ANR Digital Accessibility
Article

Email Formatting

Step-By-Step Accessibility Adjustments

  • Access Signature Settings:

    • Classic Outlook: Click File > Options > Mail > Signatures.

    • New Outlook: Go to Settings > Accounts > Signatures > Edit.

  • Text & Fonts: Use accessible, sans-serif fonts such as Arial, Calibri, or Verdana. Ensure font size is at least 12 point. Avoid italics and excessive bolding.

  • Images & Logos:

    • Right-click any images/logos in the signature editor and select Picture or View Alt Text.

    • Add a concise description of the image in the Alt Text field.

    • If the image is purely decorative, you can leave the alt text blank, but it is best to keep images minimal.

  • Hyperlinks: Ensure links are descriptive (e.g., "Visit our website" rather than "Click here").

  • Color Contrast: Use high-contrast colors (e.g., black text on a white background) to assist users with visual impairments.

  • Newsletters and Flyers: When emailing a newsletter or Flyer, do not use only an image with text embedded. A lot of people have images turned off in their email program, and if they get a blank email, it is easy to ignore it. 

Finalizing

After editing, ensure the "New messages" and "Replies/forwards" dropdowns are set to your updated signature. Use the Accessibility Checker (File > Info > Check for Issues) to verify your changes.