Keep Email Formatting Simple!
We strongly recommend that your email system is configured to use plain text only because:
- Plain text keeps it compact
Plain text email means that only the words are sent to the recipient, without any formatting information. So the recipient can control how they view the message. The recipient can set the size and font that best suits their eyesight. There are no pictures, graphics, colours, different sizes of letter nor different types of fonts in a plain text email.
- It's easier for you to write
Plain text email is easy to compose, easy to send, easy to receive. You don't have to waste time trying to format an email for every different incompatible email readers. So the recipient can read your email even on their Palm, Blackberry, or mobile phone. Also, it can be easily read if they have visual disabilities or need to use a text to speech converter.
- Formatted email wastes computing power
HTML emails are sent with both a plain text and HTML version, so most HTML messages are at least twice as big as plain text only, but are usually several times larger, wasting both server and PC memory, as well as bandwidth.
- Your readers probably won't see what you want them to see
Some popular e-mail readers simply don't read HTML mail, others will try to display it, but will have difficulties displaying it properly. Remember, email isn't Outlook! There are lots of different email readers used by different people in different organisations in different countries - plain text is the only standard that will work for them all.
- Formatted email presents a spam risk to the recipient
Opening an HTML email containing images may (by default) open a connection to the Internet, and open up a unique image file from a remote server. This can immediately confirm your email address to be valid, and therefore invite more spam.
- Your formatted email can be blocked.
Spam filters determine whether a message is spam based on a number of factors. One of these factors is usually "Is the message HTML?". The fact that a message is HTML based (usually along with other factors) could be enough to reject the message.