Theme setting in Outlook 2003

[Chad Harris]

I'm trying to make font and theme settings "stick" or stay for new messages
and replies. When I set the theme in the only place I can find on the
"Format" menu of the new message toolbar, only lasts for that message. Is
there a way to make the theme and font stick until changed?

TIA,

Chad Harris

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

We have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

What is the version of Outlook?
Where are you trying to set this "theme"?
What is your message editor?
How are you trying to set the fonts, etc. in Outlook?


--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. Due to
the (insert latest virus name here) virus, all mail sent to my personal
account will be deleted without reading.

After searching google.groups.com and finding no answer, Chad Harris asked:

| I'm trying to make font and theme settings "stick" or stay for new
| messages and replies. When I set the theme in the only place I can
| find on the "Format" menu of the new message toolbar, only lasts for
| that message. Is there a way to make the theme and font stick until
| changed?
|
| TIA,
|
| Chad Harris

 

[DDM]

Chad, I'm going to assume your question is as simple as it seems to be. If I
understand you correctly, you want to give your messages a distinctive
"look" by selecting a specific stationery (you call it a "theme") and fonts.
You have Outlook 2003, as I do, but I'm working from a machine with Outlook
2000, so bear with me.

To select stationery and fonts for all new messages, go to the Tools menu in
the main Outlook screen (not in a new message) and select Options. Select
the Mail Format tab. If you are *not* using Microsoft Word as your email
editor, you can select your stationery and fonts here. If you *are* using
Word as your email editor, stop right now.

If you're using Word, then in Word, it's Tools > Options > General > E-Mail
Options > Personal Stationery (which Word calls, confusingly enough, a
"theme"). Hope this helps.

 

[Chad Harris]

Excellent!! You've answered my question, and helped me overcome Redmond
Menu Ambiguity Syndrome when they are not always consistent from toolbar to
toolbar and menu to menu.

Word had given me a "head fake" using the term "personal stationary" for
"theme" because I didn't realize that you could go to Tools>Options>Email
Options. I missed that email options you found on the general tab for me.
One thing that makes it confusing is that Outlook uses the term "stationary"
on its main Tools>Options>Mail Format tab>"Stationary and Fonts"
tab--because if you use that you get to select from a very limited choice of
stationary. Outlook is using these word interchangably and they aren't the
same thing. You get more selection from *themes than using any stationary
option,* and your way makes themes and fonts *stick.*


I had been trying to get it done from the Outlook Word editor *Format menu*
and while you *can* set font and theme from there--it will only apparently
set it *per instance* or per message--it's just not going to stick there.
The next time you bring up a new message in the Word editor your choice will
be gone. This is *much better* because this allows it to "stick."
Interestingly when you set it this way , and go back to the Word *Format
menu*, Themes and fonts there ghost out. Appreciate the help, and the link
to your site.

Thanks very much,

Chad Harris
________________________________________________________________________________________

 

[Chad Harris]

Hi Milly--

DDM nailed my question. When I ask for help I always try to give Version
or complete context information--I headed this "in Outlook 2003." But I
should have made it *clear* I wanted to use Word as my message editor. What
I was trying to get done was to choose a font, and a theme and have them
stick consistently from message to message. Suppose you wanted the theme
*Cascade* with the font "Century Gothic." The only way you're going to be
able to use that *theme* or any other theme in the list of themes, is to
use Word or what some people call *WordMail* for a reason as your email
message editor. Word as the Outlook email editor is feature diluted from
the real Word--particularly with reference to styles.

One of the problems I think is the terms stationery and themes. They are
much the same thing, but themes offers more choices.

Here's what I think I've learned:

On the "Main" Outlook toolbar from Tools, you can go to Tools>Options>Mail
Format tab of course and set stationary and fonts. And these settings as
well as signature will *stick* or be deployed message to message *as long
as* you're not using Word as your message editor. Also, correct me if I'm
wrong, to get more choices or to deploy *themes,* and really you're getting
more "stationery choices" in effect with *themes*, you have to make Word
your message editor--I understand it's the Outlook 03 default, but you could
choose not to.

On the Word as message editor, you have the Format menu where Theme and
Font are listed. But if you choose them from there, you won't see it the
next time you create a message. I was looking for a way to apply it to all
my future messages or replies. The way to do that is to accept that
Microsoft has switched terms on you. On the Word *message editor toolbar,*
you go to Tools > Options > General > Email Options *Button*>Personal
Stationery *Tab*>(and they acknowledge their ambiguity) because then you get
MS to say what they really mean *Theme OR Stationery* for email
message>Theme button. You can make Fonts stick there as well using the pull
down to select when to apply the font and the button at the bottom of the
dialogue box for font.

I've been reading your helpful posts as tips in different groups for some
time now.

Thanks,

Chad Harris
________________________________________________________________________________________

We have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

What is the version of Outlook?
Where are you trying to set this "theme"?
What is your message editor?
How are you trying to set the fonts, etc. in Outlook?


--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. Due to
the (insert latest virus name here) virus, all mail sent to my personal
account will be deleted without reading.

After searching google.groups.com and finding no answer, Chad Harris
asked:

| I'm trying to make font and theme settings "stick" or stay for new
| messages and replies. When I set the theme in the only place I can
| find on the "Format" menu of the new message toolbar, only lasts for
| that message. Is there a way to make the theme and font stick until
| changed?
|
| TIA,
|
| Chad Harris