Stationery - Configuring Stationery

This article describes how to set up and test Stationery Layouts, and is intended for Administrators.

Before configuring a Stationery Layout, you can upload or configure optional Stationery Components.

Introduction

Stationery Layouts can be configured with multiple clickable components, included to enhance the look and feel of an email signature, or to promote specific products or services, and are applied to outbound email messages. 
This allows you to consolidate the corporate Identity of the organization, as well as ensuring that the legal compliance disclaimers are applied to all email messages.

• You can use Policies to apply the same stationery to user emails, thus eliminating the need to create individual email signatures, branding elements, and legal disclaimers from the email client. 
• Users are unable to modify the content of the Stationery Layouts that are applied to emails but may be allowed to select from different versions of stationery available.
• You are also able to create different Stationery Layouts for different groups or domains in the organization and apply these using policies.
• Additional versions of stationery can be created for different purposes. For example, stationery for the sales team or support team, or for all users over the holiday season.

Prerequisites 

Before creating or updating a Stationery Layout, you need to have:

• Administrator access to the Stationery section of the Mimecast Administration Console.
• Personal stationery creation is disabled in your users' email clients (e.g., Microsoft Outlook).
• Groups set up as required (e.g. to allow you to apply different stationery to specific users or groups, or to collect email addresses from click actions in Stationery Layouts, e.g., subscriptions).
• Attribute data set up as required.
• Policies set up as required.
• Additionally, you may wish to:
  • Create a Stationery Layout Brief. 
  • Set up Click Actions.
  • Set up Images.
  • Set up Micro Sites.

Configuring Attribute data

You can use a Stationery Layout to apply branding to incoming or outgoing emails, or email delivery routing policies.
This can include properties or characteristics of a user's email address defined in Mimecast as attributes. Once created, they apply to all internal and external domains. Examples include:

• Email address.
• Name
• Title
• Telephone number

Attributes can be used in a number of ways. For example:

• Populate a business card by selecting attributes to be included in the email signature. Using an attribute to populate this data is useful, as it allows you to centralize the data for all users.
• In the To or From variables field of a Policy. A Delivery Route policy can be set to deliver all inbound emails for accounts housed on a specific email server, to a specific mail server IP address. In a Microsoft Exchange environment, this can be achieved using a LDAP attribute called msexchhomeservername.

User information that you want to use in a Stationery Layouts must be present in their email address. If any data is missing, there may be gaps in the signature components. 
You can ensure the data is present by:

• Using a spreadsheet to manually import data into Mimecast. See Importing Users via a Spreadsheet.
• Synchronizing your email directory (e.g. Azure Active Directory) to automatically populate the data in Mimecast.

Once the attribute data has been prepared, the attributes can be created in Mimecast. How this occurs depends on how you prepared the attribute data:

• If you imported the data manually using the Spreadsheet Import, the attributes are automatically created. Additionally, the data from the user email addresses is used to populate the attribute.
• If you are synchronizing your email directory, query your directory to determine the prompts used for the attributes. Mimecast runs a standard LDAP query to discover data items. It is important to use the prompt as specified on the directory when creating attributes in Mimecast. Each attribute must be manually created. Following this, a Directory Synchronization must be run to populate the attributes. Below is a table of some common attributes:

Use the Directory Browser to query the directory and return the list of attributes in use. The list below is not exhaustive. Additionally the attribute names in your directory may have been changed from their default settings.

Attribute Prompt	Example	Description
givenname	John	The user's first name.
sn	Smith	The user's last name.
mail	[e-mail]	The user's email address.
company	Mimecast	The company or organization name.
department	Sales	The department of the company or organization the user belongs to.

Attributes for a user address can also be set using a Click Action. However they cannot be deleted if they are in use by a Click Action. If a change is required to an LDAP attribute, it must be changed in the Mimecast Administration Console, before performing a Directory Synchronization.

Creating Stationery Components

You can create Stationery Components, to be used when configuring Stationery Layouts.

Click Actions

Click Actions can be added to components in outbound messages (e.g. to take a user to your company website). 
Statistical data can be collected on the clickable components, allowing you to improve the effectiveness of your Stationery Layouts.

Ensure that you have:

• The full URL of a redirect, if you're using one.
• Created a Micro Site, if required.
• Created a placeholder Group, to which the click action is directed, if you need to capture a user's email address.

