Formatting Text in Messages 217
Using Tables 228
Using Special Text Features 234
Including Illustrations in Messages 237
Using Symbols in a Message 248
Including Other Items in a Message 256
Customizing the Appearance of Your Messages 260
Using Signatures 273
Using the Proofing and Research Tools 277
AS email has become a more important part of many people’s day, the content of email messages has gotten more complex. Whereas text was once adequate, an email message is now likely to contain just about anything: a table, clip art, a photograph, or a link to a website. Similarly, the overall look of an email message has evolved with the use of text formatting and stationery. Microsoft Outlook 2010 has a native email editor based on Microsoft Word 2010 that helps you get your message across clearly and easily.
In this chapter, you’ll discover how to add more than just plain text to your messages by working with graphics, hyperlinks, files, attachments, and electronic business cards. As this chapter explains, you can also spruce up your messages by using themes or stationery, which allows you to apply a customized look to your messages. Outlook 2010 provides a choice of themes and stationery, or you can create your own. You’ll also learn how to attach a text signature or an electronic business card automatically to each message you send.
The majority of your messages might consist of unformatted text, but you can use formatted text and other elements to create rich text and multimedia messages. For example, you might want to use character or paragraph formatting for emphasis, add graphics, or insert hyperlinks to websites or other resources. The following sections explain how to accomplish these tasks.
Formatting text in messages is easy, particularly if you’re comfortable with Word. Even if you’re not, you should have little trouble adding some snap to your messages with character, paragraph, and other formatting.
Outlook 2010 uses a native email editor, based on Word 2010, with a rich palette of tools for you to use in creating and formatting messages. For example, you can apply paragraph formatting to indent some paragraphs but not others, create bulleted and numbered lists, and apply special color and font formatting. These options are simple to use. Understanding the underlying format in which your messages are sent, however, requires a little more exploration. Outlook 2010 supports three formats for email messages:
HTML format Lets you create multimedia messages that can be viewed directly in a web browser or an email client that supports Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).
Rich Text Format Lets you add paragraph and character formatting and embed graphics and other nontext media into your message. By default, Rich Text Format (RTF) messages are converted to HTML when sent to an Internet address, but you can configure Outlook to convert them to plain text instead or leave them in RTF.
Note
You can specify how Outlook 2010 handles rich text messages sent to the Internet by clicking File, Options. On the Mail page, scroll down to find the Message Format group of options. From the drop-down list labeled When Sending Messages In Rich Text Format To Internet Recipients, select the format that you prefer in the drop-down list. You can choose to have Outlook 2010 send messages as HTML, plain text, or rich text.
Plain text format Doesn’t allow any special formatting, but it offers the broadest client support—every email client can read plain text messages.
By default, Outlook 2010 uses HTML as the format for sending messages. HTML format lets you create multimedia messages that can be viewed directly in a web browser and an email client. Depending on the capabilities of the recipient’s email client, however, you might need to use a different format. Most current email clients today support HTML.
Note
Using HTML format for messages doesn’t mean that you need to understand HTML to create a multimedia message. Outlook 2010 takes care of creating the underlying HTML code for you.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Composing HTML Messages Outside of Outlook
Outlook provides lots of features for composing rich text messages in HTML format, including tables, graphics, and much more. In some situations, however, you might find it easier to use a different application to create very complex HTML messages, but still need to send them in Outlook. In this case, use an HTML editor to create and format the message, then simply copy the content from the HTML editor into a new, blank message in Outlook.
The Ribbon on the new message form provides many options for formatting messages. To choose the format for the current message, on the Format Text tab, in the Format group, select Plain Text, HTML, or Rich Text. To set the default message format for all new messages, click File, Options, and Mail, and then select the desired format from the Compose Message In This Format drop-down list (see Figure 9-1).
On the Mail page of the Outlook Options dialog box, you can click Stationery And Fonts to display the Signatures And Stationery dialog box, shown in Figure 9-2. Use the options in this dialog box to control which fonts Outlook 2010 uses for specific tasks, such as composing new messages, replying to or forwarding a message, and composing or reading plain text messages. You can specify the font as well as the font size, color, and other font characteristics. You can also select Pick A New Color When Replying Or Forwarding to have Outlook 2010 choose a color that has not yet been used in that message for text that you add to a message when replying or forwarding it. This is useful when you are replying inline to someone else’s message and want your text to be easily distinguishable.
Figure 9-2. Use the Signatures And Stationery dialog box to control the appearance of fonts in Outlook 2010 for specific tasks.
Note
For more information about stationery, see the section Customizing the Appearance of Your Messages, on page 260.
Outlook 2010 has a number of text formatting controls that are distributed over a number of groups on multiple tabs. The most commonly used formatting commands are on the Message tab, in the Basic Text group, for convenient access, as shown in Figure 9-3. You can specify the font face, size, color, style (bold, italic, or underline), and highlight. Settings for bulleted or numbered lists are also available in this group.
Tip
INSIDE OUT The appearance of the Ribbon changes
The exact appearance of the Ribbon varies depending on the width of the message window. A command might have an icon with a text label in full screen, appear as just an icon when the window is narrower, and then disappear altogether when the window is narrower still! If a particular command is not immediately apparent, you should resize the window to see whether the command becomes visible.
When you select some text in your message, a transparent mini-toolbar pops up next to your mouse pointer, as shown in Figure 9-4. If you move the mouse pointer over the toolbar, it becomes opaque, and you can choose formatting options to apply to the highlighted text.
Figure 9-4. The mini-toolbar gives you immediate access to the most commonly used text formatting options.
Extensive text formatting capabilities are provided on the Format Text tab, shown in Figure 9-5, which has font and paragraph formatting as well as style-related options. In addition to the options found in the Basic Text group on the Message tab, you can apply character formatting such as strikethrough, subscript, and superscript. Finer paragraph control is provided with options such as line spacing, borders, and background shading. More complex multilevel lists are also available on this tab. In addition, you can sort text using the Sort option in the Paragraph group.
Several special text options like WordArt, drop caps, and text boxes are available on the Insert tab, in the Text group, as shown in Figure 9-6. You can also insert Quick Parts (prewritten sections of text), text boxes, or the date and time (with optional automatic update).
Themes are configured on the Options tab, in the Themes group, as shown in Figure 9-7, where you can select a theme or change individual parts of your current theme.
Outlook 2010 provides three types of lists: bulleted, numbered, and multilevel. Although each type of list looks different, the basic procedures used to create them are the same. Each type of list has a library of preconfigured styles, and you can define your own list styles if you want. All three types of lists are available in the Paragraph group on the Format Text tab; bulleted and numbered lists are also found on the Message tab, in the Basic Text group.
To format a bulleted list, follow these steps:
With the message open, select the text that you want formatted as a list.
On the Format Text tab, in the Paragraph group, select Bullets. To select a different style for the list, click the arrow next to Bullets, and then select a style from the library.
If you want to change the text to a different level, click Multilevel List, select Change List Level, and then choose the new level from the menu. Alternatively, simply press Tab with the cursor in the paragraph.
To create a new style for the list, click the arrow beside the Bullet button, and then select Define New Bullet to display the Define New Bullet dialog box, shown in Figure 9-8. Click Symbol, Picture, or Font, select the new bullet character in the resulting dialog box, and then click OK. Click OK again to close the Define New Bullet dialog box.
Numbered lists are created in much the same way as bulleted lists, letting you choose the number style (roman, Arabic, and so on) and related options. Multilevel lists have many additional options that you can configure, as shown in Figure 9-9, allowing you to create highly customized lists if needed.
You can access only a portion of the text formatting options in the Basic Text group on the Message tab. A number of other options are available on the Format Text tab, including the following:
Character Formatting Additional character styles include strikethrough, subscript, and superscript.
Shading This option lets you apply a color to the background of the selected text.
Borders And Shading You can choose options for adding borders, gridlines, and shading to selected paragraphs.
Line Spacing You can set the spacing between lines and paragraphs. You can also open the Paragraph dialog box, which has settings for indentation, line breaks, and page breaks, as well as control over text flow that occurs over page breaks (widow/orphan control, keeping lines together, and so on).
Sort Orders the selected paragraphs based on the criteria that you specify in the Sort Text dialog box.
Show/Hide You can toggle the display of normally hidden formatting characters such as paragraph marks.
