Email Stationery Guide 12052019 - Resource Central

Email Stationery Guide

Intrado

100 Enterprise Way, Suite A-300

Scotts Valley, CA 95066

800-920-3897

www.schoolmessenger.com

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Contents INTRODUCTION 3 ..................................................................................................................................

ENABLE EMAIL STATIONERY - SCHOOLMESSENGER ADMINISTRATOR 3 ..................................................................

DESIGNING EMAIL STATIONERY 5 .........................................................................................................

TOOLBAR OPTIONS 7 .........................................................................................................................................ADDING IMAGES 9 .............................................................................................................................................CHANGING THE TEXT AND THEME COLORS 12 .....................................................................................................CHANGING THE DEFAULT TEXT 15 ......................................................................................................................ADDING, REMOVING SECTIONS 16 ......................................................................................................................LOCKING SECTIONS 17 ......................................................................................................................................

SHARING STATIONERY 19 .....................................................................................................................

HOW PEOPLE FIND YOUR STATIONERY 20 ...........................................................................................................

USING STATIONERY IN AN EMAIL 21 .....................................................................................................

SELECTING EMAIL STATIONERY 21 ......................................................................................................................EDITING SELECTED STATIONERY 23 ....................................................................................................................EDIT THE CONTENT AREA 23 ..............................................................................................................................TRANSLATION OPTIONS 24 ................................................................................................................................

TROUBLESHOOTING AND BEST PRACTICES 25 .....................................................................................

BEST PRACTICES 25 ..........................................................................................................................................TROUBLESHOOTING 26 ......................................................................................................................................

QUESTIONS? 28 ....................................................................................................................................

SCHOOLMESSENGER SUPPORT NUMBER 28........................................................................................................

©2019 Intrado. [12052019]. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without express written permission. �2

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Introduction The Stationery feature lets you create polished and professional-looking templates, each of which can be used

to format your email messages. The system includes several layouts, each of which may be edited and made

available to users who will be able to use them when creating new email messages. Various templates can be set up for various purposes; for example, a general template for regular emails, a newsletter template, or various

templates from various departments, such as the school guidance office.

This guide is comprehensive, addressing Stationary enablement (a SchoolMessenger Administrator’s role),

design (involving Stationary designers), and usage (involving all users who will be sending emails using the

provided stationary). We show you how to create and personalize a stationery template to best reflect your

school’s brand. This includes adding images, like your school’s logo or banner, selecting the stationery’s colors

and how to add and remove sections. There’s also a helpful section on troubleshooting and best practices.

Enable Email Stationery - SchoolMessenger Administrator

The ability to both create and/or use stationary depends on whether permissions affecting these functions are

enabled in user accounts. A SchoolMessenger administrator sets these preferences in various profiles. Each

user then inherits all the permissions and access rights of the profile their account is consigned to.

Providing Users Access to Stationary

If you are a SchoolMessenger Administrator, follow these instructions to allow users to create stationary, and,

optionally, require users to use stationary.

1. Click the Admin tab and then the Profiles sub-tab.

2. Select the user profile whose Stationery Options you’d like to configure.

3. Scroll down to the Messaging Options.

4. Enable the following options by checking their box:

• Can Create Stationery: Allows users to create stationery for email messages.

• Restrict to Stationery: Users must use stationery when creating email messages.


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5. Click Save to complete, or continue to the next section below to enable publishing and subscription

permissions.

Important: If no stationery has been created, users with Restrict to Stationery enabled will be unable to send an email.

Providing Users with the Ability to Share and Edit Shared Stationary

All stationary and messages created in SchoolMessenger are by default private and accessible only to the user

who created them. They only become available to other users when their creator publishes them and others

subscribe to them. But in both cases, the ability of users to either publish or subscribe to stationary and

messages depends on having permissions activated in the profiles that are assigned to user accounts. If you

are a SchoolMessenger Administrator, follow these instructions to allow users to publish and subscribe to

stationary and messages.

1. Scroll down to the Publish/Subscribe Options.

2. Enable the following options by checking their boxes.


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• Allow publishing these types enables publishing per se

o Messages allows messages to be published. (You may, optionally, wish to enable the publication of lists here as well.)

• Allow subscribing to these types enables the ability to subscribe per se

o Messages/Stationary allows users to subscribe and use messages and stationary created

by others who’ve published them. (You may, optionally, wish to enable subscription to lists here as well.)

• Prevent Subscribers from Editing Messages/Stationary prevents those who have subscribed to

stationary and messages from being able to edit them. They can only use them.

Designing Email Stationery Important: Only those features that you have been granted access to will display. For access to

additional features contact your system administrator.