You can create a Click Action, by using the following steps:

1. Log in to the Mimecast Administration Console.
2. Navigate to Stationery | Actions.
3. Select a folder to add the Click Action to, by either:

•  
  • Selecting a folder in the left hand panel.
  • Creating a new folder by right clicking a folder and selecting the Create New Folder action "+".

4. In the folder, click on New Click Action.
5. Enter details for the Click Action:

•  
  • Description: Provide a unique descriptive name for the click action.
  • Log Click Activities: Selecting this option collects statistical information on activities generated by this Click Action.
  • Log Click Unique Clicks Only: Selecting this option affects the reach of the Click Action, as it only captures the user's address once, regardless of how many times they click on the component. 
    You can de-select it to measure the response, or success, of the click action. It will capture the user's email address each time they click, regardless of whether they've already clicked on the component.
  • Click Destination Type: Select the required option:
    • Click Re-direction Not Set: No redirect is set. This is useful where you want the user's email address to be recorded, but for user to remain inside the email.
    • Re-direct to Internet URL: Redirects the user to a website. When this option is selected, a text entry field is displayed into which the website's full URL can be entered (e.g. https://www.mimecast.com).
    • Re-direct to Microsite: Redirects the user to a Micro Site. When this option is selected, a lookup arrow is displayed to the right of the field. Click this to select the required Micro Site.
  • Profile Group Settings (Click Adds to Group, Click Removes from Group, Click Toggles from Group): You can use these lookup fields to specify a folder to record the email addresses of users that click on a component. The click action can be used to:
    • Add the email address to a group.
    • Remove the email address from a group (i.e. unsubscribe).
    • Add the email address to one group, and remove it from another.
    • Click the lookup arrow to the right of the field to select a group.
    • If a folder is not specified, the email addresses are not recorded, but the redirect still takes place.
  • Set Attribute: Changes the property of a user's email address, when they click on a component. E.g., creating an attribute for Location - UK. so that when the user clicks on the component, the attribute value is set to True. 

6. Click on Save and Exit.

Subscribe and Un-subscribe Actions

You can use Click Actions to allow your customers to  Subscribe or Un-subscribe to your newsletter.
You can create a Subscribe / Un-subscribe button by using the following steps:

1. Create a Group which will hold the list of the email addresses of the people who wish to subscribe. When the email recipient clicks the Subscribe Image in the Email Stationery, their name will be automatically added to the subscriber group.
2. Create an Image component for Subscribe or Un-subscribe
3. Create a Click Action for the Subscribe Action. In the Action Layout select which Group the recipient's email address is added to. The URL redirection could point to a Micro Site which confirms the subscription.
4. You can use similar steps to create an Un-subscribe button.

Including images in your Stationery Layouts (e.g. company branding, or photos) helps to keep your company's branding consistent in emails sent to external recipients. These can be:

•  
  • Static elements that don't perform actions (e.g. company branding).
  • Clickable components (e.g. to record a user's email address, promote products / services). See Actions. Clicks generated by the image are available in Reporting.

Images used must:

• Be a common image file format (e.g. .GIF, .JPG, .JPEG, or .PNG).
• Have a minimum resolution of 72 dpi.

A guideline for image sizes is 270px for width, and 100px in height. However, almost any dimensions can be used (e.g. vertical or horizontal banners).

Images

Uploading a New Image

You can upload an Image, by using the following steps:

1. Log on to the Mimecast Administration Console.
2. Navigate to Stationery | Images.
3. Select a folder to add the Image to, by either:

•  
  • Selecting a folder in the left hand panel.
  • Creating a new folder by right clicking a folder and selecting the Create New Folder action "+".

4.   In the folder, click on New Image.

   You cannot place an image in the Root folder.

5. Enter details for the Image:

•  
  • Select Image: Click on Browse... to select on the image you wish to use. Once a file has been selected, the filename will be displayed next to Browse... 
  • Image Information: This display-only field displays information about your uploaded image (e.g. file path, file size). When uploading a new image, this field displays Not Loaded.

6.   Click on Upload and Preview. A preview of the image is displayed.
7. Click on Save and Exit. All the images located in the same folder are displayed.

