Sending HTML Newsletters

[Simcfc73]

i've been tasked to do a HTML newsletter but am having some trouble.

I do the page in dreamweaver and follow the rules about no CSS and putting the tags in the right place. Outlook 2003 won't let me do it and Outlook 2007 seems to have taken a backwards step ( http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070115-8619.html ) outlook express which lets me install the HTML codes into an email embeds the images and so does thunderbird.

When I try and send emails it attaches the images even though I have filled in a full web address for the image. When I look at the code when I recieve it its changed it to add a atatchment.

Please help.

[DMcCoy]

Lots of email programs remove inline images too, I have outlook set to plain text only.

How about making the newsletter being part of the website and linking to that instead?

[SimpleSi]

Normally I hate answer that say do it another way but in this case - do it another way.

Email link to web as above is simplest.

Anothrr excellent way (well only cause its the way I do it ) is to print newsletter to pdf using a virtual pdf printer and upload the pdf.

Follow newsletters on this site http://www.howick.lancs.sch.uk/ to see what I mean.

Advantages

Newsletters can be written in anything Word, Publisher etc.

Disavadvantages
PDFs can be big sized - usually not good for dial-up users.
Need PDF reader (but most have it - put link to download on web site)

[budgester]

i've been tasked to do a HTML newsletter but am having some trouble.

I do the page in dreamweaver and follow the rules about no CSS and putting the tags in the right place. Outlook 2003 won't let me do it and Outlook 2007 seems to have taken a backwards step ( http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070115-8619.html ) outlook express which lets me install the HTML codes into an email embeds the images and so does thunderbird.

So your sending out HTML emails with links to images etc.

Did you not try and tell the powers that be, that this is not a nice thing to do ?

Apart from the fact this is going to get marked as spam in so many mail clients. Email should be nice simple text.

Send out a email with a web address to download a newletter.

Regards

Budgester

Another vote for the PDF route. Can then sen this out via email and stick onto the school website.

[Heebeejeebee]

We have a pdf newsletter generated on the fly when the newsletter page is visited. Consequently this pdf is always up to date . It pulls the specified ammount of "latest" news articles and add the Heads messages and other general news items.

We also mail shot our newsletter subscribers when ever a new article is put up. The mailshot is dynamic so that if a subscriber has a year 7 student and a year 11 student in the school they only get the relevant year news and the general school news etc.

We are experimenting with an html/plain text version news letter as a mail shot but are finding that it behaves differently depending on the mail proggy used, ie RM EasyMail (spit) adds erroneous exclamation marks but Squirrel mail treats it ok. I think we'll ditch it and stick with the links to the news articles. It just works.

HBJB

[SimpleSi]

Have yoiu got a link for your site.

How is the pdf generated on the fly?

regards

Simon

[Heebeejeebee]

Sorry, just got in!

PDF is generated by php and some fancy add on that does the trick. I forget exactly which one at the moment. Can find out though.

Site is removed but it's a bit crippled right now since I've just started moving 400 odd curriculum pcs into a new domain (re-imaging at the same time) and our web server is one of them. All you'll get is the external bit with none of the content that's soaped from internal. Check back after half term.

Once all the references from the old domain/ip range are removed from the php code and replaced with the new ones it'll be back up.

HBJB

[Friez]

To answer HBJB: We use FPDF, It's a free PDF library for PHP. Check it out at: http://www.fpdf.org/

[Heebeejeebee]

Yep that's the one

lol - Friez is the one that found it for us.

HBJB

[plugged_in]

If you are looking to send emails dynamically from a backend system.
This is what i would do. Create a system that collects the user email address and name (and/or other details).
I think you said you are using dreamweaver so i would recommend an extension.
Smart Mailer PHP, however this is not free.

[webman]

I'm sure there'd be an array of Free newsletter scripts on Sourceforge.

[plugged_in]

o yeah coming to think of it i remember this one:
http://www.phplist.com/
Seem very good alot of commercial companies use it.

[Kained]

a bit off topic but anyone have a link to a free pdf generator for asp ?