Can TB make nice looking email templates for business email flyers?
I want to make a nice looking email template that doesn't look like an ordinary typed email. Instead, I'd like it to have more of a newsletter look about it, with distinct frames, each containing text and a relevant subject heading. I would also like to embed an email link and a web URL link in the text in the appropriate places. Can this sort of "email template building" be done within TB or must some other software be used so TB can import the result?
Chosen solution
Thunderbird has modest HTML formatting capabilities so yes, you can apply colours, fonts, sizes, images.
Many folk would approach this by creating their document in their favourite web design package - Dreamweaver, FrontPage, etc. The trouble with these is that they are designed to create content for a webserver, where the webpage is assembled from a suite of separate files. Email is not able to transport all the folder hierarchy needed by this sort of content.
Start a new HTML document as if you were writing an email message. Make sure you can see the html composition and formatting bars. When you add images, open their properties and set the "attach this file" checkbox, ensuring that the image content will be encoded into the message rather than just a link. (OTOH, if you have the use of a webserver that can host image files, you may be able to link to images stored there and minimise the size of your messages.)
When you're done, use File|Save As|Template to save the message as a template and then you can start new messages based on this template just by opening it from the Templates folder.
Or look at the Stationery add-on. This lets you select HTML documents to use as the basis for a new email message, pre-formatted and ready to use, with font specifiers and so on. You can use the same route as described above, but use File|Save As|HTML document to save your document for re-use. Stationery works best if you create your own folder for html stationery documents and it gives you a picker to choose amongst these.
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Chosen Solution
Thunderbird has modest HTML formatting capabilities so yes, you can apply colours, fonts, sizes, images.
Many folk would approach this by creating their document in their favourite web design package - Dreamweaver, FrontPage, etc. The trouble with these is that they are designed to create content for a webserver, where the webpage is assembled from a suite of separate files. Email is not able to transport all the folder hierarchy needed by this sort of content.
Start a new HTML document as if you were writing an email message. Make sure you can see the html composition and formatting bars. When you add images, open their properties and set the "attach this file" checkbox, ensuring that the image content will be encoded into the message rather than just a link. (OTOH, if you have the use of a webserver that can host image files, you may be able to link to images stored there and minimise the size of your messages.)
When you're done, use File|Save As|Template to save the message as a template and then you can start new messages based on this template just by opening it from the Templates folder.
Or look at the Stationery add-on. This lets you select HTML documents to use as the basis for a new email message, pre-formatted and ready to use, with font specifiers and so on. You can use the same route as described above, but use File|Save As|HTML document to save your document for re-use. Stationery works best if you create your own folder for html stationery documents and it gives you a picker to choose amongst these.
Thank you. I think I will likely use a combination of the two methods you suggest. I'm exploring the stationary add-on option presently. Would you happen to be aware of what software options are available for creating one's own custom email stationary? Can this be done in a word processor such as Open Office, or does it require special software? I appreciate it.