Outlook 2010 lets you choose from a gallery of styles to format text easily using a number of predefined looks. Each theme has its own complete set of font styles, created based on the colors and fonts that you specify for the theme. You can also define your own custom style sets if you prefer to use styles that are not defined by the current theme. A style set is a working set of font styles used for messages: normal, heading, title, and so on.
The Quick Styles gallery, shown in Figure 9-10, displays the most commonly used styles, giving you an easy way to format the text in your message. When you define custom styles, they are also displayed in the Quick Styles gallery.
Styles shown in the Quick Styles gallery include:
Normal
List Paragraph
Strong (bold)
Headings (levels 1 and 2)
Titles (title, subtitle, and book title)
Emphasis (several italicized styles)
Quotes (regular and bold)
References (regular and bold)
To apply a style using the Quick Styles gallery, follow these steps:
With a message open, select the text that you want to format.
On the Format Text tab, in the Styles group, click Quick Styles to display the Quick Styles gallery.
Point to a style that you are considering to see a Live Preview of the style applied to the selected text. In Figure 9-10, the text has been selected, and Live Preview has applied the List Paragraph Quick Style. Select the style that you want to apply.
You can create new styles that will be available in the Quick Styles gallery. To create a new Quick Style, first format some text as you want the new style to appear. Next, on the Format Text tab, in the Styles group, click Quick Styles, and then click Save Selection As A New Quick Style. The Create New Style From Formatting dialog box is displayed, in which you can give the style a name. You can also click Modify to change the style if you want.
To remove a style from the Quick Styles gallery, right-click the Quick Style in the gallery, and then choose Remove From Quick Styles gallery. The deletion is immediate, without a confirmation message box, but it can be undone using the Undo command (note that you must use it immediately, though—if you move on, it will be too late).
To display the complete list of styles, on the Format Text tab, in the Styles group, click the Styles button at the lower-right corner of the group to open the Styles dialog box. You can format your message in the same way as with Quick Styles, by selecting some text and then choosing the style to apply from the Styles dialog box.
New styles can be created, and the formatting of text in messages can be examined, by using the Style Inspector from the Styles window. The complete set of styles can be configured by clicking Manage Styles and using the Manage Styles dialog box. (There are approximately 300 styles available!) To configure options for the Styles window, click Options.
Note
When you change the theme, custom fonts are not changed unless they use a theme color—in which case, the color is updated. Resetting font styles is done by reapplying a style set.
You can change the fonts and colors used to determine the current Quick Styles. To change these options, on the Format Text tab, in the Styles group, click Change Styles, and then select one of the following options:
Style Set This setting specifies the font used for the Quick Styles. You can choose from several options or create your own style set from the existing message (saved as a Word 2010 template).
Colors You can select a set of theme colors to use for the font color set or create a custom set of theme colors.
Fonts This option lets you pick a font set from an existing theme or create your own font set by selecting a body font and a heading font.
Paragraph Spacing Choose from a selection of predefined paragraph spacing settings or create your own with settings for line spacing and spacing before and after paragraphs.
Set As Default Choosing this option sets the current configuration (theme, style set, and any customized settings except background) as the default for new messages.
A style set consists of a number of font styles, initially created from the theme settings, but customizable after that. Style sets can be created, saved, and applied independent of theme-related font changes and will override theme settings.
To work with style sets, with a new message open, on the Format Text tab, in the Styles group, click Change Styles, and then click Style Set. You can then choose from the following actions:
To apply a style set, select the style set from the menu.
To set the font styles back to the new message default, choose Reset To Quick Styles From Template.
To set the font styles back to the Outlook 2010 default font styles, choose Reset Document Quick Styles.
To create a new style set, select Save As Quick Style Set. The Save Quick Style Set dialog box will be displayed, allowing you to name the style set.
To customize font styles, follow these steps:
Type some text, and then format it as you want the updated style text to appear. (In this example, we will change the Title style.) Select the text, and on the Format Text tab, in the Styles group, click Quick Styles.
In the Quick Styles gallery, right-click Title, and then choose Update Title To Match Selection.
Repeat for each font style you want to define.
When you have finished customizing the font styles, delete all the text in your message. (This leaves the styles you created intact but creates the new message without unwanted text content.)
To save the style set that you created, on the Format Text tab, in the Styles group, click Change Styles, Style Set, and Save As Quick Style Set.
In the Save Quick Style Set dialog box, specify a file name for the style set, and then click Save. The style set is saved as a Word 2010 template file.
Using Outlook 2010, you can add a variety of tables to your email messages easily. You can use a Word 2010 table for textual information or a Microsoft Excel 2010 spreadsheet with its support for mathematical operations. You can apply a style to your table easily by selecting it from the visual gallery of built-in and custom styles.
You can add a table to your email quickly with one of several methods provided by Outlook 2010. To insert a table in a message, follow these steps:
With a message open, position the insertion point where you want the table to appear. (You can nest tables by setting the insertion point inside a table cell.)
On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click Table to display the Insert Table menu. You can create a table using one of the following methods:
To draw a table, use the mini-table grid on the Insert Table menu. As you move your mouse over the table grid on the menu, you get a preview of the table in the body of your message, as shown in Figure 9-11. Click the lower-right cell of the desired table grid to insert it in the message.
Select Insert Table on the Insert Table menu to open the Insert Table dialog box, shown in Figure 9-12, and specify the table size and AutoFit behavior. Selecting the Remember Dimensions For New Tables check box makes these settings the default for new tables.
Selecting Draw Table lets you draw a single table cell in the message window. If needed, you can then split the cell or add cells to the table. When you finish editing the table, you can double-click anywhere else in your message to return to editing the text.
Selecting Excel Spreadsheet creates an Excel 2010 table in the message and displays the Excel 2010 commands on the Ribbon. When you finish editing the spreadsheet, you can click anywhere else in your message to return to editing the text.
Selecting Quick Tables displays a gallery that lets you select a previously saved table design. Outlook 2010 does not have any Quick Tables by default, so this option is usable only after you have created some Quick Tables of your own.
Note
For information about creating Quick Tables, see the section Working with Quick Tables, on page 232.
When you select a table in an email message, the Ribbon displays two additional Table Tools tabs. The Design tab lets you control visual style effects and configure settings such as header rows. The Layout tab has commands that let you add and remove table cells and work with cell properties.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Limitations on styling Excel 2010 spreadsheets
Although Excel 2010 tables provide a lot of additional functionality, you are limited in your ability to do page layout on an Excel 2010 object in your message. Neither of the Table Tools tabs (Design and Layout), which contain commands used to apply styles to tables, are available when an Excel 2010 object is selected. If you want to use the tools in Outlook 2010 to format your tables, you can create an Excel spreadsheet with your data and then copy the completed information to an appropriately sized Outlook 2010 table. You can then apply the Outlook 2010 built-in styling effects to the table.
On the Design tab, shown in Figure 9-13, specify the table style, colors, borders, and options, such as whether a header row is used, as described here:
Table Style Options You can apply specific effects to individual rows and columns, such as Header Row, Total Row, First Column, or Last Column. You can also choose to have rows, columns, or both banded in alternating colors for readability.
Table Styles You can select a visual table style from the built-in gallery, modify the current style, or create a new table style. Shading and Borders effects can be applied to a selection of cells.
Draw Borders This group contains commands to format the Line Style, Line Weight, and Pen Color. You can also draw a new table or erase existing table cells and content. You can also click the dialog box launcher to display the Borders And Shading dialog box and configure these options.
You can use the commands on the Layout tab, shown in Figure 9-14, to insert and delete cells and configure how the data is displayed inside table cells.
The Layout tab contains these command groups:
Table You can select all or part of the table, view gridlines (or turn them off), and display the Table Properties dialog box.
Rows & Columns Rows and columns can be inserted and deleted using these commands. Clicking the Insert Cells dialog box launcher lets you specify the direction to shift existing cells when inserting new ones.
Merge These commands let you merge cells, split cells, or split the table into multiple tables.
Cell Size You can specify the size of individual cells, distribute rows or cells evenly, or choose AutoFit. Click the dialog box launcher to display the Table Properties dialog box, and then set the size, alignment, text wrapping options, and margins for the cell.