Moving an Image

You can move an image between folders in the Stationery Images structure, by using the following steps:

1. Log on to the Mimecast Administration Console.
2. Navigate to Stationery | Images.
3. Select the Folder where the Image is located.
4. Right click on the Image and select Move Image.
5. Select the Folder to move the Image to.

Removing an Image

You can remove an Image from the Stationery Images structure, by using the following steps:

1. Log on to the Mimecast Administration Console.
2. Navigate to Stationery | Images.
3. Select the Folder where the Image is located.
4. Right click on the Image and select Remove Image.

You can only remove an image if:

•  
  • It isn't used in a Stationery Layout.
  • There's no data associated with it (e.g. a Click Action).

Micro Sites

Micro Sites are temporary websites with limited content, that maintain continuity with the branding in email Stationery.

They can be used for confirmation purposes during marketing campaigns, to promote a new product, or to confirm subscription to a newsletter:

• An Image can be included to promote a new product launch with the Micro Site, containing additional information about the product.
• The Stationery can be configured with a newsletter Subscribe or Unsubscribe link, with the Micro Site used to confirm the option the user clicked.
• As each Micro Site is hosted in Mimecast, no special access or FTP details are needed to publish it.
• Micro Sites are managed and maintained by the Administrator. This reduces the need to create Micro Sites as part of the main company website.

Micro Sites can consist of HTML and / or image files, thereby allowing Administrators to create the site in HTML or as a single image.

• If created in HTML, the file must have a .HTM or .HTML file format.
• If created as an image, any common image file format can be used. This includes .BMP, .GIF, .JPG, .PNG, and .TIFF.

These elements can be used either independently or simultaneously, as images display above the HTML. If HTML is used, only pure HTML is allowed. No executable scripts (e.g. JavaScript, VBScript) are allowed.

You can create a new Micro Site, by using the following steps:

1. Log on to the Mimecast Administration Console.
2. Navigate to Stationery | Micro Sites.
3. Click on New Micro Site.
4. Enter details for the Micro Site:

•  
  • Description: Enter a comprehensive description for the Micro Site.
  • Page Title: Enter the text that will be displayed in the Title Bar of the web browser.
  • Background Colour: Specify a background color, the default being white. To specify a color, select the color displayed and either:
    • Type a color Name (e.g. Red, White, Blue, Green).
    • Enter a color’s HTML (Hex) code (e.g. #FF0000, #FFFFFF).
    • Select a color from the left hand Color Grid.
    • Use the right hand grids to select the required color.
  • Image Alternate Text: If you're uploading an image, use this field to specify the hover-over text for it.
  • Clickthrough URL: If you're uploading an image, use this field to specify the URL the user is redirected to, if they click on it. The full URL must be entered (e.g. http://www.mimecast.com).
  • Upload Site Image: Select the Choose File button to specify the image to be used in the Micro Site. Once selected, the file name is displayed.
  • Image Information: This displays information for uploaded image, including its location and size. This information will not be populated until the Micro Site has been uploaded.
  • Upload Site HTML: Select the Choose File button to specify the pre-configured HTML file to be used in the Micro Site. Once selected, the file name is displayed.
  • HTML Information: Displays information of the uploaded HTML page, including its location and size. This information will not be populated until the Micro Site has been uploaded.

5. Click on Save and Exit. Once the Micro Site record has been saved, the Site Preview section at the bottom of the page displays a preview of the Micro Site.

Templates

We provide pre-defined Stationery Layout Templates, that can be customized and applied to your Stationery Layouts. These are accessible through the Layouts editor.

You can create customized HTML for Mimecast Stationery in a separate HTML application, which must be upload into Mimecast before use.

When creating the layout, remember to include the Mimecast HTML tags.

An optional thumbnail GIF image can also be designed to be included with the upload, which helps to identify the layout components of this particular template.

If you don't provide one, Mimecast will apply a default image to your layout.

You can create a new Template, by using the following steps:

1. Log on to the Mimecast Administration Console.
2. Navigate to Stationery | Templates.
3. Select a folder to add the Template to, by either:

•  
  • Selecting a Folder in the left hand panel.
  • Creating a New folder by right clicking a folder and selecting the Create New Folder action "+".

4.  In the folder, click on New Custom Layout.

   You cannot place a Template in the Root folder.

