Microsoft Outlook 2003

Working with Signatures

An Outlook email Signature is a block of text that you use to identify yourself, and often includes contact information. Some individuals include favorite quotes or sayings in their signature to reflect their personality. Outlook supports multiple Signatures. You can establish a default signature that you want to use most of the time. However, if you are a member of a committee and you want a special signature for messages related to the committee, you can use the alternate.

Signature Guidelines
Creating a Signature
Assigning a Default Signature
Adding a Signature to a Specific Message
Modifying Your Signature
Deleting Your Signature

Signature Guidelines

Using Outlook Signatures is a way of adding a creative or personal touch to your messages. Reviewing the following guidelines will help you to decide what is and is not appropriate.

Limit the length of the Signature to 4-6 lines.
Avoid using pictures for Signatures.
Include contact information about yourself. Examples include: phone number, address, and full name. Some people also include the department and organizations that they belong to.
Avoid using the [Tab] key to align text. The spacing may look different or uneven on others' displays. Instead, use dashes or commas to separate text phrases.
Remember that your signature reflects on you and the University.

Creating a Signature

Using Outlook's Signature feature adds a personal signature to all of your messages so you do not have to repeatedly type the same information in all of your emails. The following steps will take you through the basics.

From the Tools menu, select Options...
The Options dialog box appears.
Select the Mail Format tab
In the Signatures section of the dialog box, click SIGNATURES...
The Create Signature dialog box appears.
To create a new Signature, click NEW...
The Create New Signature dialog box appears.
In the Enter a name for your new signature text box, type a short descriptive name for the Signature
Under Choose how to create your signature, select Start with a blank signature
Click NEXT
In the Signature text section, type your signature (include spaces and returns as appropriate)
Click FINISH
This will return you to the Create Signature dialog box.
Click OK
This will return you to the Options dialog box.
NOTE: If there is only one Signature, it is assumed that it should be the default Signature for new messages.
OPTIONAL: If you have more than one signature and want to change the default Signature or set the signature for replies and forwards, from the Signature for new messages and Signature for replies and forwards pull-down lists, select the appropriate option(s)
Click OK

Assigning a Default Signature

If you have used the Signature feature to create multiple signatures, use the following instructions to set a default.

From the Tools menu, select Options...
The Options dialog box appears.
Select the Mail Format tab
In the Signatures section of the dialog box, from the Signature for new messages pull-down list, select the appropriate Signature
In the Signatures section of the dialog box, from the Signature for replies and forwards pull down list, select the appropriate option
Click OK

Adding a Signature to a Specific Message

You may wish to add a Signature only to certain messages or you may wish to use different Signatures depending on the purpose of your message.

Create the message
NOTE: For more information, refer to Basic Email Activities: Sending Email Messages.
If necessary, delete the existing Signature
NOTE: For more information, refer to Deleting Your Signature.
Place your insertion point where you want the Signature to appear
From the Insert menu, select Signature » desired Signature
The desired Signature will be inserted.
Click SEND

Modifying Your Signature

As time passes, or if there is a mistake, you may wish to change your signature. This is an easy process.

From the Tools menu, select Options...
The Options dialog box appears.
Select the Mail Format tab
In the Signatures section of the dialog box, click SIGNATURES...
The Create Signature dialog box appears.
From the list of Signatures, select the Signature you want to edit
Click EDIT...
The Edit Signature dialog box appears.
Make the appropriate changes to the Signature
Click OK
This will return you to the Create Signature dialog box.
Click OK
This will return you to the Options dialog box.
Click OK

Deleting Your Signature

If you decide that you no longer want to have any signature, or want to delete one that you no longer use, just complete the following:

From the Tools menu, select Options...
The Options dialog box appears.
Select the Mail Format tab
In the Signature section of the dialog box, click SIGNATURES...
The Create Signature dialog box appears.
From the list of Signatures, select the Signature you want to remove
Click REMOVE
OR
Press [Delete]
In the confirmation dialog box, click YES
Click OK
This will return you to the Options dialog box.
Click OK