Working with Signatures in Outlook 2003

Summary

What is an email signature? To see an illustration, click here.

Avoid typing your name and contact information in each message; Outlook can add it for you. You may choose between automatic and manual signatures, and you may have multiple signatures, e.g. one for college email, one for email to an organization where you are an officer, and yet another for personal and family email.

These steps are for Microsoft Outlook 2003, not Outlook Express. See related information at the bottom for Outlook Web Access.

This document contains these sections:

• Choose and set an email format before creating a signature
• Create a signature in Outlook 2003
• Edit an existing signature
• Using a signature: automatic versus manual insertion
• Related information: signatures in Outlook Web Access

Choose an Email Format

Your signature can be plain text or formatted:

The style of your signature, plain or HTML formatted, is determined by the style of new messages. That is, if you normally send plain text email, your signature will be plain text. If you choose to send HTML messages, your signature can be formatted.

Q. How do I choose a message format? What's the difference between plain text and HTML messages?

A. Click here to read about choosing and setting a default email format.

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Create a Signature

After the default email format Is set, create a signature.

1. Open Outlook's Tools menu.
2. Choose Options.
3. Choose the Mail Format tab.
4. Click the Signatures button.
5. Click the New button.
6. Type a clear name for the new signature.
   A signature for Skidmore correspondence could be named at work.
   A signature for personal mail could be personal.
   A signature for a professional society could be VP RCM.
7. Choose a starting point.
   - To start from scratch, select "Start with a blank signature."
   - You can modify a copy of an existing signature. For example, you may wear two hats. One signature gives your title as faculty and the other as an admissions interviewer. Your office and phone stay the same. Why retype them? Just copy the original and modify the title. In this case, select "Use this existing signature ...."
8. On the next screen, enter your information.
   - Do not use the Advanced Edit button.
   - If you use plain text messages, just type.
   - If you use HTML messages, formatting buttons are available to change the font, etc.
9. Click the Finish button.
10. Click OK.
11. You should still be on the Mail Format tab.
12. Outlook 2003 has an improved feature. Before choosing a signature, you may select an account.
    For example, you might use Outlook for multiple email accounts: one in your name and one for general departmental correspondence. Outlook 2003 allows you to specify a different automatic signature for each account. In Outlook 2002 an automatic signature is the same for all accounts.
13. Specify the default signature behavior in two places, for new messages and for replies and forwards.
    - Select a signature from either drop down list. This will cause automatic insertion.
    - Choose None if you prefer to manually insert your signature as the need arises.
14. If you are in Outlook 2003 and if you are working with multiple email accounts, you may select another account and then select a signature. This is a repeat of steps 12 and 13 except they apply to the other account(s).
15. Click OK to finish.

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Edit an Existing Signature

1. To edit a signature, follow the first 4 steps (above) in Create a Signature.
2. Highlight a signature and click the Edit button.

Using a Signature: Automatic vs. Manual

Automatic: On the Mail Format tab, pick a signature for either "new" or "replies and forwards." That makes it automatic.

Manual (a signature must already exist):

1. On the Mail Format tab, choose None in one or both drop down boxes.
    
   
    
2. Click OK.
3. When composing a message that needs a signature, have your blinking cursor at the location where it should appear.
4. Open the Insert menu.
5. Choose Signature.
6. Select one; it inserts.

Issues with Signatures

Whether your mailbox is on Exchange Server or Unix, your signature does not follow you. You have to create it in each local installation of Outlook.

Related Information - Outlook Web Access

Outlook Web Access, in both basic and premium versions, provides the opportunity to create signatures. Those steps are not covered in this document. However, you may be able to do it yourself.

In OWA, click the Options button on the left and look for the signature choice.

A signature created in OWA does not carry over to Outlook. However, as you log into OWA from various computers, the signature will be available in those other instances of OWA.

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Maintained by Brien G. Muller

IT Help Desk, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY

Rev. 01/31/2006