5. Enter details for the Template:

•  
  • Description: Enter a description that helps confirm the components of the Template (e.g. basic disclaimer and company logo).
  • Survey Capable: If selected, this increases the reporting options for the Template.
  • Upload Template: Click on Choose File to select the pre-prepared HTML (or HTM) template file. If an existing HTML file is not available, the HTML for Template can be edited by clicking on the Edit Source button. This displays Source Editor, where the HTML for the template can be amended. 
  • Template Information: This automatically populated once a template file has been selected.
  • Upload Preview Image: Click the Choose File button to select a GIF image. If one is not selected, Mimecast will apply a default image. The preview image should have 90px x 90px dimensions.
  • Preview Image Information: This is automatically populated once a template files has been selected.

6. To preview the HTML and Image uploads, click on the Preview.
7. Click on Save and Exit.

Configuring Stationery

All email messages are created in both HTML and Plain Text. Consequently, each Stationery Layout is also created in both formats. These define where each stationery component is placed, and how the user interacts with them.
You can also create the HTML version by using a pre-defined or customized Template.

Configuring Stationery Layouts

You can create a new Stationery Layout, by using the following steps:

1. Log on to the Mimecast Administration Console.
2. Navigate to Stationery | Layouts.
3. Select a folder to add the Stationery Layout to, by either:

•  
  • Selecting a folder in the left hand panel.
  • Creating a new folder by right clicking a folder and selecting the Create New Folder action "+".

4. In the folder, click on New Item.

   You cannot place a Stationery Layout in the Root folder.

5. Enter details for the Stationery Layout:

•  
  • Description: Enter a unique description for the Stationery Layout.
  • Unique Identification Text: Enter text that is unique to the Stationery Layout. This ensures that stationery layouts are not applied to reply threads of email communication chains. 

  • Short Code: Provide a unique reference for this stationery layout. This is used in an email message's subject line, to force the application of a stationery layout (e.g. "<ins defaultlayout> This is the subject line of the email.").

    Short Codes are designed for testing Signatures.
    When sending emails, they may be used to initiate specific stationery layouts if Mimecast for Outlook is not available.
    They are not supported for any other purposes.

  • Survey: If selected, this records Click Actions from components added to the Stationery Layout (log click activities and log unique clicks only).
  • Create missing HTML Body: If selected, the HTML stationery layout is delivered to the recipient by default. If the recipient is unable to accept the HTML content, the Plain Text Layout is automatically sent instead. If this option is unselected, the Plain Text Layout is delivered by default.
  • Link Images (Embedded by Default): Each image component is included in the email body by default, which means they will display correctly in the message, but increase the overall message size. 
    If selected, the images are linked from the email, and will download if the recipient chooses to do so.

6.   You can optionally configure the following:

•  
  • Hide Borders: This suppresses the display of borders around images.
  • Select Layout: Use this to select a Template, by clicking on the thumbnail of the required item:
    • Expanding the Account Layouts under Layout Folders displays your saved Templates. 
    • Clicking on System Layouts displays pre-defined Templates.
  • View HTML: This displays the Stationery Layout's HTML view.
  • Edit HTML: Use this to manually amend the the stationery layout's HTML view. 
  • View Plain: This displays the stationery layout's plain text view.

  • Edit Plain Text: button to amend the stationery layout's plain text view.

    These options are not available if the plain text view is displayed.

7. Click on Save and Exit.
8. You can click a saved Stationery Layout, to amend and save the configuration.

Adding Attributes to a Stationery Layout

Stationery Layouts can be populated with specific user information, from your Active Directory, that was set up when Configuring Attribute Data.

You can add an Attribute to a Stationery Layout, by using the following steps:

1. Log on to the Mimecast Administration Console.
2. Navigate to Stationery | Layouts.
3. Select a  Stationery Layout.
4. Click on the Edit HTML button, and add the required HTML tags in the HTML Editor (see below).
5. Add the HTML tags in the Plain Text version of the same stationery layout (see below).
6. Click on Save and Preview.
7. Click on Save and Exit.

It's important to test that the attributes display correctly after you have added the tags to the stationery layout.
Although the HTML tags may be added correctly, the attribute data may not have been populated resulting in the attribute data not being displayed.

As a cloud service, Mimecast does not apply signatures and disclaimers to internal emails.

