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 att.net 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.

  • 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 from rich text to plain text

Rich text is on by default and allows you to personalize your messages.

  1. To switch between rich text and plain text, click the Switch to Plain Text or Switch to Rich Text button.

    Click the Switch to Plain Text or Switch to Rich Text button.

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

To change text formatting:

  1. Be sure that rich text is enabled and that the Format tab is open.

    att.net Mail’s rich text toolbarEnlarge

  2. 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!

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

    An interesting message using just a few formatting tools.

  3. 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.

 

To insert an emoticon:

  1. While composing a message, open the Emoticons tab.

    Open the Emoticons tab.

  2. Click in the message where you want to insert an emoticon, then select the emoticon from your choices.

    Select an emoticon.

    Your choice appears in your message

    Message with emoticon.

 

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 Switch to Plain Text link found just above the toolbar on the right.

Click the Switch to Plain Text link.

att.net Mail removes the formatting tools and the link changes to Switch to Rich Text. Plain text is your environment from now on until you decide to change back to rich text.

Tip: You won’t be able to use stationery while att.net Mail is set to plain 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.