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Easy Stationery Script

The actual script starts here.

On the companion page this script is explained, line by line, with clear directions for editing each part.

By using this script you’ll have more control and get much better results than with the Create Stationery Wizard. Each part—the background, the picture, the frame and the colour of the area on which you type your message—can be edited to use your own pictures and ideas.

As you type your message, the frame will expand downwards and text will flow under the picture. If, on the other hand, you have a smaller picture and a short message, the frame will contract upwards so that everything fits neatly.

autumn email

Using This Script

To use the script, copy it and paste it into Notepad or some other plain text editor. I use a program called NoteTab. Don’t try to do this work in Word, Word Pro, Word Perfect or any other word processor. These all put in special hidden characters which, although they are essential for making attractive printed documents, in this case would spoil your work.

If you’re not sure about copying and pasting, do this:

  1. Have a new file open in your plain text editor program.
  2. Click before the beginning of what you want to copy. (Nothing appears to happen. Don’t worry.)
  3. Hold the shift key down and keep holding it while you scroll to the end of what you want to copy.
  4. Still holding the shift key, click. Everything you want to copy should now be highlighted.
  5. Let go of the shift key and press and hold the ctrl key. Tap c.
  6. Let go of ctrl.
  7. Click into the file where you want to paste.
  8. Press and hold the ctrl key and tap v. The copied text should appear.

Now save your new stationery file. Give it a file name that reminds you what it is—“basic” would be a good idea—and make the extension htm or html. NotePad doesn’t offer these extensions, but if you use the drop-down list in the Save box and click All Files you can type the extension yourself. Your file will be basic.htm or basic.html. Drag the file onto the shortcut to your stationery folder.

If you don’t have a handy shortcut to your stationery folder, it’s a very good idea to make one, as the path you must “drill down” (navigate) to reach it is a long one.
It’s My Computer\C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery.

Put the image files that you mean to use with the stationery into the same folder.

If you double click basic.htm at any time, it should open in a browser window. Once you’ve changed the names of the two image files (your background tile and the picture you mean to use) you’ll see the beginning of your version of the stationery.

By the way, you can’t type on the file when it’s open in a browser window. You can do so when you choose it as stationery in Outlook Express, though.


<html>
<head>

<style type="text/css">

body {margin-top:.5em;}

.tab1 {
border-width:10;
border-style:ridge;
border-right-color:#cc9966;
border-bottom-color:#cc9966;
border-top-color:#ffcc00;
border-left-color:#ffcc00;
color:#663300;
background:#ffffcc;
font-family:"comic sans ms", arial, sans-serif;
font-size:medium;}

.lt {float:left;margin-right:10px;}


</style>

</head>

<body bgColor="#ffffcc" background="C:\Program 
Files\Common Files\Microsoft 
Shared\Stationery\autumn_gold.jpg">

<center>
<table class="tab1" width="85%"
summary="This table is to create a plain background for text">
  <tr>
    <td width="100%"><img src="autumnpath.jpg" width="200" height="296"
alt="our path in autumn" class="lt">
Select this text and type over it.</td></tr></table></center>


</body>
</html>

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