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Want to add a little pizzazz to your messages? Or maybe expand on the things that you can do with Outlook, such as sharing family photographs or sending documents? Use Outlook, a powerful business tool, with a more informal spin to keep in touch with family and friends.

Outlook offers many ways that you can format and personalize e-mail messages. With Outlook, you can distinctively craft your messages and express yourself. You can convey more than just words in your messages by adding pictures, sounds, and animations.

Outlook can even help you remember important dates and holidays so you will have time to prepare that special message or get those invitations mailed on time.

Tip

Security  Attachments, such as photos, that are included in e-mail messages might carry viruses. Use antivirus software regularly to scan your computer to limit the chances of sending an unsafe attachment. To help keep your computer system safe and help make sure that you don't ruin someone else's day by sending them a virus, see About best practices.

Use different fonts and characters to add some style

• Use Word as your e-mail editor
• Crabby's Font Facts 103: Designing with fonts
• Add emoticons to messages
• Insert a check mark or other symbols
• Let Outlook check your spelling
• Find out where to get free fonts

Create personalized signatures and add your personal touch

• Create or modify e-mail signatures
• Insert a signature in a message
• Adjust the line spacing in a signature

Use stationery and themes in messages to create your own look and feel

• Add a background image or color to a message
• Create stationery for messages
• Change the look of stationery
• Specify the default stationery for new messages

Add clip art to messages to brighten things up

• Use clip art to customize your signature or stationery
• Wrap text around clip art
• Find clip art on Microsoft Office Online

Add more to messages to really grab their attention

• Insert scrolling text in a message
• Add a picture to a message
• Add an animated graphic to a message

Last, but not least, don't forget when to send your message!

• Add or remove holidays in your Calendar
• Add a reminder to a message
• Create a reminder in your Calendar
• Create reminders as far in advance as you want
• Training: Keep track of birthdays and anniversaries