Available Attributes

All attributes are added to a stationery layout using the following HTML Tag syntax:

<MC Type="Variable" Source="From" Attribute="cn">

Where:

• MC Type="Variable" = The Mimecast HTML tag for attributes.
• Source="From" or Source="To" = The attribute's source (i.e. FROM the sender or TO the recipient).
• Attribute="cn" = The attribute's common name in your Active Directory, from which the data needs to be returned.

For example:

Example	Description
<MC Type="variable" source="from" attribute="givenname">	Adds the sender's first name, e.g. "John".
<MC Type="variable" source="from" attribute="sn">	Adds the sender's surname, e.g. "Brown".
<MC Type="variable" source="from" attribute="company">	Adds the sender's company, e.g. "Mimecast Services Ltd".
<MC Type="variable" source="from" attribute="wwwhomepage">	Adds the company homepage, e.g. "mimecast.com".
<MC Type="variable" source="from" attribute="title">	Adds the sender's job title, e.g. "Senior Engineer".
<MC Type="variable" source="from" attribute="facsimiletelephonenumber">	Adds the sender's business fax machine number.
<MC Type="variable" source="from" attribute="cn">	Adds the sender's full common name, e.g. "John Brown"
<MC Type="variable" source="from" attribute="telephonenumber">	Adds the sender's business telephone number.
<MC Type="variable" source="from" attribute="l">	Adds the sender's location, e.g. "London".
<MC Type="variable" source="from" attribute="streetaddress">	Adds the sender's street address, e.g. "One Silver Street"
<MC Type="variable" source="from" attribute="postalcode">	Adds the sender's postcode, e.g. "EC1 50A"
<MC Type="variable" source="from" attribute="mobile">	Adds the sender's mobile number.

Your directory is unlikely to have details for the recipient. Therefore source="to" is not likely to be valid.

You can also add attributes derived directly from a user's email address. They do not need to be created as an attribute in Mimecast, as this data is already present. In this case, the attribute="email" value changes to variable="email". Take the following examples:

Example	Description
<mc type="variable" source="from" variable="domain">	Adds the sender's domain name.
<MC Type="variable" source="from" variable="email" link="mailto"/>	Adds the sender's email address. Including the link="mailto"/ value makes the email address a clickable link.
<mc type="variable" source="to" variable="domain">	Adds the recipient's domain name.
<MC Type="variable" source="to" variable="email" link="mailfrom"/>	Adds the recipient's email address. Including the link="mailfrom"/ value makes the email address a clickable link.
<mc type="variable" source="from" variable="name">	Adds the sender's distinguished name.
<mc type="variable" source="to" variable="name">	Adds the recipient's distinguished name.
<mc type="variable" variable="subject">	Adds the email's subject.
<mc type="variable" variable="messagedate">	Adds the email's sent date.
<mc type="variable" variable="date" format="dd-MM-yyyy">	Adds the current date in the format dd-MM-yyyy. The supported date formats are YYYY-MM-DD, DD-MM-YYYY, or MM-DD-YYYY.
<mc type="variable" variable="time">	Adds the current time.
<mc type="variable" variable="datetime">	Add the current date and time.

Conditional Attributes

If an email user doesn't have an attribute populated in the email directory, you can add a condition to the HTML tag. For example, a user may not have a company mobile phone. In these cases, the signature caters for this by not including any text indicating a mobile number. There are two methods of accommodating this:

• Do not display an attribute if it is not populated in the email directory. In the example below, if a user has no mobile telephone number, the "Mobile" text is not included:

  <cc type="conditional" source="from" attribute="mobile" condition="notempty">
  Mobile :
  <mc type="variable" source="from" attribute="mobile">
  </cc>

• Display a default telephone number. In the example below, if a user has no mobile telephone number, the default number (0876876876) is used.

  Mobile :
  <mc type="variable" source="from" attribute="mobile" default="0876876876">

Conditional HTML elements cannot be used within tables.

Inline Signatures

Signatures can be applied to emails with the use of Stationery and Attributes.

