text.
Highlight: Click the button then drag over text to apply highlighting in the default color (displayed on the button). Click the adjacent arrow to select a highlight color or turn highlighting off.
Font color: Click the button to change font color to the color displayed on the button. Click the adjacent arrow to select a different font color.
Outlook's paragraph formatting tools are located in the Paragraph section of the Format Text ribbon. These tools, or at least most of them, let you work with formatting that applies to entire paragraphs of text. This includes bulleted and numbered lists, line spacing, and background color. Some tools in this category are not for formatting per se but have other functions, which I describe here.
When you select paragraph formatting it will be applied to the paragraph that contains the insertion point (or editing cursor). If you first select text that spans two or more paragraphs, the formatting will be applied to all those paragraphs. A paragraph is created when you press Enter—this marks the end of the paragraph.
The paragraph formatting tools are shown in Figure 5.4 and described here. Additional explanation for some of the items is provided following the list.
Bullets: Starts a bulleted list or converts existing paragraphs to a bulleted list. Click the button to apply the default bullet style. Click the adjacent arrow to select a different bullet style.
Numbering: Starts a numbered list or converts existing paragraphs to a numbered list. Click the button to apply the default numbering style. Click the adjacent arrow to select a different numbering style.
Multilevel list: Creates a multilevel list. See the "Multilevel Lists" section of this chapter for a fuller explanation.
Decrease/increase indent: Changes the indent of the left edge of the paragraph.
Sort: Sorts text alphabetically or numerically. See the "Sorting" section of this chapter for a full explanation.
Show/Hide ¶: Shows or hides formatting marks. See the "Show/Hide ¶" section of this chapter for a full explanation.
Alignment: Sets paragraph alignment to left, centered, right, or justified.
Line spacing: Sets the spacing between lines of text. See the "Line Spacing" section of this chapter for a full explanation.
Shading: Sets the shading displayed behind the paragraph. Click the button to apply the default shading displayed on the button. Click the adjacent arrow to select a different shading.
Borders: Displays a border around paragraphs. See the "Borders" section of this chapter for a full explanation.
The following sections provide additional explanation for some of the paragraph formatting tools.
A multilevel list contains items (paragraphs) at two or more levels. Each level is marked with a different system of numbering, lettering, or symbols and is usually indented with respect to the previous level. Figure 5.5 shows an example of a three-level multilevel list.
A multilevel list can contain a maximum of nine levels. You can create a multilevel list as you type, as described here:
Place the cursor where you want the list to begin.
Click the Multilevel List button on the Format Text ribbon to display the Multilevel List menu, shown in Figure 5.6.
Click the desired list style.
Type in the first list item. This will of course be at the top list level.
Press Enter to start the next list item. Press Tab one or more times to move it to a lower list level. Press Shift+Tab to move it to a higher list level.
Press Enter to start another list item. Each new list item is created at the same level as the one before it.
To change the level of an existing list item, place the editing cursor at the start of the item and press Tab or Shift+Tab.
To change the level of two or more list items, select the items and then select Change List Level from the Multilevel List menu.
To end the list, press Enter to start a new item, then open the Multilevel List and select None. Subsequent paragraphs will not be part of the list.
You can also create a multilevel list from existing text:
Select the paragraphs that you want to be in the list.
Open the Multilevel List menu and select the desired list style. Outlook will convert the selected paragraphs into a multilevel list.
To change the level of individual paragraphs, place the editing cursor at the start of the item and press Tab or Shift+Tab.
To change the level of two or more list items, select the items and then select Change List Level from the Multilevel List menu.
To change the style of an existing multilevel list, select the entire list and then select the desired new style from the Multilevel List menu. If you want to change a multilevel list back to normal text, select the entire list and then select None from the Multilevel List menu.
The Sort command can be used to arrange paragraphs in alphabetical order, either ascending (A–Z) or descending (Z–A). To perform a sort:
Click the Sort button on the Format Text ribbon. Outlook displays the Sort Text dialog box (see Figure 5.7).
Select the Ascending or Descending option.
Click OK.
The additional settings that you see in the Sort Text dialog box are used when you are sorting a table. You learn about tables in Chapter 6.
By default, lines of text in an Outlook email message are single spaced. You can change this as follows:
To change spacing for a single paragraph, place the cursor anywhere in the paragraph. To change spacing for multiple paragraphs, select them.
Click the Line Spacing button on the Format Text ribbon to display the Line Spacing menu.
Select the desired spacing: Single, 1.5, or Double.
For more control over spacing, select Paragraph from the Line Spacing menu to display the Paragraph dialog box (see Figure 5.8).
In the Paragraph dialog box, it is the Spacing area that is relevant to line spacing. You can precisely control spacing between lines in a paragraph as well as space before and after the paragraph. Your line spacing options, selected from the Line Spacing list, are
Single, 1.5, or Double: Single, one and a half, or double line spacing.
At Least: Line separation will be at least the value entered in the At box. It may be increased if needed to accommodate large fonts and so on.
