If an html-formatted email that I send to myself comes back as plain text, what am I doing wrong?
I'm a newbie to TB, and I'm trying to learn its ways. In order to test my various email options (Insert image, signature, html formatting, etc), I send test emails to myself (ie, through one email address & server to another via another server).
I'd thought I'd licked the problem of getting a 'letterhead logo' inserted via Insert Image, along with the desired font, font size, and indentation, only to find that the email, once delivered back to me (via the other email address and its server), had lost all html formatting (tho', thankfully, the logo image remained). As far as I can see, this was not a case of sending the email to a recipient who doesn't receive HTML.
I've searched TB's composition parameters (at least the ones that I can find), and can't find anything relating to this, other than the options available when TB doesn't know the recipient's format preferences (ie, re. html or plain text --- which I've set to "Send both html and plain text.").
Any tips/help would be gratefully welcomed!
Chosen solution
"Is it possible for an email that I send out as HTML to be sent back as plain text in the reply of someone who's only using plain text?"
Yes, particularly if you're sending both HTML and plain text versions. Those who prefer plain text have no reason to preserve the HTML content.
Read this answer in context 👍 3All Replies (9)
Do you have View(or AppMenu/View)/Message Body As set to Original HTML?
sfhowes said
Do you have View(or AppMenu/View)/Message Body As set to Original HTML?
Thanks for your reply, sfhowes. Yes, I do have View-Message Body As - "Original HTML". No other emails that I've sent to myself since then have come back in plain text tho' -- all have all the formatting I've added -- so I'm not sure what went wrong with that particular one.
Is it possible for an email that I send out as HTML to be sent back as plain text in the reply of someone who's only using plain text?
Thanks.
Chosen Solution
"Is it possible for an email that I send out as HTML to be sent back as plain text in the reply of someone who's only using plain text?"
Yes, particularly if you're sending both HTML and plain text versions. Those who prefer plain text have no reason to preserve the HTML content.
Zenos said
"Is it possible for an email that I send out as HTML to be sent back as plain text in the reply of someone who's only using plain text?" Yes, particularly if you're sending both HTML and plain text versions. Those who prefer plain text have no reason to preserve the HTML content.
Thanks for clearing this up for me, Zenos!
Are there clear pro's and con's that determine whether one should send emails out as "only HTML" or as "both plain text and HTML", if one doesn't know the recipient's preferences?
No matter which format you choose, you're sure to offend some recipients. Some people object to HTML, based on security or privacy concerns. Some prefer HTML because it's a more effective means of communication for some purposes.
If your default composition format is HTML (or plain text), hold Shift when you click Write, Reply or Forward to switch the format to the opposite type, or if HTML is the default, select Options/Delivery Format/Plain text only in the Write window to make a one-off change.
sfhowes said
No matter which format you choose, you're sure to offend some recipients. Some people object to HTML, based on security or privacy concerns. Some prefer HTML because it's a more effective means of communication for some purposes. If your default composition format is HTML (or plain text), hold Shift when you click Write, Reply or Forward to switch the format to the opposite type, or if HTML is the default, select Options/Delivery Format/Plain text only in the Write window to make a one-off change.
Thanks, sfhowes -- I appreciate your help!
UPDATE Very strange: I am sending myself html email, font = Tahoma 12 point, and then receiving it on two different computers, into two different email clients -- TB on one, and Outlook Express 6 on the other.
When I send it from TB, it comes back to TB exactly right -- html, Tahoma 12 pt, but it comes back to OE: still in html, but in a different FONT!! (Times New Roman, 12)
When I send it from OE, it comes back to both OE and TB exactly right.
I have checked my OE settings, to see if there is anything that would determine the font displayed on incoming emails, but I can't find anything to that effect.
I'd really like to know what's causing this! I thought I was on the verge of solving this email migration/trek. . .
Thanks, in advance, for any help you can share!
It's not a widely-appreciated fact, but the fonts you embed in a composed message may be different from the ones that are displayed to the recipient, depending on their email program and display settings.
Since you can't know for sure how recipients read your messages, it's recommended to keep default settings for composition fonts, but adjust your display fonts as desired. More details here:
sfhowes said
It's not a widely-appreciated fact, but the fonts you embed in a composed message may be different from the ones that are displayed to the recipient, depending on their email program and display settings. Since you can't know for sure how recipients read your messages, it's recommended to keep default settings for composition fonts, but adjust your display fonts as desired. More details here: http://www.ramsden.org.uk/9_Type_sizes.html http://kb.mozillazine.org/Font_settings_in_Thunderbird
Thanks sfhowes -- I went to read both links, immediately after receiving your post.