This article appeared in the February 2000 WYSIWYG newsletter.
Outlook Express 5.0
by Jack Vander-Schrier
This month I would like to cover some of the fun things you can do with Outlook Express 5.0 This program can be found when you install Internet Explorer 5.0. If you are running Internet Explorer 4.0, it is very easy to upgrade to 5.0. If you have Windows 98, just click on 'start,' then on 'windows update.' Microsoft will give you a list of upgrades for your machine, and one of the choices will be Internet Explorer 5.01. Install this upgrade and you will be on Outlook Express 5.0. One bit of warning - this will only work for those of you on the Internet directly. Sorry AOL or prodigy users.
Once you have opened Outlook Express, at the top you will see a tab that says, 'message'. Click on this and then click on 'new message', which will give you another drop down menu, and click on 'select stationery.' This will give you a list of existing stationery for your machine, but if you notice you will see a button that says 'create new.' By clicking this button you will bring up the stationery wizard. Read the start up page and then click 'next,' and you will get a form that says 'picture.' Click on the 'browse' button and click a picture that you have downloaded from the Internet, or scanned into your computer. Your picture will then appear in the box to the right. You will also see various boxes where you can move the picture to the top or bottom or to either side. You will also see a box that says 'tile.' If you click 'vertically' the picture will run up the left side of the stationery, or if you click 'horizontal' it will run across the top. You can also change the color of the stationery on this page. When you are done making your selections, click on the 'next' button.
You will then be given a box which allows you to change the fonts to something a little different than Times Roman. Pick your font and the size of the print. The larger the number the bigger the print. On this page you can also change the color of your print. When done making changes click on 'next.' You will see a box that says 'left margin' and 'top margin.' As you click on the up and the down arrows you will see the margins changing by 25 pixels at a time. If your picture is on the left side of the page, click on the up arrow a few times until the typing is to the right of the picture. This will prevent the writing from being on top of the picture. When you are done click on 'next' and type in the name of the stationery, such as "my picture" without the quotes. As soon as it is named you will get a screen that says 'my picture' in it, then click on 'ok.' You will then get a blank message with your stationery in it. If you click on the top on 'format' you will see a choice marked 'background.' Click on that and you can add sound to your stationery. Click on 'sound' and find a wav file or a midi file that you downloaded from the web or one you created using the sound recorder. Click on the browse button to find the music in your PC. You can then choose if you want to play the song once or up to 99 times. After you click 'ok' you can create your message. Click on 'send' and the person at the other end will be amazed what you were able to do on your computer.
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