Exactly: Line separation will be exactly the value entered in the At box and will never be adjusted.
Multiple: Spacing will be the number of lines entered in the At box.
To control space before and after a paragraph, enter the desired values in the Before and After boxes.
The Show/Hide ¶ button lets you display formatting marks in your text. Formatting marks indicate where normally invisible formatting elements are located. They are
Paragraph marks (where you pressed Enter) are marked by the ¶ symbol.
Soft returns (where you pressed Shift+Enter) are marked by
Tabs are marked with the → symbol.
Spaces are marked by a dot.
Figure 5.9 shows an email message with formatting marks displayed. If you are having trouble getting the formatting to work just the way you want, displaying formatting marks can often help you locate the source of the problem.
Outlook's border feature is most frequently used with tables, a topic that is covered in Chapter 6. You can, however, use borders with regular text. For example, Figure 5.10 shows the use of a double border to call attention to a paragraph.
To apply borders:
Select the paragraph(s) that you want to apply borders to.
Click the arrow adjacent to the Borders button on the Format Text ribbon. Outlook displays the Borders menu (see Figure 5.11).
Click the style of border you want, or click No Border to remove existing border.
If you click the Borders button itself, or select Borders and Shading from the Borders menu, Outlook opens the Borders and Shading dialog box. This dialog box gives you more control over borders. It is covered in the section on tables in Chapter 6.
Outlook quick styles, or just styles from here on, provide a quick and easy way to apply formatting to text. A style combines various aspects of formatting, such as font name and size, boldface, and text color, so you can apply all the formatting in a single step. You can use Outlook's defined styles and you can also define your own. Styles apply to entire paragraphs—remember, you define paragraphs by pressing Enter to end a paragraph and start another.
To apply a style, place the cursor in the target paragraph or select multiple paragraphs. Then, click the Quick Styles button on the Format Text ribbon and select the desired style from the Quick Styles menu (shown in Figure 5.12). Note that as you move your mouse over the available styles, your text changes to preview each style. To remove a style, follow these steps but select Clear Formatting from the menu.
Note
If you create an email message based on a theme or stationery, as described later in this chapter, you will not be able to use quick styles with the message.
If the styles that are already defined in Outlook do not suit your needs, you can create your own. Here are the steps to follow:
Format a paragraph in the message with the formatting that you want to be part of the new style (although you can make changes later in this process). Make sure the insertion point remains in that paragraph.
Click the Quick Styles button on the Format Text ribbon.
Select Save Selection as a New Quick Style from the menu. Outlook displays the Create New Style from Formatting dialog box, shown in Figure 5.13.
Enter a name for the new style in the Name box. You cannot use a name that is already assigned to a style.
Click OK.
If you want to make further changes to the style, click the Modify button in step 4. The dialog box will expand to allow you to change various aspects of the formatting.
To modify an existing style, follow these steps:
Click the Quick Styles button on the Format Text ribbon.
Right-click the style you want to modify.
Select the command from the popup menu as follows:
Update XXXX to Match Selection: Changes the style to match the formatting of the currently selected text.
Modify: Opens the dialog box shown in Figure 5.14 where you can make changes to the style's formatting.
Rename: Assigns a new name to the style.
Remove from Quick Style Gallery: Removes the style from the Quick Styles menu (although the style remains available).
Themes and stationery are two related tools that let you provide a global design to an email message. Stationery includes a background color and/or pattern, and themes include backgrounds and other elements such as fonts, list styles, and effects. Using a theme or stationery does not mean the message formatting is fixed—you can use the theme formatting as it is defined or change it as desired.
Where do you get themes? There are several sources:
Defined themes that are built into Outlook.
Microsoft Word themes that are installed with Outlook.
Themes you download from Office Online.
Themes that you customize yourself.
The primary difference between Outlook themes and Word themes is that you can customize a Word theme but Outlook themes cannot be modified. There is also a difference in the way you apply them, as explained next.
You can select a default theme that will automatically be used for all new HTML email messages:
Select Tools, Options from the main Outlook menu to display the Options dialog box.
If necessary, click the Mail Format tab.
Click the Stationery and Fonts button to display the Signatures and Stationery dialog box.
Click the Theme button to display the Theme or Stationery dialog box (see Figure 5.15).
Click a theme or stationery name to see it previewed in the Sample area.
Depending on the theme selected, one or more of the following options may be available in the lower-left corner of the dialog box:
Vivid Colors: Use a brighter color scheme.
Active Graphics: Determines whether any active graphics that the theme contains are used.
Background Image: Turn this option off to use the theme without its background image.
Click OK three times to exit all dialog boxes.
To remove the default theme so that new messages are created without a theme, follow the preceding steps and select No Theme in step 5.
You can also apply a theme or stationery to a single new message, overriding the default theme (if one is defined):
Select Actions, New Mail Message Using from Outlook's main menu.
Select More Stationery from the next menu. Outlook displays the Theme or Stationery dialog box as shown previously in Figure 5.15.
Select the desired theme.
Click OK.