Alignment You can choose from nine preset alignment options (Align Top Left, Align Top Right, Align Center, Align Bottom Right, and so on) for the selected table text. Text can be written from left to right, top to bottom, or bottom to top using the Text Direction command. Cell margins for the entire table can be set here as well.
Data You can sort the table information, convert the table to text, or insert a formula using those commands. To have the header row repeat on tables that span multiple pages, select the header row in the table, and then click Repeat Header Rows.
The Quick Tables gallery is your personal gallery of tables that you can insert quickly into your messages. This can be simply an empty table formatted exactly the way that you want, or a complete table with not only a custom look but data as well. Once you have customized the appearance of a table, you can save it as a Quick Table so that you can re-create the format and style of frequently used tables easily.
To create a Quick Table, follow these steps:
Insert a table into a message, format it, and then enter any content that you want to be contained in your Quick Table (headings, for example).
Select the table (or part of it), and on the Insert tab, in the Table group, click Table, choose Quick Tables, and then click Save Selection To Quick Tables Gallery.
In the Create New Building Block dialog box, give the table a name, and then click OK. The Quick Table is now listed in the Quick Tables gallery for easy use. If you want the table to appear in a different gallery, such as Text Box or Quick Parts, select the gallery name from the Gallery drop-down list. (Some galleries are available only in the Building Blocks Organizer, shown in Figure 9-15.) You can assign a category to the table in the Category drop-down list. (This category is visible only in the Building Blocks Organizer.) The Options drop-down list selections have no effect on Quick Tables.
To remove a Quick Table from the gallery, on the Insert tab, click Table, Quick Tables, right-click the table, and then choose Organize And Delete to open the Building Blocks Organizer, shown in Figure 9-15. Select the table you want to remove, click Delete, click Yes, and then click Close.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Add the Building Blocks Organizer to the Quick Access Toolbar
You can manage the entire range of building blocks, such as Quick Tables, Quick Parts, Text Boxes, and so on, in the Building Blocks Organizer. It is also the only way to insert Quick Tables that have been added to custom galleries. If you use the Building Blocks Organizer often, you might want to add an icon to the Quick Access Toolbar to give you quicker access. To add the Building Blocks Organizer to the Quick Access Toolbar, follow these steps:
Outlook 2010 includes a number of text options and text objects that you can insert into your email messages. If you repeatedly type the same text in multiple messages, for example, you can save the text for reuse. You can apply decorative text effects such as drop caps and WordArt as well. These options are available on the Insert tab, in the Text group.
Quick Parts are chunks of reusable content (text, graphics, and so on) that you can insert into a message with a click of your mouse. You can create a Quick Part for anything that you commonly have to enter into a message such as contact information, directions and a map, and so on.
To save a Quick Part, follow these steps:
Create a message with the content that you want to reuse, and then select the content.
On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Quick Parts, and then select Save Selection To Quick Part Gallery. You can select a gallery in the Gallery drop-down list. (Remember that some galleries are available only in the Building Blocks Organizer.) You can assign a category to the table in the Category drop-down list. By default, a Quick Part is inserted in its own paragraph; if you want to insert the Quick Part without inserting a line break first, select Content Only from the Options drop-down list.
Once you have saved the Quick Part, using it is easy. To use the Quick Part, on the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Quick Parts, and then select the Quick Part from the gallery.
You can use a drop cap to create a special look at the beginning of a paragraph. When you select a drop cap, Outlook 2010 creates a small text box and inserts a single, specially formatted character. (This character is still treated like part of the paragraph, not as a separate text box.) To create a drop cap, follow these steps:
Open the message, and then position the insertion point in the paragraph that should get the drop cap.
On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Drop Cap, as shown in Figure 9-16.
Select Dropped or In Margin to create a drop cap. To format the drop cap, choose Drop Cap Options.
In the Drop Cap dialog box, you can specify the position, font, number of lines to drop, and distance from text. When you have finished, click OK.
To insert the date and time in the message, follow these steps:
With a message open, on the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Date & Time.
In the Date & Time dialog box, select the format you want in the Available Formats list. Select the Update Automatically check box if you want the time to be updated to the current time automatically, and then click OK.
Some of the options in the Text group operate more like objects than text. Options such as WordArt are inserted by creating an object; a tab is then added to the Ribbon for related WordArt commands. In contrast with normal text, you can move such objects to any location in the message (in the same way that you can position a graphic) for layout purposes.
Use a text box to insert text inside a box at any location in the message. To create a text box, follow these steps:
With a message open, on the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Text Box, and then select Draw Text Box.
The Drawing Tools Format tab will be displayed, as shown in Figure 9-17, allowing you to style the box (shape, shadows, colors, and so on) and specify layout options (text wrapping, layering, and grouping).
Enter your text in the text box. This text can be formatted in the usual ways using the tools on the Format Text tab.
To move the text box, you can drag it with the mouse or select it and use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move it.
To rotate the text box, click on the rotate handle at the top of the box and move the mouse left or right.
WordArt is highly formatted text inside a text box. The text typically has three-dimensional (3-D) shading, special edge bevels, curved paths, or other complex features. Figure 9-18 shows some examples of WordArt, along with the Drawing Tools Format tab, which you can use to modify the WordArt layout. To create WordArt, follow these steps:
With a message open, on the Insert tab, in the Text group, click WordArt.
Select a beginning style for your WordArt from the gallery.
Outlook inserts a text box with some sample text in the box using the selected style. Type your text in the text box.
To format your WordArt, click the WordArt object to display the Drawing Tools Format tab, shown in Figure 9-18, and then apply the desired effects to your WordArt. When you have finished, click outside the WordArt box to return to editing the rest of your message.
The last option in the Text group of the Insert tab is Object, which lets you insert an object in your message. You can use an existing object or create a new one. To insert an object, with a message open, on the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Object. In the Object dialog box, select the object type or file name, and then click OK.
Outlook 2010 provides a variety of illustration types that you can use to enhance your email. You can add pictures, clip art, shapes, charts, and SmartArt. You control page layout, so you can place illustrations in any location in your message and then format them in a number of ways, including adding borders, shadows, and 3-D effects. (Exact options vary between illustration types.) You can wrap your text around illustrations in several styles and even layer text and graphics on top of each other, using transparency effects to make everything visible.
Each type of illustration has one or more groups of commands specific to it, providing the controls needed for that kind of illustration. They also share a number of groups of commands on the Ribbon and operate in much the same way. We will examine the process of inserting a picture in some detail in the next section, describing the common commands. Following that, we will highlight the differences between the other types of illustration.
Your ability to insert graphics in a message depends in part on which message format you use. With the new Outlook 2010 editor, you can insert embedded graphics when using HTML (the default) or RTF, with minor differences in layout options. You can’t insert embedded graphics in a message that uses plain text format.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Attach graphics files to plain text messages
Although you can’t insert embedded graphics in a plain text message, you can attach a graphic (or other) file to plain text email. To attach a graphic to a plain text message, follow these steps:
In the message form, on the Insert tab, in the Include group, click Attach File.
In the Insert File dialog box, locate the file that you want to attach, and then click Insert.
Follow these steps to insert a picture in a message:
On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Picture to display the Insert Picture dialog box.
In the Insert Picture dialog box, select the graphics file to insert in the message, and then click Insert. (To insert a link to the image, click the arrow next to Insert, and then select Link To File or Insert And Link.)
In the message, when the picture is selected, Outlook 2010 displays the Picture Tools Format tab with tools used to format the picture, as shown in Figure 9-19.
Figure 9-19. You can adjust the appearance of the picture, as well as format how the picture is displayed in the email message.
To adjust the appearance of the picture, under Picture Tools, click the Format tab, and then, in the Adjust group, use the appropriate tools, as follows:
Remove Background Use a mask to remove parts of the picture, such as the extra scenery around a group of people.
Corrections You can increase or decrease the brightness or contrast, or sharpen or soften the image, by selecting a thumbnail on the menu.
Color You can apply different color saturations and color tone to the picture, as well as recolor using various accent colors.
Artistic Effects Apply one of several artistic effects such as chalk, pencil, and other effects to the picture.
Compress Pictures Outlook 2010 can compress the images in your email messages to minimize message size. When you select Compress Picture, you are given the option of compressing one picture or all the images in the message. In the Compress Pictures dialog box, you can set the automatic compression option, choose whether to delete cropped areas of images, and determine the picture quality.
