Outlook Templates Tutorial

Welcome to our Outlook Templates Tutorial.

If you have a standard email that you send out regularly to a distribution list or individual, using a template will save you time. You just need to type in any changes within that template.

Within Microsoft Outlook there are 3 formats you can use to send emails....Plain Text, HTML, and Rich Text.

The default format when sending a message in Outlook is HTML. HTML supports numbering, text formatting, alignment, alignment, pictures, horizontal lines, stationery, HTML styles, linking to Web pages and signatures.

HTML is the format used by most email programs and we would recommend that this format be used as standard procedure.

All e-mail programs understand plain text format. It is important to note that plain text does not support italic, bold, font colours, or any other text formatting. It also doesn't support images in the body of the message but attaches them instead.

Only a few e-mail programs understand Outlook Rich Text Format (RTF). RTF supports formatting text, including alignment, bullets, and linking to objects. Outlook will automatically convert an RTF message to HTML when sending a message, so formatting is maintained.

Create an Email Template

From the 'Tools' menu, select 'Options'
Click the 'Mail Format' tab.
Clear the check box beside 'Use Microsoft Office Word 2003 to edit mail messages'.
Click 'Apply' and then click 'OK'.
On the 'File' menu, point to 'New' and click 'Mail Message'.
When the new message opens write your content and add hyperlinks or images.

Note: Make sure you leave enough room for additional messages and signatures you need to add.

When you have finished creating your message, select 'Save As' from the 'File' menu.
Give the message a name for your Template in the Filename field.
In the 'Save As' type box select 'Outlook Template'.
Click 'Save'.
To restore Word as the message editor, click 'Options' on the 'Tools' menu, click the 'Mail Format' tab and check the box beside 'Use Microsoft Office Word 2003 to edit mail messages'.
Click 'Apply'.
Click 'OK'.

Open a template

You will probably only need to add your signature to your email before sending.

From the 'Inbox' in Outlook, click the arrow next to the New button.
Select 'Choose Form'.
In the 'Choose Form' dialog box, click the 'Look In' drop down arrow and select 'User templates in File System'.
Select the template you want and click 'Open'.

Locating your Templates

When you save an Outlook Template, it will have the file extension .oft. It will appear in the File System in the list of User templates.

Word as your email Editor

If you're not using Word as your e-mail editor, you can convert HTML or plain text or RTF. You cannot convert HTML to RTF or RTF to HTML

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Adding Pictures to Templates

Follow this guide to add an image to your email:

Too many images: Adding too many images to a template will increase the email size and detract from the message.

Adequately sized images: If your images are too small, the reader won't be able to see them. If the images are too large they will detract from your message. An important note to remember is that many users minimise their viewing windows.

Quality images: Make sure your image is clear. A fuzzy image doesn't reflect professionalism.

Copyright images: Do not use copyrighted images unless you have the original author's permission. In that instance, you must refer to the original author.

Types of images: It is preferable to use .gif format for images in an Outlook Template. GIF format images are smaller in size compared to JPEG or TIFF formats.

If you have any questions about our Outlook Template Tutorial, please contact us. Our Team is available to answer your queries.

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