Tip #3904 - Your Own Picture Stationery
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Q:
I know you've done tips before on e-mail stationery, but I was wondering
if I could use my own pictures for that. I would like to send e-mails
out that have my own pictures there as the background. Is that possible?
If so, please tell me how to do it!
A:
That is such a cool question! Yes, some e-mail programs (like Outlook
Express and Thunderbird) come with some nice stationery options, but who
wouldn't rather use their own pictures? I know I would! They would just
make the e-mails you're sending so much more personal and it would also
be a joy for the people you're sending them to. For example, Outlook Express
has a nice sunflower stationery choice that I really like, but when I
get an e-mail from a friend, I'd much rather see a picture they took.
It would just make receiving e-mails so much more fun!
So, the main question
was: "Is that possible"? Well, if you haven't guessed already,
it sure is! And believe it or not, it's so simple to do. To get started,
you must already have the picture you want to use on your computer. You
can either upload it from you digital camera or if you have a scanner,
you can scan it on to your hard drive. Either way, it has to be in the
form of a file on your computer in order to use it for your e-mail stationery.
Once you've got that
done, open up your e-mail program. As far as I know, this tip will only
work for Outlook Express, Thunderbird and MS Outlook. (I know this isn't
an MS Office tip, but I will give you some quick directions on how to
do this in Outlook as well). Most Web based e-mail programs (like Yahoo!
and Hotmail) do not offer a stationery option, so you won't be able to
do this through those. Alright, here are the instructions for the three
e-mail programs listed above.
In Outlook Express,
go to Tools, Options and select the
Compose tab. Then click the Create New
button and a "New Stationery" wizard will pop
up. Just hit Next and follow along with the wizard. When
you're done, you'll have your very own picture stationery. You can do
more than one picture if you so choose as well, which is cool, because
then you'll have lots of options! When you're ready to send an e-mail
using your new stationery, just use the little drop down arrow next to
the Create Mail button and then choose Select
Stationery. Then just find your picture in the list and click
OK.
In Thunderbird, click
the Write button to create a new e-mail message. Click
your mouse in the body of the e-mail and then click Format,
Page Colors and Background. Next, go to File
and then select the image you want to use. Click Open and
OK. You'll then be all set. You can do this for multiple
pictures with Thunderbird as well.
And lastly, in MS
Outlook, you first have to be sure that you're sending the e-mail in an
HTML format. Then open a new e-mail message and click your mouse in the
body of the e-mail. Then go to Format, Background,
Fill Effects. Hit the Picture tab and
then choose Select Picture. You can then search for the
image you want to use and insert it in. Click OK when
you're done.
There you go. That's
all there is to it! Now, I must warn you that the picture you decide to
use will take up a lot of the background space of your e-mail. Therefore,
it might be a little hard for your recipients to read the message you
write if the text is not dark enough. Be sure your font color and the
picture you use mesh well with each other. If they don't, your friends
and family won't be able to read what you write and that will just defeat
the whole purpose! Also, keep in mind that some people find this kind
of thing a little annoying, so if you don't think one of your recipients
is going to appreciate the work you put into it, just send them a regular
e-mail and leave the cute ones for someone else.
Other than that, have
fun with this one. You can really create some cute e-mails by inserting
your own pictures into the stationery spot. They're perfect for special
occasions or to just send something new and different to an old friend.
I love it!
~ Erin
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