Probably simple but I cannot figure it out! Creating a newsletter / emailing

[Lucylish]

Hi there,

I'm a beginner Xara user (do have abode design experience) and am needing to creating a newsletter to email out for my new job. I've made a lovely design, inserted links etc etc, it all works fine when in Xara.

How to I get it into outlook? or anywhere else to mail it out? I've been able to get the image to transfer, via various different methods but I cannot get the links to transfer. They just disappear and it becomes a flat image.

When I insert the HTML as text it pastes the elements of the design but in no coherant order! Please help!


Lucy

[steve.ledger]

You can't use Xara Designer for html newsletter emails. Best not to waste time on this.

[Lucylish]

Thank you! I did wonder I will stop now and use mailchimp...

[csehz]

I was considering also this how to put to Outlook a newsletter designed in Xara, it is pity to hear this

For example as the Word .docx support was so advertised in XDPX9, which is an Office application and those are quite well integrated to each other, so the Outlook maybe should not be so far.

Just an idea but putting the design from Xara to Word and from there with some office method to Outlook

[slavelle]

Making Outlook email templates is a pain because of the html support offered there. You have to have styles embedded, all images need to be remotely referenced (not in a folder under the code pages, which is what Xara tries to create but can't put into Outlook). HTML Tables are best in this case for any layout that has to go past basic 1 column, and I HATE HTML tables.

As sledger indicated - don't waste your time trying to make this work. Mailchimp is a great system and they have worked out all the layout bugs for you for many of the mail clients (Outlook, Live Mail, Gmail, etc). You can certainly use graphics from your Xara application for the design elements to bring your branding/colors in. Like everything, it takes a bit of work, but once you create the "template" there, you can reuse it for future mailings.

Hope that adds something.

[Big Frank]

xara themselves use inxmail pro4 for their mailshots (i guess cos magix use them too) but then i wouldn't expect any company to use a graphic design app, even their own, as an email marketing tool
but it'd be nice to think some of the graphics were created in xara (no evidence found for or against)

www.inxmail.com

[angelize]

Hi Lucy, Welcome to Talkgraphics

I use MailChimp to create html newsletters on a regular basis and all my graphics are created in Xara. TBH using a service like mailchimp is better and safer than trying to do it yourself via Outlook or any other e-mail client. There are anti spam laws in pretty much every country around the world and there can be very large penalties if you run a foul of those laws. MailChimp and other services can make sure that your campaigns don't get caught in spam filters or get you in trouble. And they also provide automated lists and sign ups.

I have a Mail chimp sign up form embedded in my Xara created site and I also used Xara to create a custom tab for my facebook page with the sign up form there as well. And from the Website to the mailchimp newsletter to the facebook page all colours and images are consistent.