Change Picture This option lets you replace the current image while keeping the object formatting and size settings intact.
Reset Picture You can reset the picture to the original image, discarding all changes that you have made.
You can customize how the picture appears in the message by using the options in the Picture Styles group, as described here:
Quick Styles You can choose from a number of framing and perspective options to set the overall look of the picture.
Picture Border You can add an optional border around the graphic, with a specified pixel width and pattern, and using the colors from your theme or custom colors. To configure additional border settings, choose More Lines on the Weight menu to display the Format Picture dialog box, shown in Figure 9-20, and then configure the Line Style settings.
Picture Effects You can apply a number of effects to a picture to produce just the look you want for your message. The available effects are Shadow, Reflection, Glow, Soft Edges, Bevel, and 3-D Rotation. The Preset option has some preconfigured effects from which you can choose.
Picture Layout Changes the selected picture to a SmartArt graphic to apply SmartArt properties to the graphic and make it easy to manipulate and format the graphic using SmartArt shapes and properties.
You can specify how you want the image aligned in the message and how text will flow with the graphic using the options in the Arrange group. The commands operate as described here:
Bring Forward/Send Backward These options specify which layer the picture is in.
Wrap Text You can choose how the text wraps relative to the picture, selecting from having the image in line with text, behind text, or in front of text, or having the text only at the top and bottom of the picture or wrapped around a square. To drag a picture to a new location in the message, you must first select it and then choose either Behind Text or In Front Of Text.
Selection Pane Click to open the Selection And Visibility pane, where you can select pictures in the email.
Align You can line up multiple pictures (or other objects) by selecting them (using Shift-click) and then clicking Align. You can choose to align the edges or centers of the selected objects.
Group This command is unavailable when you are working with pictures.
Rotate You can change the orientation of the picture by selecting Rotate Right 90°, Rotate Left 90°, Flip Vertical, or Flip Horizontal. To have finer control over image orientation, choose More Rotation Options on the Rotate menu to open the Size dialog box, and then set the exact degree of rotation. (You can also resize and crop images in the Size dialog box.)
The picture can be resized and cropped with the settings in the Size group. To crop the image, select Crop, and then drag the cropping handles on the image. To resize the image, enter the new size in the Shape Height and Shape Width fields. (If Outlook 2010 is configured to constrain the aspect ratio of pictures, you need to enter only one of these options, not both.)
If you want to set Alternate Text (which is displayed in place of the picture for recipients whose email clients don’t show graphics), right-click the picture, and then choose Format Picture on the shortcut menu. In the Format Picture dialog box, select Alt Text in the left pane. Enter your text in the Title box, and then click Close.
To add a hyperlink to the picture, right-click the picture, and then choose Hyperlink on the shortcut menu. (For detailed instructions on working with hyperlinks, see the section Working with Hyperlinks, on page 250.)
Some, but not all, of the formatting and graphical effects are cumulative, and you might have to experiment to get exactly the effect you want.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Find previous versions of your picture files
Outlook 2010 can search for previous versions of a picture file when you are inserting it into a message. Windows Vista and Windows 7 create these previous versions in one of two ways: when Windows creates a restore point or when you use the Back Up Wizard. (See the Windows Help Center for more information about creating previous versions of files.) If you have previous versions of your picture files, you can have Outlook 2010 search for them in the Insert Picture dialog box by clicking the arrow next to Insert and selecting Show Previous Versions. Outlook 2010 will display all previous versions of that image.
Inserting a clip art image opens the Clip Art task pane, which lets you search for the clip art image that you want to use. You can enter search terms and specify the collections to search, as well as limit the file types that are returned in the results. Once the clip art has been inserted, under Picture Tools, on the Format tab, use the commands as described in the preceding section.
Outlook 2010 includes a library of shapes (previously called AutoShapes) from which you can select just the right one to illustrate your words. Shape types include lines, basic shapes (square, cylinder, and so on), arrows, flowchart objects, callouts, stars, and banners.
To insert a shape into a message, follow these steps:
With a message open, on the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, select Shapes.
Choose a shape from the Shapes gallery.
Click and drag across the message where you want to create the shape.
With the shape selected, the Drawing Tools Format tab will be displayed, as shown in Figure 9-21.
This tab provides you with these options for formatting the shape:
Insert Shapes You can select a shape to create, edit a shape, or edit text with the commands in this group.
Shape Styles This group provides a Quick Styles gallery of frame and fill effects, shape fill, shape outline, and shape changing effects. You can also apply a range of special effects such as shadows, reflection, and 3-D rotation.
Text Use these controls to align text in a text box and create a link between two text boxes so that text flows between them (see Figure 9-22).
Arrange This group controls how the shape is aligned in the message and how text flows with the graphic. You can move the shape to the front or back layer, control text wrapping, align multiple shapes, group shapes together, and control rotation of the shape.
Size This group lets you set the shape height and shape width.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Insert a new drawing
To insert a blank drawing, with a message open, on the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Shapes, and then click New Drawing Canvas. This will insert a blank drawing object in your message, in which you can draw using the Outlook 2010 built-in drawing tools.
When you choose a chart as the illustration type to insert, the Insert Chart dialog box opens, allowing you to select the type of chart that you want to use. When you click OK, an Excel 2010 workbook is opened with a small amount of data entered. After you have entered your data, simply close the Excel window to update the chart and return to Outlook 2010. On the Ribbon, under Chart Tools, there are three tabs with quite a few commands allowing you fine control over the appearance of your chart, as described in the following sections.
The Chart Tools Design tab contains groups of commands that let you choose the type, style, and layout of the chart as well as the data it contains, as shown in Figure 9-23.
The Design tab has these groups:
Type You can select the chart type (pie, bar, area, and so on) and save the current chart as a template.
Data This group has commands that let you manipulate your data in Excel 2010.
Chart Layouts You can choose from the Quick Layout gallery using various arrangements of the chart, legend, title, and other text.
Chart Styles This group consists of a Quick Styles gallery with a selection of colors, outlines, and effects.
Mode Choose between Draft Mode and Normal Mode for the current chart, and optionally apply a mode to all charts.
The Chart Tools Layout tab, shown in Figure 9-24, has groups of commands that control the appearance of many aspects of the chart such as grid, labels, and background.
Figure 9-24. You can control the display of data and labels and add analysis tools to charts with the commands on the Chart Tools Layout tab.
The Layout tab contains these groups of commands:
Current Selection You can select a chart element and format the selection.
Insert You can insert a picture or shape or draw a text box inside your chart.
Labels These commands let you turn titles, legends, and data labels on and off. You can also format the style and placement of these labels.
Axes The Axes command controls the display of the horizontal and vertical axes; the Gridlines command does the same for the chart gridlines.
Background You can turn on the display of a background color on the Plot Area, Chart Floor, and Chart Wall and also control the 3-D rotation of the chart.
Analysis The commands in the Analysis group can add additional data to your charts. Each analysis option works with only certain types of charts. You can select a Trendline (most chart types), Drop Lines (area and line charts), High-Low Lines (two-dimensional line chart), Up/Down bars (line chart), and Error Bars with Standard Error, Percentage, or Standard Deviation (most chart types).
The Chart Tools Format tab, shown in Figure 9-25, provides you with the tools that you need to customize the appearance of your charts. You can control colors, styles, and effects and the page layout of your chart using these commands.
Figure 9-25. You can customize the appearance of your chart with the commands on the Chart Tools Format tab.
The Format tab contains these groups:
Current Selection You can select a chart element and format the selection with this group.
Shape Styles This group provides a Quick Styles gallery with frame and fill effects, shape fill, shape outline, and shape effects options.
WordArt Styles These commands control the text used in text labels, axes, titles, and legends. (WordArt commands are available only if a suitable chart component is selected.)
Arrange This group contains the text wrapping, layering, and alignment commands. (This group is not available if your message is in RTF format.)
Size This group specifies the shape height and shape width.
SmartArt is a type of reusable object designed as a means of displaying complex information in an easy-to-understand graphical format. Outlook 2010 includes a gallery of SmartArt graphics in formats that represent things such as a list, a hierarchy (like an organizational chart), a process (like a flowchart), or a relationship (such as a Venn diagram).
To insert a SmartArt graphic into a message, follow these steps:
With a message open, on the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, select SmartArt.
