This is going to be fun!
First: you’re in Rich Text mode, right? If you are, you’ll see a Plain Text link to the right of the Subject box in your Compose window. See it? That’s how to get back to plain text if you want to compose without all the rich-text bells ‘n’ whistles. OK, let’s take a look at your choices.
Working from left to right on the Rich Text toolbar, the first item is the Font pull-down menu. The current font choice is displayed in the box, and to the right is a down-arrow you can click to view other font choices. Browse down this menu to select another font.
Next is the Font-size pull-down menu. Choose the size of type you want by clicking the down-arrow and browsing down this menu.
Next are some familiar buttons. To use them, first highlight the text you wish to change by clicking and dragging the cursor over it. You can also double-click one word, or use the arrow keys while pressing Shift.
"B" (Bold): Highlight the text you wish to make bold and click the "B" button.
"I" (Italics): Highlight the text you wish to italicise and click the "I" button.
"U" (Underline): Highlight the text you wish to underline and click the "U" button.
Text Color: Highlight the text you'd like to put in color. Then, click this button to see a palette of many colors. Select the text color you want. Or, you can select the font color first, then start typing, and the color will be applied to what you type.
Highlighter (background): Want to give your text a background color? Highlight the text to which you'd like to add a background, then press this button to choose the highlighting color.
Smiley Face: Add emotional oomph to what you say by selecting from the list of graphical emoticons.
Globe with Links (Web): Insert a web site link!
Line: Insert a horizontal line. Handy!
Align Text: Choose from flush-left, centered, or flush-right text alignment.
Bullets and Numbering: Create bulleted or numbered lists.
Decrease Indent: Place the cursor where you would like to move the text to the left and click the "Decrease Indent" button.
Increase Indent: Place the cursor where you would like to move the text to the right and click the "Increase Indent" button.
Stationery: Personalise your email using a wide variety of backgrounds. Stationery is only available to Mail Plus subscribers.