NOTE: The email stationary editor built into SchoolMessenger Communicate is fairly simple, and it should not be compared with a comprehensive website editor that it shares some capabilities with. It

allows you to create fairly simple and attractive templates, which is adequate for most school and


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district-related messaging. The more complex the templates you create are, the more unwieldy they may be for

users who wish to use them.

To begin, sign into your SchoolMessenger account.

1. Click the Broadcasts tab, and then the Messages sub-tab.

2. Click the button.

3. Enter a name and description for your stationery.


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4. Select and preview one of the generic layouts from the Layout pull-down list. You can cycle through all

sample layouts, choosing the one that is most appealing or appropriate to use as a base for your new

stationery, as shown below.

Note: Keep in mind that selecting more complex stationary designs will be more complicated both for

designers and users to work with. Also, a simple, clean, well-structured email stationary will be more

welcomed by those receiving your emails than stationary that is too busy and/or colorful.)

5. Click the button at the bottom left of the screen to start editing your stationery using the

HTML editor.

Toolbar Options

Text Buttons

To apply a text attribute, simply select the text you wish to format and click one of the icon.

1. Bold: make your text bold

2. Italic: italicize your text

3. Underline: underline your text

4. Strike Through: cross out your text

5. Text Color: change the color of your text

6. Background Color: add a highlight to your text

7. Remove Format: quickly removes whatever style you’ve applied to the text

Quick Text Style Pull-down Menus

If you want to quickly change the style of your text, choose options from among these two pull-down menus.

1. Styles: This drop-down menu contains the following

options for applying a style to your text:

• Object Styles: Compact Table, Borderless Table.

Quickly format your tables.


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• Block Styles: Italic Title, Subtitle, Special Container

• Inline Styles: Quickly highlight, make slight bigger or slightly smaller, and change the font of your

text.

2. Paragraph Format: Quickly format your text for headers, sub-headers, and normal text.

Font Name and Font Size Buttons

You can change your text’s 1. font and 2. size using these buttons.

Paragraph Buttons

These icons allow you to properly position your text by:

1. numbered or bulleted list

2. need to align your text

3. change the amount text is indented

Add Media Buttons

Use these icons to enhance your stationery.

1. Link: add a hyperlink

2. Image: add an image

3. Table: insert a table

4. Horizontal Line: insert a line that will span the width of the email

(useful for separating content blocks)

View Icons

These buttons will help you adjust your workspace view and

label various page elements (like divisions and paragraphs).

1. Show Blocks: click this to see where each text box

is. They will be marked with DIV or P in the upper

left-hand corner of each box.


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2. Maximize: your window will fill with just your stationery and the toolbar.

Other Icons

These other icons allow you to change the color scheme of the stationary, prevent blocks from being modified or

edited, and personalize your stationery.

1. Field Insert: insert a field variable in the body of your stationery. These

field variables are automatically populated with data obtained from the

SchoolMessenger database. For example, if you would like your stationary to automatically address.

2. Make Editable Block: If you’re planning on sharing the stationery for

others to use, you can lock sections of the stationery. This prevents others

from editing that specific section when they apply the stationery to their email.

3. Theme Manager: Use this to quickly change the colors of your stationery.

Note: there is currently no ability to insert specific color hex codes using the Theme Manager.

4. Paste from Word: If you’ve prepared the content of your stationery in Word, use

this button to insert that text into your stationery.

5. Spell Check: Use this button to check your stationery for any spelling errors.

6. Print: Print your stationery.

7. Source: View the stationery in HTML format.

8. Undo/Redo: Undo or redo an action.

Adding Images

Important: It's a best practice to make sure your images are small enough to fit within small email clients

such as those found on mobile devices. Typically, this means ensuring that a design doesn't exceed 600

pixels in width. Also, many email clients do not display images by default, so it's a good idea to avoid

conveying important content of your message within.

Note: If you choose to upload an image, your file should not exceed 750 kB in size and to keep the image

at 100%. The best formats to use for images in emails are .jpg or .gif.


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You can either add an image anywhere on a template or replace the image placeholders on your stationery

templates. Only some of the templates (such as the one in this example) include placeholder images which

you'll definitely want to replace. Others may not have these image placeholders, but you can still add images anywhere on the template if you like.

• To replace an image placeholder: double-click the image.

• To add an image: place your cursor where you want the image to appear and click the Image icon

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Both options open the Image Properties window where you have the option to:

• link to an image hosted on a website

• upload an image from your computer


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Image Properties Window

If your image is hosted somewhere:

1. Highlight the URL under the Image

Info tab.

2. Replace the Image URL with the URL for your image.

3. Click OK.

If you’re uploading an image from your computer:

1. Click the Upload tab.

2. Click the Choose File button.

3. Select an image from your computer.

4. Click the Send it to the Server button. You’ll be taken back to the Image Info tab.

5. Click OK.


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Here's the sample stationery with the placeholder image replaced.