In the Choose A SmartArt Graphic dialog box, shown in Figure 9-26, select a SmartArt graphic, and then click OK.
Figure 9-26. You can select the style of SmartArt graphic you want in the Choose A SmartArt Graphic dialog box.
Once the SmartArt graphic is inserted in the message, you can add text and format the graphic. The two SmartArt Tools tabs are described in the following sections.
The SmartArt Tools Design tab, shown in Figure 9-27, contains groups of commands that let you work with the SmartArt content, adding and customizing shapes and changing layout and styles.
Figure 9-27. You can work with the graphics components and layout of SmartArt using the SmartArt Tools Design tab.
The groups available on the Design tab are:
Create Graphic You can add a shape, bullet, or text pane to the SmartArt graphic and manipulate the text layout inside the SmartArt shapes with this set of controls.
Layouts This group lets you change the SmartArt type either from the gallery or in the Choose A SmartArt Graphic dialog box.
SmartArt Styles You can change the colors used in the SmartArt and the effects used in the SmartArt style.
Reset The Reset Graphic command lets you quickly remove all custom formatting from the selected object.
The SmartArt Tools Format tab, shown in Figure 9-28, has the commands that you need to style the SmartArt and control its placement in the message.
Figure 9-28. You can change the appearance of the SmartArt text, frame, and background using the SmartArt Tools Format tab.
The groups available on the Format tab are:
Shapes You can choose the shapes to use as SmartArt elements and then resize those shapes.
Shape Styles This group provides frame and fill effects, shape fill, shape outline, and shape changing effects.
WordArt Styles You can format the text used in SmartArt objects, selecting a style from the gallery, Text Fill, Text Outline, and Text Effects. Each of these options has additional menu selections for fine-grained control over text format.
Arrange This group contains the text wrapping, layering, and alignment commands.
Size This group lets you specify the shape height and shape width.
A few other options are available on the Insert tab for you to use in your email messages. You can also insert math equations, symbols (such as © or ™), and horizontal lines used for visual separation.
To insert an equation in a message, follow these steps:
On the Insert tab, in the Symbols group, click Equation to create an empty equation box in your message.
Use the commands on the Equation Tools Design tab, shown in Figure 9-29, to create the equation, as follows:
Tools You can specify how the equation is displayed: Linear is one-dimensional for easy editing, whereas Professional is two-dimensional for display. (These two commands are unavailable until you have entered some data in the equation.) You can enter plain text by clicking Normal Text. Clicking Equation displays the Equation gallery and lets you save new equations to it. Click the dialog box launcher to view the Equation Options dialog box.
Symbols To add a symbol to the equation, click the symbol. (Click the More arrow to display the entire gallery.)
Structures You can insert a number of mathematical structures into your equation easily by selecting a structure from the Structures group. You can choose a structure from these sets: Fraction, Script, Radical, Integral, Large Operator, Bracket, Function, Accent, Limit And Log, Operator, and Matrix. Each set has a number of selections, including many commonly used options.
On the Insert tab, in the Symbols group, click Symbol. Select the symbol from the display of commonly used symbols, or click More Symbols to open the Symbol dialog box. In the Symbol dialog box, select the symbol, click Insert, and then click Close. (You can insert multiple symbols by clicking Insert after selecting one, then selecting the next symbol and clicking Insert again, and so on.)
On the Insert tab, in the Symbols group, click Horizontal Line. Outlook 2010 will insert a line at the insertion point location. To format the line, right-click it, and then choose Format Horizontal Line. In the Format Horizontal Line dialog box, shown in Figure 9-30, you can set the size, color, and alignment of the line. (Outlook 2010 uses the most recent settings in this dialog box when you create new lines.)
You can insert hyperlinks to websites, email addresses, network shares, and other items in a message easily. When you type certain kinds of text in a message, Outlook 2010 automatically converts the text to a hyperlink, requiring no special action from you. For example, if you type an email address, an Internet Uniform Resource Locator (URL), or a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path to a share, Outlook 2010 converts the text to a hyperlink. To indicate the hyperlink, Outlook 2010 underlines it and changes the font color.
When the recipient of your message clicks the hyperlink, the resulting action depends on the type of hyperlink. With an Internet URL, for example, the recipient can go to the specified website. With a UNC path, the remote share opens when the recipient clicks the hyperlink. This is a great way to point the recipient to a shared resource on your computer or another computer on the network.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Follow a hyperlink
You can’t follow (open) a hyperlink in a message that you’re composing by just clicking the hyperlink. This action is restricted to allow you to click the hyperlink text and edit it. To follow a hyperlink in a message that you’re composing, hold down the Ctrl key and click the hyperlink.
You have another option for inserting a hyperlink in a message:
Position the insertion point where you want to insert the hyperlink.
On the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Hyperlink to display the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, shown in Figure 9-31. (If you select text to use for the link, that text is inserted automatically in the Text To Display box.)
The options displayed in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box vary according to the type of hyperlink you’re inserting, as explained in the following sections.
To insert a hyperlink to a file or web page, select Existing File Or Web Page in the Link To bar. Then provide the following information in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box:
Text To Display In this box, type the text that will serve as the hyperlink in the message. Outlook 2010 underlines this text and changes its color to indicate the hyperlink.
Look In In this area, choose the location that contains the data to which you want to link. You can choose from these options:
Current Folder If you are linking to a file, select Current Folder, and then use this drop-down list to locate and select the file on the local computer or on the network.
Browsed Pages To insert a hyperlink to a page that you’ve recently viewed in your web browser, click Browsed Pages. The document list in the dialog box changes to show a list of recently browsed pages from Windows Internet Explorer.
Recent Files If you want to insert a hyperlink to a file that you’ve used recently, click Recent Files to view a list of most recently used files in the document list of the dialog box.
Address Type the local path, the Internet URL, or the UNC path to the file or website in this box.
ScreenTip Click this button to define an optional ScreenTip that appears when the recipient’s mouse pointer pauses over the hyperlink (when viewed in Internet Explorer version 4.0 or later).
Tip
INSIDE OUT View custom ScreenTips
Even though you can add custom ScreenTips using Outlook 2010, they cannot be seen in email messages. Custom Screen Tips actually require Internet Explorer (version 4.0 or later). To see the ScreenTips that you add in Outlook 2010, you have to use Outlook Web Access (OWA) with Microsoft Exchange Server or first save the email message as an HTML file and then view it in Internet Explorer.
Bookmark Click this button to select an existing bookmark in the specified document. When the recipient clicks the hyperlink, the document opens at the bookmark location.
Target Frame Click this button to specify the browser frame in which you want the hyperlink to appear. For example, choose New Window if you want the hyperlink to open in a new window on the recipient’s computer.
Troubleshooting
Recipients of your messages can’t access linked files
If you’re setting up a hyperlink to a local file, bear in mind that the recipient probably won’t be able to access the file using the file’s local path. For example, linking to C:\Docs\Policies.doc would cause the recipient’s system to try to open that path on his or her own system. You can use this method to point the recipient to a document on his or her own computer. However, if you want to point the recipient to a document on your computer, you must either specify a UNC path to the document or specify a URL (which requires that your computer function as a web server).
The form of the UNC path you specify depends on the operating system of the recipient. In Microsoft Windows 2000 and later versions, you can specify a deep UNC path, such as \\<server>\<share>\<subfolder>\<sub-subfolder>\<document>.doc, where <server> is the name of the computer sharing the resource, <share> is the share name, <subfolder> is the name of a folder in the path to the file, and <document> is the name of the document to open. Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows Me, and Microsoft Windows NT are limited to \\<server>\<share>\<document>. For the deep hyperlink to work properly, however, the recipient must be using Windows 2000 or later.
If you click Place In This Document in the Link To bar, the Insert Hyperlink dialog box changes, as shown in Figure 9-32. The Select A Place In This Document area shows the available locations in the open document: headings, bookmarks, and the top of the document. Select the location to which you want to link, provide other information as necessary (the text to display in the hyperlink, for example, or perhaps a ScreenTip), and then click OK.
If you select Create New Document in the Link To bar of the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, you can specify the path to a new document and choose to either edit the document now or insert the hyperlink for later editing. You’ll most often use this method for inserting hyperlinks in a Word 2010 document rather than in an email message.
