Personalizing Your Messages

Formatting Message Text Using Stationery Adding a Signature

Formatting Message Text

You can personalize your outgoing email messages in many ways including:

Let’s start with text formatting using AT&T Mail’s rich text feature. First a few words about the difference between plain text and rich text:

  • Plain text: the message doesn’t have any formatting associated with its text. Instead, the text appearance depends on the browser or email program that displays the message. Recipients of plain text messages may be able to change the text size and font when reading the message, depending on the email program they use. (See Reading Messages to learn how to change plain text formatting in AT&T Mail.)

  • Rich text: the sender gets to define how the message looks. Recipients of rich text messages usually can’t change the font size or other aspects of the message’s appearance when they read it.

 

Here’s How

To change text formatting:

  1. Begin composing a message. (Remind me how.)

  2. Be sure that rich text is enabled. You can tell by looking at the link to the right of the Subject box:

    If you see the Plain Text link, rich text is on.If you see the Rich Text link, click it to turn rich text on.

    Note: Not all browsers and operating systems support rich text, so if you don’t see a Rich Text link, that could be the problem.

    The formatting toolbar displays above the message box.

    AT&T Mail’s rich text toolbarEnlarge

  3. At any point while typing the message text, you can use the formatting tools as you like. Here’s an example of what you can do.

    A plain text message--boring!Enlarge

    With a bit of formatting, the message looks much more interesting!

    An interesting message using just a few formatting tools.Enlarge

  4. When you’re done composing your message and satisfied with the look, click the Send button.

    Click the Send button.

    People receiving your message will see your fancy formatting if they read it in a browser or email program that supports rich text.

    An incoming message with text formatting applied.Enlarge

 

To insert an emoticon:

  1. Begin composing a message, with rich text enabled. (Remind me how.)

  2. Put the blinking text insertion cursor where you want to insert the emoticon, then click the emoticon button on the formatting toolbar.

    Click the emoticon button.

  3. Select the emoticon you want from the menu.

    Select an emoticon from the menu.

    Doesn’t that make your message look better?

    Message with emoticon inserted.

 

What’s Next: Prefer Plain Text?

If you’re a no-frills type of person, or you’re not sure whether your friends can receive rich text messages, you can switch to plain text by clicking the Plain Text link found just above the toolbar on the right.

Click the Plain Text link.

AT&T Mail removes the formatting toolbar and the link changes to Rich Text. Plain text is your environment from now on until you decide to change back to rich text.

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Words to Know

  • Emoticon: a small character that shows someone how you feel during an IM conversation, such as happy, sad, or laughing.
  • Plain text: text that has no formatting defined; how this text appears (for example, its size) depends on the web browser or email application that you use.
  • Rich text: a format that lets you change font style, add color, and more to your outgoing message text.
  • Stationery: a predefined format that you can apply to an outgoing message text, including a background image or color and a specific font.