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You can include a hyperlink (hyperlink: Colored and underlined text or a graphic that you click to go to a file, a location in a file, a Web page on the World Wide Web, or a Web page on an intranet. Hyperlinks can also go to newsgroups and to Gopher, Telnet, and FTP sites.) to a return e-mail address, such as mailto: someone@example.com, in a custom signature that you create. An e-mail signature consists of text or pictures or both that can be added automatically at the end of an outgoing message. A message recipient can click the return e-mail hyperlink to open a new message that is already addressed to the sender.

• Use signatures to add information to messages automatically

• Create a signature and include a return address hyperlink

• Add a signature to outgoing messages

Use signatures to add information to messages automatically

You can add any information to a signature that you want to be included automatically with your outgoing messages. You choose the text, formatting, and style (style: A combination of formatting characteristics, such as font, font size, and indentation, that you name and store as a set. When you apply a style, all of the formatting instructions in that style are applied at one time.) of the information. When you add a return e-mail address, you need to decide how to display it. Some examples are shown in the following illustration.

In each case, you can make all or part of the text an active hyperlink. The underline indicates the part of the text that the recipient clicks to open a new message addressed to the sender.

To have a return e-mail address (or any other information) inserted into outgoing messages automatically, the return address must be part of a signature. If you want to sign a message with only a return e-mail address, that is all you need to include in a signature that you create.

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Create a signature and include a return address hyperlink

1. In a new message, on the Message tab, in the Include group, click Signature, and then click Signatures.
2. On the E-mail Signature tab, click New.
3. Type a name for the signature, and then click OK.
4. In the Edit Signature box, type the text that you want to include in the signature.
5. To format the text, select the text, and then use the style and formatting buttons to select the options that you want.

    Note   These formatting options can be applied if you use plain text as your message format. The formatting will not be visible in your outgoing messages. However it will be visible to recipients who use HTML or .rtf message formats.

6. To add a hyperlink, place your cursor where you want the link to appear in the signature text, and then click Insert Hyperlink .
7. Do one of the following:
   • Browse to the hyperlink and click to select it. It will appear in the Address box.
   • Type the e-mail address or URL (Uniform Resource Locator (URL): An address that specifies a protocol (such as HTTP or FTP) and a location of an object, document, World Wide Web page, or other destination on the Internet or an intranet. For example: http://www.example.com/.) for the hyperlink in the Address box.
8. In the Text to display box, type the text that will appear as the hyperlink text (if you want recipients to see something other than the e-mail address or URL).
9. Click OK.
10. Under Choose default signature, in the E-mail Account list, click an e-mail account with which you always want to associate the signature.
11. In the New messages list:
    • If you want a signature to be inserted automatically in each message that is sent from the e-mail account that you choose, select a signature in the list.
    • If you do not want a signature to be inserted automatically in each message that is sent, select none in the list.

       Note   You can also insert signatures manually in individual messages.

12. If you want to include a signature in message replies and in forwarded messages, in the Replies/forwards list, select a signature. If not, select none.
13. After you finish creating the signature, click OK.

     Note   To add the signature that you just created to a currently open new message, on the Message tab, in the Include group, click Signatures, and then select the signature.

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Add a signature to outgoing messages

You can set a default signature to be added to all your outgoing messages, or you can insert a signature manually into outgoing messages on an individual basis. Do one of the following:

• Insert a signature automatically

  1. In a new message, on the Message tab, in the Include group, click Signature, and then click Signatures.

      Note   You can also access the signature options that are available on the Message tab after you click Reply, Reply to All, or Forward in an open message.

  2. On the E-mail Signature tab, in the Select signature to edit list, select the signature that you want.
  3. Under Choose default signature, in the New messages list, select the signature that you want.
  4. If you want to include a signature in message replies and in forwarded messages, in the Replies/forwards list, select the signature. If not, select none.
  5. Click OK.
  6. To add the default signature to a currently open message, on the Message tab, in the Include group, click Signatures, and then select the signature.

• Insert a signature manually

  1. In a new message, on the Message tab, in the Include group, click Signature, and then select the signature that you want.

      Note   You can also access the signature options that are available on the Message tab after you click Reply, Reply to All, or Forward in an open message.

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