Gmail - How to add HTML Signatures
A few days ago, Google introduced a Canned Response feature in their Gmail Labs: it allows you to select saved, generic responses to reply to emails. The first thing that came to my mind: HTML Signatures. You can already have HTML signatures but it requires Firefox and plugins. I wanted to an HTML signature that I could access from work, IE or FF, PC or Mac.
The steps are pretty straight forward and all you need is a browser and an HTML editor: you can use MS Word, Dreamweaver, even (shudders) MS Frontpage.
Steps
- Enable the Canned Responses feature by logging into Gmail, clicking Settings, and then clicking the Labs tab at the far right.
- Open your HTML editor.
- There are rules to how complicated your signature can get for two reasons: email filtering systems filter HTML emails and Gmail supports basic HTML.
- SIMPLE CSS only, no <head> tags, everything has to be inline
- Don't use floats for the layout, use tables
- GMail doesn't seem to support graphics so keep it tables and text only
- Once you have your layout, copy and paste the table (not the code, but from the preview view) into a blank email on GMail
- Click the Canned Responses link in the GMail WYSIWYG toolbar, click Save, and name it Signature. It may take some trial and error to get the look right.
- Next time you compose an email, select Signature from the canned responses and enter your email.
- For replies it's a bit more complicated because selecting a canned response deletes your message and replies: select Signature, copy your signature, undo (CTRL+Z or CMD+Z) and paste your signature.
That's it! If you have any tips or problems, let me know below.
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