If you select E-Mail Address in the Link To bar, you can insert an email address as a hyperlink in a message easily. When recipients click the hyperlink, their email programs will open a new email message addressed to the person you have specified in the hyperlink. Although you can simply type the email address in the message and let Outlook 2010 convert it to a mailto: link, you might prefer to use the Insert Hyperlink dialog box instead. As Figure 9-33 shows, you can use this dialog box to enter an email address or select from a list of email addresses that you have recently used on your system and to specify the subject for the message.
Tip
The main reason to use the Insert Hyperlink dialog box to insert an email link is to enable you to specify the subject of the message automatically.
You can use the hyperlink’s context menu to select, edit, and open the hyperlink, as well as copy it to the Clipboard. Just right-click the hyperlink and choose the appropriate option from the context menu.
To remove a hyperlink, right-click the hyperlink, and then choose Remove Hyperlink on the context menu. Outlook 2010 retains the underlying text but removes the hyperlink.
A bookmark is an internal reference used to locate a specific place in a document and link to it by name. When you insert a bookmark in Outlook 2010, it is then available in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box as a linkable location. This is particularly useful if you have a lengthy email message, or one with sections or illustrations that you want the reader to be able to find quickly. To insert a bookmark in a message, follow these steps:
With a message open, select the text (or picture, chart, and so on) that you want the bookmark to reference. On the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Bookmark.
In the Bookmark dialog box, shown in Figure 9-34, enter a name in the Bookmark Name box, click Add, and then click OK.
To remove a bookmark, on the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Bookmark. Select the bookmark that you want to remove, click Delete, and then click Close.
You might also want to include things such as files and other Outlook 2010 items in your mail messages at times. Outlook 2010 makes it easy for you to insert a calendar, a business card, or another item in your email message.
To attach a file to a message, follow these steps:
Position your insertion point where you want to insert the file, and on the Insert tab, in the Include group, select Attach File to open the Insert File dialog box.
Locate and select the file to insert, and then click Insert.
Alternatively, you can click the paper clip icon on the toolbar to insert a file as an attachment, or you can simply drag the file into the message window.
Occasionally, you’ll want to insert a file in the body of a message rather than attaching it to the message. For example, you might want to include a text file, a Word 2010 document, or another document as part of the message. To insert a file in the body of the message, you can use the steps described in the preceding section for attaching a file, with one difference: in step 2, click the button next to Insert, and then click Insert As Text.
Note
You can’t insert non-text items in the body of an HTML message using the Attach File command. If you need to insert a document within the body of the message, regardless of the type of document, format the message as rich text.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Use the Clipboard to insert a file
In some cases, you’ll find it easier to use the Clipboard to insert a file in a message, particularly if the file is already open in another window. (Just select the file, and then copy and paste or cut and paste it into the message.) You can also use the Clipboard when you need to insert only a portion of a file, such as a few paragraphs from a document.
You might want to include other Outlook 2010 items, such as messages and tasks, in a message you are sending. To include another Outlook 2010 item, follow these steps:
While creating a message, on the Insert tab, in the Include group, click Outlook Item.
In the Insert Item dialog box, shown in Figure 9-35, locate and select the item or items that you want to include.
Select Attachment or Text Only, and then click OK.
With Outlook 2010, you can send a copy of a contact item in vCard format, a standard format for exchanging contact information. This allows the recipient to import the contact data into a contact management program, assuming that the recipient’s program supports the vCard standard (as most do).
You can send a vCard by email from the Contacts folder without first opening a message. To do this, perform the following steps:
In Outlook 2010, open the Contacts folder, and then select the contact item that you want to send.
Click the Home tab, and in the Share group, click Forward Contact and choose As A Business Card. Outlook 2010 inserts the vCard into the message.
Complete the message as you normally would, and then click Send.
You can also include a business card in a message from the new message form. On the Insert tab, in the Include group, click Business Card. If the contact is displayed in the recently used contacts list on the menu, you can select the contact. Otherwise, choose Other Business Cards to open the Insert Business Card dialog box, and then select a name from the complete Contacts list.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Send data as an Outlook 2010 item
If you know that the recipient uses Outlook 2010, in the Share group on the Home tab, click Forward Contact and choose As An Outlook Contact to send the contact data as an Outlook 2010 contact item. Outlook 2010 users can also use vCard attachments.
Note
For more details on using and sharing vCards, see the section Sharing Contacts, on page 464.
Outlook 2010 makes it easy for you to share part of your calendar with others by simply inserting a calendar in a message. You can choose the range of items to send from a single day to the entire calendar, or specify a range of dates. You also have control over what level of detail to include, whether your availability only, limited details (availability and subject only), or full details. You can also control the formatting and whether to include items marked private or attachments to items. To send a calendar in email, follow these steps:
While composing a message, on the Insert tab, in the Include group, click Calendar to open the Send A Calendar Via E-mail dialog box, as shown in Figure 9-36. Outlook will prompt you to switch to HTML if the message is currently plain text.
Choose the Calendar, Date Range, and Detail level, and other parameters for the calendar. Click OK. Figure 9-37 shows a calendar inserted in a message.
Note
See Chapter 35, for more information about sharing your calendar using Outlook 2010.
Note
We will discuss the use of signatures in the section Using Signatures, on page 273.
By default, Outlook 2010 uses no background or special font characteristics for messages. However, it does support the use of themes and, to a lesser degree, stationery, so you can customize the look of your messages. Outlook 2010 has two types of themes as well as stationery, each of which functions a bit differently from the others. It helps to understand the differences between these options before you get started using them.
The appearance of an Outlook 2010 email message is the result of a complex behind-the-scenes interaction among a number of settings. A single message is likely to draw some of its formatting information from several different sources. While much of the process of determining how a given message looks is invisible to you, it helps to understand what goes into formatting an email message before you start working with these settings.
Themes apply a single, customizable look to your messages (and other elements of your business, since they can be shared across Office System 2010 applications) by combining several settings to create a specific look. Themes make it easy for you to create and implement a unified look and feel for all of your Office System documents.
A theme has a set of font faces, coordinated colors, and graphical effects that are combined to create a palette of styles that gives you a unified look for all the elements of your messages. Each portion of a theme can use built-in or custom settings that you create, giving you an endless number of combinations to work with. The components of a theme are:
Colors A set of colors that are applied consistently across all the graphical elements in your email. You can use built-in color sets or create your own.
Fonts Two fonts—one for body text and another for heading text—are used as the basis for the gallery of font styles used by that theme. Outlook 2010 has a number of built-in theme fonts, or you can create a custom set.
Effects An effect is a particular look for graphical objects created by using different values for lines, fills, and 3-D effects to create varying results. Effects are selected from a built-in gallery. You cannot create custom effects.
Page Color The page background can be a solid color, gradient, pattern, texture, or picture, or it can be left blank.
Note
Although you can save a theme that includes a background set by using the Page Color command, the background is not applied when you use that theme in Outlook 2010. To set a default background, you must use stationery or an older theme, or apply the background separately.
Office Themes are created in Outlook 2010, Word 2010, Excel 2010, and PowerPoint 2010. (Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 has the widest range of theme creation options.) In Outlook 2010, you create and apply these themes within an email message. Themes are stored as .thmx files under your user profile.
Outlook 2010 can also use themes from earlier versions of Outlook to apply a background (color or image), a set of colors, and a few styled items, such as fonts and bulleted lists. While you can set one of these themes to be the default for new Outlook 2010 messages in the Signatures And Stationery dialog box, you have to use Microsoft FrontPage 2003 to edit them. For most people, this limits the use of these themes to the built-in set. It’s easier to create an Office Theme or stationery if you want the functionality that it supplies than to work with older themes. These themes are stored as a set of files (Office System theme file [.elm], setup file [.inf], and graphics files) in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft shared\THEMES14.
Stationery creates a customized look for your email using a background image and font formatting. With most of the Office System document formatting moving to themes, stationery is mostly an older feature with only a background image and a few font styles, but it is the simplest way to get a background into new messages by default. Stationery is stored as HTML files in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft shared\Stationery, with supporting graphics in an associated folder. If you create or modify stationery using Word 2010, graphics and any other files that you use in the stationery are saved in a subfolder of the directory where you save the template.
Outlook 2010 creates a style set by applying the theme colors to the body and heading fonts to configure the actual font styles. You can customize the display of the fonts in a message and save it as a custom style set. Style sets are saved as Word 2010 templates.