Applying Stationery to Emails

When an email is processed through a Stationery Assignment Policy, Stationery Layout components are applied to the message. The original email is kept as a single unit, and through the use of HTML tags, Stationery components are placed around the original email message.
For example, a Stationery item is created in Mimecast to apply the company logo at the top of the message, a signature below the message, and a disclaimer below the signature. A sender would compose and send an email message as per normal. Mimecast would then wrap the Stationery components around the message body, and deliver the email contents to the recipient. In this way, the message is not modified in any way, and Mimecast has simply added content around the original email itself.
Without additional configuration, Mimecast will continue to re-apply the email branding to each email - i.e. if the recipient of the email replies, and then the original sender replies to the email as well, it is treated as a regular outbound email. Mimecast will then keep the original message intact (with all the replies), and apply the logo, signature, and disclaimer to the whole email once again. This will lead to the repetitive application of Stationery components.

If a sender applies an email signature or other Stationery components from within their email application, and Mimecast is configured to apply similar elements, it is likely that multiple instances of the components will be applied to the same email message.

Mimecast can be configured to not re-apply email Stationery components through the use of Unique Identification Text (UIT). The UIT is applied as part of the first email Stationery set of components, so if that same message passes through Mimecast again, the UIT is recognized. Mimecast does not re-apply the Stationery components. See Unique Identification Text in the Properties section of Configuring Stationery Layouts.

Adding Signatures to Replies and Forwards

If your organization needs to apply signatures under each Reply within the email chain, a modification to the Stationery HTML is required.
You can do this by using one of the following solutions.

Using comment tags

Typically, the <MC Type=Body> tag is used to insert the entire email chain, and the rest of the Stationery components are wrapped around this single entity. The Body tag can be replaced with two separate tags, which will allow the insertion of the Signature at the reply thread, as follows:

Comment Tag	Description
<mc type="Comment">	Inserts the last reply from the email chain only.
<mc type="previouscomment">	Inserts the rest of the email chain, excluding the latest reply.

The placement of the tags is important to consider. The example below shows a simple Layout:

HTML Code	Output
<html><head></head> <body> <mc type="clickimage" code="imagetop"> <br /> <br /> <mc type="comment"> <br /> [Signature elements, e.g. Attributes] <br/> <mc type="previouscomment"> <br/> [Disclaimer] </body>	[Image] [Body - only the most recent reply in the chain] [Signature elements] [All other threads in the email chain] [Disclaimer]

The UIT must be disabled when using the Comment / Previouscomment tags, to apply in line reply signatures.

Repetition of disclaimers

Using the Comment or Previouscomment configuration as described above results in the repetition of Disclaimers at the bottom of the email chain.
To avoid this repetition, a Content Examination Policy must be used to identify if the Disclaimer has been applied on the current email, and if it has, to override the Stationery Policy with a secondary Stationery Layout. This Secondary Layout will not contain the Disclaimer.

You can configure this, by using the following steps:

1. Duplicate the Stationery Layout (right-click the Layout and select Copy).
2. Configure the new layout to remove the disclaimer, then save the changes to both the HTML and Plain Text versions.
3. Create a Content Examination Definition to match part of the disclaimer, and set the Stationery Override to apply the new Stationery Layout copy.
4. Create a Content Examination Policy that matches the Stationery Assignment policy for the original Stationery Layout (typically, this would be from Internal to External addresses, if applying to all outbound emails).

Other solutions

If your organization needs Signatures to be applied to reply and forwarded email threads, there are two other potential workaround options:

• Use the native Signature functionality within the user email application for Replies and Forwards only. In this way, Mimecast will only apply full email Stationery components on new email messages, and the user application will correctly insert the signature for each reply/forward thread.
• Apply a hybrid model of Mimecast Stationery. Email branding and signatures are applied by the user's email server, and Mimecast applies components such as the legal disclaimer.

Configuring Stationery Components

Customizing HTML in the Stationery Layout

There are a number of Mimecast-specific HTML tags, that can only be used within the Source Editor within your Stationery Layouts, to design your stationery. The information specified is populated when the stationery is applied to the emails. The tags are typically formatted as:
<MC type=Tag>

