how to make email signature compatible with Microsoft Outlook



Hello. I composed HTML email signature for a friend who uses Thunderbird,
like the following:

<dl style="width: 30ex; text-align: right;"> <dt style="float:
left;">Tel:</dt> <dd>++86 10 8231 8580 ext. 105</dd> <dt style="float:
left;">Fax:</dt> <dd>++86 10 8231 8580 ext. 102</dd></dl>
Sorry not recommending my friend to use plain text email. His company PR
policy requires colorful graphical email signature.

The signature /views/ fine in all email clients, including Microsoft Outlook
2003 and Outlook Express 6, for example. However if someone /reply/ the
email using Microsoft Outlook 2003, the signature become:

<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><font
size=3color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Tel:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal
align=right =style='margin-left:.5in;text-align:right'><fontsize=3
color=black face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>++8610
8231 8580 ext. 105<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal
align=right style='text-align:right'><font size=3color=black face="Times New
Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Fax:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p
class=MsoNormal align=right
=style='margin-left:.5in;text-align:right'><fontsize=3 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>++8610 8231 8580 ext.
102<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>Despite the "turbulent" mark up, the look
turns to be wrong. Thus all emails replied looks bad. Since 90% of my
friend's business contacts are Microsoft Outlook users, I wish I could write
my original HTML/CSS in the way either it won't gets destroyed, or gets
blown over by Microsoft Outlook. ("blown over" is like style="display:
none;".) I prefer to have it blown over, because that would be an
enhancement feature, as these telephone number information are not needed in
reply messages.

So, do anyone know how to write HTML/CSS in such a way that when Outlook try
to edit it, it is blown over? The first idea comes to my mind is to quote
the message using <comment>, which makes text disappear for MS products, but
that hides when MS product is viewing the content, not editing.


I know the stupid behavior of various email clients might ruin the signature
anyway, after Microsoft Outlook there are Lotus Notes, for example, earlier
version simply strip away anything within style="...". However they are not
such a problem. Microsoft Outlook is the standard email software for
business here, thus if a signature from Thunderbird behave wrongly in Lotus
Notes, seeing the problem in Lotus Notes, people blame Lotus Notes; if email
signature from Thunderbird behave wronglyin Outlook, seeing the problem in
Microsoft Outlook, people blame Thunderbird. To get acceptable level, with
only Outlook I need to fight.



.



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