Outlook 2010 combines these settings to configure the exact look of each message that you create. When you create a new message, the collective default settings for new messages that you have configured are applied, as described in Table 9-1. Backgrounds can come from older themes or stationery, while font and graphical styling information comes from the currently saved default settings (which is usually a theme). If you have customized font styles, those are loaded from the template that you created.
Table 9-1. Message Style Components
Component | Controlled By | To Set |
|---|---|---|
Backgrounds | Stationery or older theme | Choose File, Options, and Mail, and then select Stationery And Fonts. On the Personal Stationery tab, under Theme Or Stationery To Use For New HTML Messages, choose Theme, and then select a theme. |
Colors, fonts, and effects | Office Themes | When composing a message, on the Options tab, in the Themes group, click one of the Themes options. |
Style set | When composing a message, on the Format Text tab, in the Styles group, click Change Styles, and then choose Style Set. |
You can select a theme from the Themes gallery, shown in Figure 9-38, which displays built-in Office Themes and custom themes that you create.
To select a theme, with a message open, on the Options tab, in the Themes group, click Theme, and then select a theme from the Themes gallery.
You can also choose Reset To Theme From Template, which causes new Outlook 2010 messages to use the Office Theme that is the default for new messages.
If you have additional themes saved locally, you can select Browse For Themes to find them on your hard disk or in a network location. You can also choose Save Current Theme to save the current theme as a custom theme.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Find your custom themes quickly
Outlook 2010 saves custom themes that you create in the <profile>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Document Themes folder, where <profile> is the location of your Windows profile. When you browse for additional themes, however, Outlook 2010 starts you in the <profile>\Documents folder. You need to change to the correct folder to see your themes. If you have saved a theme recently, you might be able to select the folder that contains the themes by clicking the Previous Locations arrow in the Choose Theme Or Themed Document dialog box. If not, select Save Current Theme on the Themes menu, select the path to the folder in the Address box, press Ctrl+C, and then click Cancel. You can then select Browse For Themes, paste the path into the Address Bar, and then press Enter to go to the correct location and find your themes quickly.
You can choose a set of colors to use for the text and other style options, or you can create a new set of custom colors. To select a color, with a message open, on the Options tab, in the Themes group, click Color. Select a set of theme colors in the Colors gallery, as shown in Figure 9-39.
To create a new set of theme colors, follow these steps:
With a message open, on the Options tab, in the Themes group, click Color, and then click Create New Theme Colors.
In the Create New Theme Colors dialog box, shown in Figure 9-40, select the colors that you want, enter a name for the theme colors in the Name box, and then click Save. You can then select the theme colors from the Colors gallery.
Themes use two font selections, in combination with colors and other settings, to create a range of Quick Styles for the fonts in your message. You choose a font for the headings and a font for the body text, and Outlook 2010 does the rest. You can control the font styles more precisely by saving stationery or saving a message form or using the options on the Ribbon, on the Format Text tab, in the Style group.
To select fonts, with a message open, on the Options tab, in the Themes group, click Fonts. Select a font pair from the Fonts gallery, as shown in Figure 9-41.
If you want to choose two specific fonts rather than a preset pair, follow these steps:
On the Fonts menu, choose Create New Theme Fonts.
In the Create New Theme Fonts dialog box, shown in Figure 9-42, select a heading font and a body font. Give the theme fonts a name, and then click Save.
Outlook 2010 themes use effects for creating a particular look in the graphical elements (such as SmartArt and charts) that you insert in your email. Effects vary in the weight of the lines they use and the opacity, glow, and texture of the surfaces on the objects that Outlook 2010 creates. The Effects gallery provides previews of the effects, but you should try out various effects on an email message with some graphical elements in it to see the various effects in action.
To select an effect for your messages, open a message, and on the Options tab, in the Themes group, click Effects, and then select an effect in the Effects gallery, shown in Figure 9-43.
The Page Color option lets you select a background for the email message that you are composing. Outlook 2010 lets you choose from colors, gradients, textures, patterns, and pictures for your message background.
To select a page color, in Outlook 2010, with a new, blank email message open, on the Options tab, in the Themes group, select Page Color and do one of the following:
To use a color that is displayed on the Page Colors menu, click the color. The Theme Colors area displays the theme colors on the top line and light-to-dark variations of each color in a vertical bar below the color. You can also choose a standard Video Graphics Array (VGA) color or no color.
If you want to choose a different solid color, click More Colors to open the Colors dialog box. Select the color that you want to use, and then click OK.
Select Fill Effects to use a gradient, texture, pattern, or picture as the message background. The Fill Effects dialog box has several tabs:
Gradient The Gradient tab, shown in Figure 9-44, gives you several options to create a shaded background. Choose the number of colors to use, and then select the colors in the Color 1 and Color 2 drop-down lists. Choose a shading style, and then click a variant. The Sample area gives you a preview of the current settings. When you have finished, click OK.
Texture Has a selection of small images that are tiled on the message background. Select a texture you like, or click Other Texture to select a different graphics file to use as the texture.
Pattern Has a number of patterns to select from and lets you set the Foreground and Background colors to configure the final look of the pattern.
Picture Lets you choose a picture to use as the background by clicking Select Picture and locating the image you want to use.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Use a background image automatically on new messages
Although you can add a background image to an email message using the Page Color command in the Theme group on the Options tab, a saved theme will not load the background image in an email message. You can use existing stationery, however, or a older theme, to apply a background image to your new email messages by default. The only way to choose your own background image for email messages is by creating new stationery, which allows you to apply a background and font styles to new messages.
You can create a customized theme that you can share across your Office System documents. To create your own theme, follow these steps:
On the Options tab, in the Themes group, click Colors, and then select a set of colors to use.
On the Options tab, in the Themes group, click Fonts, and then select a pair of fonts to use.
On the Options tab, in the Themes group, click Effects, and then select a style of effects to use.
Once you are satisfied with the configuration of the theme, save it so that you can apply it easily later. To save the theme, on the Options tab, in the Themes group, click Themes, and then click Save Current Theme. Name the theme, and then click Save.
Note
Outlook 2010 saves custom themes to <profile>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Document Themes.
When you load this theme, it will set the message colors, fonts, and effects but not the background settings. To save the background, you must create either stationery or a form. If you want to configure the theme settings as well as the background image, save a form. If you want to specify only the background image and font styles that you manually format, create stationery.
With Outlook 2010 stationery, you use a set of characteristics that define the font style, color, and background image for messages. In effect, stationery can give your messages a certain look and feel, as shown in Figure 9-45. Stationery provides more limited customization than themes, and Outlook 2010 uses stationery very little. There are several built-in stationery options, although the only way to use them is to assign them as the default message format. In addition, you cannot create new stationery or customize existing stationery directly in Outlook 2010; you must use another program such as Word 2010.
You can assign a default stationery to be used in all your messages. To do so, follow these steps:
In Outlook 2010, click File, Options, and then select Mail in the left pane of the Outlook Options dialog box.
On the Mail page, click Stationery And Fonts to display the Signatures And Stationery dialog box.
On the Personal Stationery tab of the Signatures And Stationery dialog box, click Theme.
In the Theme Or Stationery dialog box, shown in Figure 9-46, choose the default stationery in the Choose A Theme list, and then click OK. If you have default stationery selected and no longer want your messages to use any stationery, follow the same procedure, but set the default stationery to No Theme.
If you want to use fonts that are different from those in the stationery you just chose, in the Signatures And Stationery dialog box, in the Font drop-down list, under Theme Or Stationery For New HTML E-Mail Message, select either Use My Font When Replying And Forwarding Messages or Always Use My Fonts.
In the Signatures And Stationery dialog box, click the Font button for each font you want to customize, configure the options in the Font dialog box, and then click OK.
When you have finished setting the new message defaults, click OK to close the Signatures And Stationery dialog box.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Create new stationery
You can create new stationery in Word 2010 to use with Outlook 2010. To do this, create a new document in Word 2010, select the picture that you want to use as a background, and then format any font style that you want to use with Outlook 2010. Save the file as HTML in the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft shared\Stationery folder. You can then choose this stationery as the default for new messages in the Signatures And Stationery dialog box.
Outlook 2010 supports two types of signatures that you can add automatically (or manually) to outgoing messages: standard signatures and digital signatures. This chapter focuses on standard signatures, which can include text and graphics, depending on the mail format you choose.