Tag	Example(s)	Description
body	<mc type=body>	Inserts the body of the email message composed by the internal domain user. If the tag is omitted, the body of the email is not included with the stationery components.
comment	<mc type=comment>	Inserts that last reply from the email only. This tag can replace the <mc type=body> tag. This is useful to apply signatures in line with the reply thread in an email conversation chain. Typically this is used in conjunction with the <mc type=previouscomment> tag as described below.
previouscomment	<mc type=previouscomment>	Inserts the rest of the email chain, excluding the latest reply. This is typically used in conjunction with the <mc type=comment> tag as described above. The combination of the <mc type=comment> and <mc type=previouscomment> tags equate to the <mc type=body> tag.
clickimage	<mc type=clickimage code=X> (where X is a unique image identifier). <mc type=clickimage code=X>  <mc type=clickimage code=companylogo>  <mc type=clickimage code=imagebottom resize=true>	Inserts a placeholder for an image in the stationery item. The image is rendered clickable through the use of a Click Action. This tag cannot be used in the Plain Text layout.
rawtext	<mc type=rawtext code=X> (where X is a unique text block identifier). <mc type=rawtext code=rawtext1>  <mc type=rawtext code=promotionalhtml>	Inserts a text block placeholder in the stationery layout. The placeholder can accommodate either plain or HTML text. This tag cannot be used in the Plain Text layout.
surveyimage	<mc type=surveyimage code=X> (where X is a unique image identi- fier). <mc type=surveyimage code=surveyimage1>  <mc type=surveyimage code=productsurvey>  <mc type=surveyimage code=imagebottom resize=true>	Adds a survey image placeholder in the stationery layout. This tag cannot be used in the Plain Text layout.
surveylink	<mc type=surveylink code=X> (where X is a unique link identifier). <mc type=surveylink code=surveylink1>  <mc type=surveylink code=servicesurvey>	Adds a survey link placeholder in the stationery layout. The survey link is rendered clickable through the use of Click Actions. This tag cannot be used in the Plain Text layout.
'variable'	See the Adding Attributes to a Stationery Layout.

Adding Social Media Tags

You can add Social Media links (e.g. X/Twitter Feed, Facebook page) into your Stationery Layouts, by adding Images and Click Actions. These can be added using the normal layout steps:

1. Create an Image for each social media link.
2. Create a Click Action for each social media site, ensuring that the web link for the specific page/feed is added.

3. In the Stationery Layout, add an HTML tag for the click image component using <MC type=clickimage> and associate each social media click image tag with the required Click Action and Image.

   Click images are not supported in the plain text version of the stationery.

Adding Google Analytics Actions

Your email signature banners and click-throughs may be part of a wider marketing campaign, and you may wish to see how the email marketing is performing, compared to your other media. 
You can use Urchin Tracking Codes (UTM) if you are using Google Analytics to track your campaign, and add these to the Click Link URL, by using the following format example:

www.companywebsite?utm_source=logoa&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaignid

• UTM_SOURCE - CAMPAIGN SOURCE:  Identifies where exactly your ad appears. That can be a specific portal name, social network name or similar.For emails, this could be the name of the image you are using and so determine which images is attracting the more clicks.
• UTM_MEDIUM - CAMPAIGN MEDIUM: Identifies the way your ad appears (e.g. email).

• UTM_CAMPAIGN CAMPAIGN NAME: This should be the name of your campaign. A group of your ads through various mediums (banners, newsletters, articles) that cover the same topic.

  All of the above URL Attributes are mandatory

Adding CSS

Referencing external files and scripts is a security risk for the email recipient, so stationery and notifications HTML does not support active scripts (e.g. JavaScript, VBScript) or external Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).
An example of style applied to <p> elements in a separate style sheet or in the head of your HTML page:

p { line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px;</html>

Styles like this apply to all paragraphs in your page. However, some email clients (e.g. Gmail) strip out such styles, meaning the paragraphs are styled according to whatever default the email client uses, or by the webmail client's own style sheet.
You can add a style in the HTML <head> section that is applied across the layout, to overcome this. In this example the background color, heading 1, and paragraph tags are given color values:

<html>
<head>
<style> body {background-color:lightgrey;} h1{color:blue;} p {color:green;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Header in Blue</h1>
<mc type="body">
<p>Some text in green.</p>
<p>Some text in green.</p
</body>
</html>

You can also apply styles inline for individual elements in your HTML. This allows you to have multiple different formats that override the default styling. 
In this example, style tags are defined in the <head> section. Instead the color styling is applied in the individual heading 1 and paragraph tags:

<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
<h1 style="color:blue">Header in Blue</h1>
<mc type="body">
<p style="color:green">Some text in green.</p>
<p style="color:red">Some text in red.</p>
</body>
</html>

You can also use a mixture of styling in the <head> section and individual elements in your HTML. This allows you to specify a default for styling elements, but override this as the need arises. 
In this example the background color, heading 1, and paragraph tags are given color values in the <head> section, but the second <p> tag has an override to change the text color.