To apply a Word theme to an email message, first create a new HTML format message. Then:
Click in the body of the message.
Click the Themes button on the Options ribbon and click Themes again on the menu. Outlook displays the Themes menu as shown in Figure 5.16. Built-in themes are listed in the Built-In section of the menu. If you have defined any custom themes they will be listed in the Custom section of the menu.
Click the desired theme.
You'll note that there are several commands at the bottom of the Themes menu. Their functions are
Reset to Theme from Template: If the selected theme has been customized, resets it to the original settings.
More Themes on Microsoft Office Online: Look for additional themes on Office Online.
Browse for Themes: Look for additional themes on your local computer or network.
Save Current Theme: If you have customized the selected theme (covered in the next section), saves it to disk.
Once you have applied a theme to a message, you can customize the theme by changing its fonts, its colors, and its effects. You can apply the changes to the current message only or save them for future use. There are three elements of a theme:
Fonts: A theme's fonts consist of a heading font and a body font. A theme may use the same font in different sizes for both or it can use two distinct fonts.
Colors: A theme's colors consist of a set of defined colors for various message elements.
Effects: A theme's effects determine how various graphical elements of a message are drawn.
Each theme has assigned fonts, colors, and effects. Customizing a theme means to change the fonts, colors, and/or effects associated with the theme. To customize a theme:
Apply a theme to the message as described in the previous section.
Click one of the buttons next to the Themes button on the Options ribbon. There are three: Colors, Fonts, and Effects. Outlook displays the corresponding menu—Figure 5.17 shows the Effects menu.
Click the color, font, or effect that you want to apply to the theme.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 as needed for other theme elements.
Outlook provides a selection of defined font and color sets that you can use with Word themes. These sets are the selections you see on the Theme Colors and Theme Fonts menus when you customize a theme as described in the previous section. You can create custom color and font sets as well and have these available for use in Word themes. You cannot, however, create custom theme effects—you are limited to the effects that are supplied with Outlook. Any custom color or font sets that you create will be available in the Custom section of the Theme Colors or Theme Fonts menu.
To create a custom color set:
Click the Colors button in the Themes section of the Options ribbon.
Select Create New Theme Colors from the menu. Outlook displays the Create New Theme Colors dialog box as shown in Figure 5.18. The buttons on the left represent the colors that make up a color set.
Click the button for the color you want to change and select the new color from the palette that is displayed. The selected colors are previewed in the Sample section of the dialog box.
Repeat step 3 for additional colors as desired.
If you want to start over, click Reset to return all colors to their original values.
Assign a name for this color set in the Name box.
Click the Save button.
Click the Fonts button in the Themes section of the Options ribbon.
Select Create New Theme Fonts from the menu. Outlook displays the Create New Theme Fonts dialog box as shown in Figure 5.19.
Select a new heading font and/or body font from the lists provided.
Enter a name for the font set in the Name box.
Click Save.
Sometimes you may not want to apply a theme or stationery to a message but only to change the message background. Outlook provides the ability to use a color, gradient, texture, pattern, or picture as the message background. You can also change the background that has been assigned to a message as part of a stationery or theme. To change the page background, click the Page Color button in the Themes section of the Options ribbon. Outlook displays the Theme Colors menu as shown in Figure 5.20. Then do one of the following:
If you select Fill Effects from the Theme Colors menu, Outlook displays the dialog box that is shown in Figure 5.21. You can see that this dialog has tabs for gradients, textures, patterns, and pictures. Select the appropriate tab and then make entries as needed to get the background you want.
A signature is a section of text that is added automatically to the end of email messages that you create. It can include your name, title, company name, and other information that you want to include with all messages. Note that this is distinct from a digital signature, a security device that is covered in Chapter 20.
You can define as many different email signatures as you need. To define a signature:
Select Options from the Tools menu to open the Options dialog box.
Click the Mail Format tab.
Click Signatures to open the Signatures and Stationery dialog box.
If necessary, click the E-mail Signature tab (shown in Figure 5.22).
Click the New button to open the New Signature dialog box.
Enter a name for the signature and click OK to return to the E-mail Signature tab.
Enter the desired text in the Edit Signature field, using the formatting tools that are provided to change font, alignment, and other aspects of formatting. You can also copy text from Word or another program and paste it here.
Click the Save button to save the signature.
You also use this tab to edit an existing signature. Simply select the signature in the Select Signature to Edit list, edit it as desired, and click Save.
You can apply a signature manually to individual email messages. If you want a signature added automatically, use the Choose Default Signature options in the top-right corner of the dialog box:
In the E-mail Account list, select the email account for which you want a signature used (this is relevant only if you have two or more email accounts).
From the New Messages list, select the signature to use for new messages.
From the Replies/Forwards list, select the signature to use when you reply to or forward a message.
Outlook provides you with a powerful set of formatting tools. No longer are you limited to sending boring, plain text messages. As long as your recipients can read HTML messages—and that's almost everyone these days—you can use fonts, borders, backgrounds, themes, and other elements to create visually appealing messages.