Note
To learn about digital signatures, which allow you to authenticate your identity and encrypt messages, see the section Protecting Messages with Digital Signatures, on page 360.
Outlook 2010 can add a signature automatically to your outgoing messages. You can specify different signatures for new messages and for replies or forwards. Signatures can include both text and graphics, as well as vCard attachments. Both rich text and HTML formats support inserting business cards and graphics in messages. If your signature contains graphics and you start a new message using plain text format, the graphics are removed, although any text defined by the signature remains. When you start a message using plain text format, business cards are attached, but they are not included in the body of the message.
Why use signatures? Many people use a signature to include their contact information in each message. Still others use a signature to include a favorite quote or other information in the message. In many cases, companies have a policy that all outgoing messages contain a legal disclaimer at the bottom of the message, and they can implement these disclaimers through signatures. Regardless of the type of information you want to include, creating and using signatures is easy.
If you want to include a graphic in a signature, check before you start to ensure that you already have that graphic on your computer or that it’s available on the network.
Follow these steps to create a signature:
In Outlook 2010, click File, Options, and then select the Mail page.
Click Signatures to open the Signatures And Stationery dialog box, and then, on the E-mail Signature tab, click New.
In the New Signature dialog box, specify a name for the signature as it will appear in Outlook 2010, and then click OK.
In the Signatures And Stationery dialog box, click the signature that you just created in the Select Signature To Edit list.
In the Edit Signature area, type the text that you want to include in the signature, and then use the toolbar to format the text, as shown in Figure 9-47.
Figure 9-47. Format the text of your signature in the Edit Signature area of the Signatures And Stationery dialog box.
To attach a vCard from an Outlook 2010 contact item, click Business Card. In the Insert Business Card dialog box, select the contact item, and then click OK.
To insert a picture, click the Picture icon. In the Insert Picture dialog box, select the picture, and then click Insert.
To insert a hyperlink, click the Hyperlink icon. In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, select the location to link to, type the text to display (if needed), and then click Insert.
When you have finished with the signature, click Save.
Create other signatures if desired, and then click OK to close the Signatures And Stationery dialog box.
The signature that Outlook 2010 adds to new messages and the signature it adds to replies and forwards don’t have to be the same. To set up different signatures for these different kinds of messages, click File, Options, select the Mail page, and then click Signatures.
In the Choose Default Signature area, select an account in the E-Mail Account drop-down list. Select a signature in the New Messages drop-down list and, if desired, one in the Replies/Forwards drop-down list.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Specify the default message format
Keep in mind that the signature data that Outlook 2010 adds to the message depends on the message format specified on the Options tab. Set the message format to HTML or rich text if you want to create or edit signatures that contain graphics.
Other than letting you specify the signature for new messages or for replies and forwards, Outlook 2010 does not give you a way to control which signature is attached to a given message. For example, if you want to use different signatures for personal and business messages, you must switch signatures manually. However, Outlook 2010 does store signature options separately for each account, so you can control signatures to some degree just by sending messages through a specific account.
You can change the signature when composing a message. On the Insert tab, in the Include group, click Signature, and then select the signature on the menu. If you want a new signature, choose Signatures on the menu to open the Signatures And Stationery dialog box, and then create a new signature to use.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Outlook 2010 uses only one signature per message
Outlook 2010 erases the current signature when you choose a new one on the Signatures menu in a message. If you are used to adding snippets of content to your messages using signatures with Outlook 2003 or 2007, you can use Quick Parts to accomplish this (and more). More information about Quick Parts is available in the section Using Special Text Features, on page 234.
You should back up your signatures when you finish creating them and after you add a significant number of new ones. Signatures are stored in <profile>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures as a set of files (text, HTML, and rich text) and a corresponding folder of files containing pictures, Extensible Markup Language (XML) files, and theme data.
There is no provision for backing up your signatures inside Outlook 2010. To back up your signatures, you should back up the contents of <profile>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures.
From the old standby spelling and grammar check to research and translation tools, Outlook 2010 has a number of tools to help you get your message across clearly. You can perform searches across a wide variety of sources, from electronic reference books such as Microsoft Encarta to websites. A number of research options are installed by default, and you can add more to customize your searches. The default research options include reference books such as Encarta and thesauruses in multiple languages; general-purpose research websites, including Encarta Encyclopedia and MSN Research and Business; and financial websites such as MSN Money Stock Quotes and Thomson Gale Company Profiles.
Tip
INSIDE OUT Switch research modes
Once you have opened the Research pane by selecting Research, Thesaurus, or Translate, you can switch among the three research modes by selecting different data sources to search in the drop-down list. Selecting a thesaurus from the Reference Books list is the same as clicking Thesaurus in the Proofing group.
On the Review tab, in the Proofing group, you’ll find these two options:
Spelling & Grammar Performs a spelling and grammar check in accordance with the current configuration.
Research This option performs a search across the sources you select. You can choose categories to search (for example, All Reference Books) or individual data sources (for example, Encarta).
Note
See the section Configuring Research Options, later in this chapter, for details on customizing the services used for searches.
Thesaurus You can select English, French, or Spanish as the thesaurus language in the drop-down list.
Word Count Click to display the statistics for the message, including number of words, lines, paragraphs, pages, and characters. You can choose to include the contents of footnotes, endnotes, and text boxes in the statistics.
Translate The translation features in Outlook 2010 let you translate small amounts of text between a number of common languages. Outlook gives you three options for translation: Send the text to an online site for translation, show a translation in the Research pane using local and online resources, or display a small translation window when you pause the pointer on a word. The following three items describe these features:
Translate Item Send the selected text to the Windows Live Translator website and view the translation in the resulting web page (see Figure 9-48).
Translate Selected Text Show in the Research pane a translation of the selected text (see Figure 9-49).
Mini Translator Selecting this option causes Outlook 2010 to display a ScreenTip with a brief translation of a word when you point to the word with the mouse, as shown in Figure 9-50.
Choose Translation Language Click this option to specify the language for the Translate Item and Mini Translator options. To set the translation languages for the Research pane, choose languages using the From and To drop-down lists.
When Outlook proofs your message for spelling and grammar, it does so using a specific language. For example, checking spelling of a French email using the English language would probably result in most of the words being marked as incorrectly spelled. For that reason, you need to specify the proofing language that you want Outlook to use. To do so, on the Review tab, click Language, Set Proofing Language. In the resulting Language dialog box, choose the language used by the majority of the message. You can use the Detect Language Automatically option to allow Outlook to detect the language automatically for any given word or phrase. If Outlook is having problems proofing a selection of text because it is incorrectly identifying the language, select the text, click Language, Set Proofing Language, choose a specific language from the list, and click OK.
The list of services that Outlook 2010 uses when doing various forms of research can be customized to meet your individual needs. To configure the reference books and research sites that Outlook 2010 searches, on the Message tab, in the Proofing group, click Research. In the Research pane, select Research Options. You can select from the following options:
Services Activate services and resources that are installed by selecting the check box in the Services list. To deactivate a service, clear its check box.
Add Services To add more services, select Add Services, and then select the provider in the Advertised Services list. To add a new provider, enter the location of the service in the Address box.
Update/Remove To manage installed services, select Update/Remove to display the Update Or Remove Services dialog box. To update a service, select it in the Currently Installed Services, Grouped By Provider list, and then click Update to reinstall the provider for that service. To remove a service, select the provider in the list, and then click Remove. (You cannot remove installed options such as dictionaries and thesauruses.) Click Close when you have finished updating services.
Parental Control If you want to provide filtered access to research services, click Parental Control to open the Parental Control dialog box. You can then choose Turn On Content Filtering To Make Services Block Offensive Results. You can also opt to Allow Users To Search Only The Services That Can Block Offensive Results. In addition, these settings can be protected with a password.
Note
You must be logged on with an account that has administrative permissions for parental controls to configure Parental Control settings.
Tip
The parental controls provided by Outlook are separate from the parental controls provided in Windows 7. With the Windows 7 options, you can set time limits for using the computer; control access to games based on rating, content, or title; and allow or block specific programs. You should also check out Family Safety at Windows Live (http://www.home.live.com) to learn how you can use it to limit searches, control web browsing and chat, view Internet activity reports, and much more.