How to Create an Email Signature

Adding Lines of Text and Embedding Links in Outgoing Letters

Aug 5, 2009 Melody Rhodes

An email signature allows users to customize outgoing email. This article is a step-by step tutorial for creating an email signature.

Why create an email signature? An email signature adds a personal touch to outgoing emails. In its basic form an email signature moves beyond typed letters and makes email friendlier-looking.

Creating a custom email signature means that a user's name can be entered in an attractive format, using a font that looks like a written signature.

Savvy entrepreneurs also embed links in email signatures, pointing to their sites and getting the word out about goods and services. An email signature can be an effective tool working in the background.

How does one go about creating a signature in an email program? For this tutorial, Microsoft Outlook will be used as a guide to create signatures for email.

How to Create an Email Signature

Microsoft Outlook should be opened so users can access email signature settings.

Select the "Tools" tab. A drop-down menu will appear
Locate "Options"
Look for "Mail Format" in Outlook. It's the third tab over
The fourth section down is entitled "Signatures."
Select "New," type in a name for the signature, then press "OK"
In the large horizontal box, type in text to create a simple email signature and press OK

Creating a Custom Email Signature

Customization options under "Edit signature" allow for selection of different font styles and sizes. Certain fonts look like writing and if a personal touch is desired, these are a good choice for users who want to sign their name and have it appear at the end of each email as written email signature text.

Text may be bolded (B), italicized (I), and underlined (U).

Different colors can also be chosen for a fun-looking email signature.Click on the arrow beside "Automatic" to select a different color for text. Click on the colored box to choose font color before typing.

Email signature text can be centered or placed to the right or left by clicking on the icons that depict text in those positions.

An electronic business card can be inserted (if it has been created in Address Book Contacts).

An email signature picture may be added by clicking on the picture icon, represented by a square displaying a scene with mountains. Users select a picture and then click on "Insert" for it to show along with their custom email signature. Place cursor to insert picture where desired.

Embedding a Link in an Email Signature

One of the best features of email signatures is that they can be used to link to websites or blogs.

Choose text to be highlighted, which serves as the anchor text for the embedded link

Run mouse over the selected words

Click on the embed tool (the chain icon) in the email signature program

A box will open allowing users to either paste or type in a URL to the right of "Address" or they can select a file, which will automatically load the URL

Press OK. The text will be linked and point to the desired site

Email signatures are easy to create and allow for greater flexibility when sending emails. Once an email signature has been saved, it will load each time a user sends email, proving to be a convenient "set-and-forget" feature.

Internet Resources

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The copyright of the article How to Create an Email Signature in Internet is owned by Melody Rhodes. Permission to republish How to Create an Email Signature in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Written Email Signature