Changing the Text and Theme Colors

Changing the text and theme colors of your stationery is a great way to personalize it.

Change Text Color or Highlight Color

To begin, click either the Text Color or Background Color

button.

1. Select any of the colors you see by clicking them.

If you don’t see the color you want, move on to

Step 2.

2. Click “More Colours…”. The Select Color window

opens.

3. Select any of the colors by clicking them.

OR

4. If you know the specific color hex code, enter it in the second box below “Selected Color”. Click any

white space within the Select color window to see a preview of that color in the box above.

5. Click OK. Your text is now the specified color hex code.


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Change Colors Using the Theme Manager

The Theme Manager is a quick way to select colors for certain aspects of your stationery.

Note: there is currently no ability to insert specific color hex codes through the theme manager.

To edit colors, click the (Theme Manager) button. The Theme Manager window opens.

1. Click the checkbox to the left of the theme component to select a color. The Color Selection window

opens.

2. Choose a color from the Color Selection window.


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3. Click OK once completed.

Idea: If you need a little inspiration, you can create wonderful color schemes with complimentary colors

using free color scheme designers online. Some tools can even create palettes from images.

• Continue doing this until you've changed all of the component colors you'd like to change.

• In the image below, you can see how the sample layout looks once all of the colors have been edited.

• You can preview what your stationery will look like to the email recipients by clicking the

button.


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Changing the Default Text

This stationery template has a banner beneath the placeholder image which can be used for a tagline.

• Highlight the

text that should be

edited and

simply enter

the new text,

as shown

below.


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Adding, Removing Sections

The templates offered have ready-made sections ready for you to add content to. Oftentimes, you may not need

all of the sections or may need more.

Important: To help keep track of the sections you’re adding or removing, ensure the Show Blocks button

is turned on. The button will turn into a darker grey and each section will have a light grey section

indicator in the upper left-hand corner (ex. P or DIV).

Adding Sections

If you want to add another section, follow these steps:

1. Highlight whole section that you’d like to recreate. Include all the text within the box.

2. Use a keyboard shortcut to copy that section. For Apple computers, it’s COMMAND + C. For PC

computers, it’s CTRL + C.

3. Ensure your text cursor is at the very end of the section you just copied.

4. Use the keyboard shortcut to paste the section you just copied. For Apple computers, it’s COMMAND +

V. For PC computers, it’s CTRL + V. The same section will appear below the section you just copied.


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Removing Sections

Sometimes there are extra sections you won’t need. Follow these steps to remove any unwanted sections.

1. Highlight all of the text within the section you’d like to remove.

2. Delete the text by tapping delete on your keyboard.

3. Tap delete again to remove the section. The section is now removed.

Important: To ensure the HTML code used to create the stationery template remain unbroken, it’s best to

keep manipulation of the sections as minimal as possible.

Locking Sections

If you intend to share the stationery you’re creating with other users, you may want to lock sections to prevent others from editing them. Locking sections such as the header and footer helps keep emails have the same look

and feel no matter who sends them.

Notice that there are dashed lines around some parts of the template. The lines indicate a section of your

template. When you use the Editable Block, it will be for all contents within that section.


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While you’ll need to keep certain sections editable, you may not want users to be able to edit certain parts of

your template, like the school name and logo in the banner section at the top. Or you may want to structure your

newsletter template with a predefined structure with identifiable section headings, like “Announcements” or “Message from the Principal,” etc. The sections headings will remain unchangeable, while the messages

beneath them can be edited.

Using the Editable Block

Important: Adding an Editable Block will add a layer of HTML code over that section. To keep things less

confusing, turn off the Show Blocks button by clicking it. If it’s off, the button will not be a darker

grey and each section won’t have a light grey section indicator in the upper left-hand corner (ex. P or DIV).

1. Ensure you’re within the section you want to lock by

clicking within the section. Either you’ll see a flashing

text cursor if there’s text in the section or the image will have a darker dashed border around it.


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2. Click the Editable Block button . It will turn a darker grey and the section will have a darker, dashed

border surrounding it whether your cursor is within that section or not.

To unlock the section:

1. Click within the locked section.

2. Click the Editable Block button . It will no longer be dark grey and the darker, dashed border

around the locked section will disappear.

Sharing Stationery Once your stationery is complete, you can share it with other users in the system.

1. Click the Stationery link on the left-hand side of the screen.

2. Locate the stationery you wish to share.

3. Click the Publish link to the right of the name.


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How People Find Your Stationery

When you publish your stationery, it will not appear in your subscriber’s Stationery list like it appears on your list

under the Messages tab. The stationery is located amongst the stationery templates available to them when

they create an email broadcast.

