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Frequently Asked Questions

See below for answers to common questions, if you still have more, feel free to drop us a mail.

All our paid accounts include email support and help in making sure you get the most out of mailer forge.

Why should I use mailer forge over just creating the HTML myself, it's simple isn't it?

Creating HTML for emails is a lot different to creating web pages. Common elements such as CSS positioning, divs, CSS3 etc are not supported by the majority of email clients and you commonly end up with a design that works in one client but not another. Common issues include

  • Gmail supports inline CSS but not external style sheets
  • Outlook 2007/2010 doesn't support background images but Outlook 2003 does.
  • Some clients will remove styles without !important added
  • Hotmail and Gmail require display:inline added to images
  • Yahoo adds in extra padding to some mails
  • Some clients ignore table widths, others do not
  • Empty table cells can be removed in versions of Outlook
  • Background images for body tags are ignored in certain clients

As you can see, keeping on top of every email client quirk can be hard work and this is why we created Mailer forge. You just add text images and hotspots and let us take care of the rest.

What email clients do you support?

We currently support the following clients which account for the vast majority of usage:

  • Gmail (windows/mac)
  • Yahoo new mail (windows/mac)
  • Yahoo classic mail (windows/mac)
  • AOL mail (windows/mac)
  • Hotmail (windows/mac)
  • Live mail (windows/mac)
  • Mac mail (osx 10.6 +)
  • iPhone mail (iOS 4+)
  • iPad mail (iOS 4+)
  • Android 2.3 mail
  • Outlook 2003
  • Outlook 2007
  • Outlook 2010
  • Outlook Express
  • Blackberry 6 mail
  • Thunderbird 3
  • Windows mail
  • Lotus Notes 8
  • Lotus Notes 8.5
  • iPad mail (iOS 4+)
How does the mobile specific version work?

When you create a new project, mailer forge optionally creates a seperate editor canvas specifically sized for mobile devices. You can then add images, text and hotspots onto this canvas, having a completely different layout and design to the main email canvas.

This mobile version is then embedded along with the normal desktop version and sent at the same time. If a user is viewing the email on a supported mobile device then they will see the specific mobile version.

Current supported clients include adnroid 2.3 mail and iPhone mail. If a client is not supported the message will revert to showing the main email version.

I've never created HTML email before, help!

After logging in for the first time we suggest you watch our demo video which takes you through all the features of mailer forge by creating an email from scratch. Even if you are a seasoned email designer we suggest you watch the demo to become accustomed with how mailer forge works.

I signed up but keep seeing a message over my generated emails?

Although our free trial allows unlimited projects to be created, when being exported all emails will include a watermark. To remove this, please sign up for a paid account. When cancelling your paid account you are automatically moved onto a free account.

How do I know if my mail will look good in all email clients?

For Standard and agency paid accounts we offer an email client preview service which takes screenshots in all email clients we support. You can then be assured that once exported your email will look the same on all clients.

Quick start

  1. Click 'create new project'
  2. Choose the devices you wish to target
  3. Add images to the main editor canvas
  4. Add text areas and enter in your text content
  5. Click the 'change css' link to customise the styling of your mail
  6. Preview the changes i na browser or via email
  7. When happy choose 'Export as zip' to upload to your mailing software

Tips for a great email

  • In a rush? prepare all the non-text elements into an image and set that image as your message background. Then just add hotspots and text in afterwards!
  • If you are going to be creating many campaigns with a similar design why not add header images etc in seperately? When it comes to a new email, click the copy project button from the dashboard and then only change the parts you need.
© 2012 Mailer forge