To see it, they will need to start a new broadcast.


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Using Stationery in an Email

Important: Only those features that you have been granted access to will display. For access to

additional features contact your system administrator.

Using stationery in your email messages lets you control the appearance of your email messages with custom

colors and images, or even create professional looking newsletters for your organization. If you're an

administrator, it's also possible to configure users' access profiles to require the use of stationery. It's important

to be sure that there are published stationery designs available before restricting users to stationery, otherwise

the restricted users will not be able to create email messages.

Selecting Email Stationery

Note: If your access profile is set to require email stationery, you may only send email which includes

stationery.

Click the button on your Dashboard and follow the steps until you reach the Message

Content step.

1. Click the + Email button.

2. Click the button next to the Body field. The Email Stationery Preview window opens.

3. Locate the stationery you’d like to use.

4. Click the stationery. The selected stationery becomes outlined in green.

5. Click the button.


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Editing Selected Stationery

You can edit any content within

an area outlined with a dashed

border. Areas without this dashed border were locked by

the stationery creator and can’t

be edited.

Edit the Content Area

1. Click the editable area. A format bar will appear.

2. Write whatever content you choose.


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3. Use the formatting options in the bar provided to customize your message. There are many formatting

options including:

• customizing the style, color and size of the font:

• inserting a link, image, or table:

• attaching a file and inserting a data field:

• pasting text from word and spell check:

4. Click Save to complete

Translation Options

The following are your translation options once you check the Translate box:

1. Select all (checks all boxes for all available languages) or none (de-selects all checked translations).

2. Re-translate All: if you edit your original message after translating, you’ll need to select this to update

the translation to match your new edit.

3. Disable Translations: if you’ve already translated your broadcast but change your mind, you can undo

the translations.

4. Translate to English: gives you an opportunity to see what the alternate language looks like when

translated back into English.

5. Override: make manual text edits to the alternate language message in the event that you wish to

provide a correction or improvement to the translated message


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Troubleshooting and Best Practices The Stationery tool is incredibly robust, but also sensitive. To ensure the best experience with this tool, follow

these guidelines.

Best Practices

Adding Images

• The design doesn't exceed 600 pixels in width.


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• Email clients do not display images by default, so it's a good idea to avoid conveying important content

of your message within.

• Files should not exceed 750 kB in size.

• Keep the image at 100%.

• The best formats to use for images in emails are .jpg or .gif.

Adding and Removing Sections

• Turn ON the Show Blocks button to clearly see each section.

• Copy and paste sections you want more of.

• Remove sections by highlighting the text and tapping delete.

Locking Sections

Turn OFF the Show Blocks button to avoid confusion.

Lock sections that you don’t want others to change like the header and footer of your stationery.

Running Into Issues

Avoid turning to the Source button (viewing the stationery in HTML format) to resolve issues with

sections. Changing the code tends to further break the stationery than to fix it.

Use the Undo/Redo keys (or keyboard shortcuts) to undo actions if you make mistakes.

Contact our support teams if you require assistance.

Troubleshooting

Why am I not able to send any emails at all?

Your administrator likely has set your account to use stationery only and there have not been any stationery

templates yet created. To resolve, please contact your system administrator.


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Why can’t my subscribers to my stationery see the stationery in their Messages

tab?

When you publish your stationery, users will be access the stationery when they create an email broadcast. Your

published stationery will be amongst the other stationery templates available.

Why doesn’t my image doesn’t appear properly when I insert it into the section?

Your image may be too large for the section. Try resizing the image to make it smaller. Ensure that it doesn’t

exceed 750 kb in size and doesn’t exceed 600 pixels in width.

Why is it that when I add a section using copy and paste, extra, unwanted boxes

appear?

You may be pasting the section in an area outside of where you intend it to go. To resolve, undo your action.

Copy the section you want to add and make sure your text cursor is at the very end of the section you want to

copy. Paste the copied section.

There are too many sections in the stationery template I’m using and I want to

remove some. How do I do that?

Delete all of the content in the section first. Then press delete again.

How do I use color hex codes to change the colors of certain sections of my

stationery using the Theme Manager?

There is currently no option to apply color hex codes in the theme manager. There is only that option when

changing the color of your text or the highlight color behind the text.

I’m locking sections and I’m seeing extra boxes appearing around my locked

section. Am I breaking something?

If you have the Show Blocks button on, you will see the extra DIV box being created around your locked section.

To avoid confusion, simply turn off the Show Blocks button.


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Questions? If you have any questions regarding the above, please contact support.

SchoolMessenger Support Number

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 800-920-3897


Documents

Email Stationery Guide 12052019 - Resource Central