<html>
<head>
<style> body {background-color:lightgrey;} h1{color:blue;} p {color:green;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Header in Blue</h1>
<mc type="body">
<p>Some text in green.</p>
<p style="color:red">Some text in red.</p>
</body>
</html>

We suggest you don't use inline styles until you've finished the coding. Develop it all using a style tag in your <head> tag, and only once you've made all the changes apply them inline.

Assigning an image to a Stationery Layout Tag

You can assign an image to a Stationery Layout Tag, by using the following steps:

1. Click on a yellow rectangle, shown in the HTML VIEW section of the Stationery Layout details screen.

   

2. In the General Properties section, enter a Description for the Stationery Component.
3. In the Click Options section, select a Click Track Type to use a pre-defined click action:

•  
  • Direct Link to Internet URL (No Tracking): Use a Direct Link to a URL, without any tracking elements. Use the URL field to enter the required URL.
  • Direct Link to Microsite (No Tracking): Use a Micro Site without any tracking elements. Use the Lookup button, next to the Microsite field, to select the Micro Site you wish to use.
  • Static Image (No Tracking, No Clickthrough): The image will not be clickable.

4. In the Image Properties section:

•  
  • Alt Text: Enter the text to be displayed if the image cannot be shown, and when the user hovers over the image.
  • Assigned Image: Click on the Lookup button, to select on the image you wish to use. The image is previewed inside the stationery layout.

5. Click on Save and Exit.

Disabling Stationery for Meeting Requests

When Stationery Layouts are applied to outbound emails, there are occasionally problems with Meeting Requests. 
When this happens, the meeting request data is appended as an email attachment, to which branding and disclaimers are applied, according to the Stationery Assignment Policy.

You can use a Content Examination Definition to prevent Stationery being applied to Meeting Requests, or Calendar emails, by using the following steps:

1. Create a  Content Examination Definition with an Activation Score of 1.
2. In the Word/Phrase Match List field, enter:
   1 "Content-Type: text/calendar;"
3. Set the definition to Scan Message Headers only.
4. Ensure the Disable Stationery option is enabled in the Policy Override Options, and Save the definition.
5. Create a Content Examination Policy to apply the definition to the required mail flow. 

Stationery Layout Example

This section gives a worked example of how to set up a Stationery Layout, to meet your organization's stationery needs.A simple stationery layout can include:

• Contact details: These can be provided by Active Directory attributes, if set up.
• Company branding: Add legitimacy to the message and re-enforces your branding.

• Disclaimer text: This can also include required business information, such as company registered offices and regulatory details.

  

You can configure your Stationery Layout, by using the following steps:

1. Prepare an image to be inserted into the stationery and upload it as a new image. This can be in JPG, PNG or GIF format, recommended size width 270 px by height 100px, with resolution of 72dpi.
2. Identify Active Directory Attributes to be used for the contact telephone number. If no active directory is available then this can be replaced by a common telephone number for all employees.
3. Confirm the wording of a legal disclaimer with your legal counsel.
4. Create HTML and text layout using templates.

5. Edit the HTML layout. Replace the HTML with the following HTML code:

   <html>
   <head></head>
   <body>
   <!--Here is the body of the email-->
   <mc type="body">
   <!-- Place your signature below here -->
   <!--Use the following to add the senders name which is collected from the Active Directory-->
   <!--Delete any attributes from this list which you do not want to include -->
   <!--Use the following to add the senders desk telephone number which is collected from the Active Directory -->
   <!- If you want to use a common switchboard number just add this in text -->
   <br/>
   Telephone : <mc type="variable" source="from" attribute="telephone">
   <br/>
   <!--Use the following to add the senders mobile telephone number which is collected from the Active Directory -->
   Mobile : <mc type="variable" source="from" attribute="mobile">
   <br/>
   <!-- Add the company brand image to this image -->
   <mc type="clickimage" code="imagebottom">
   <!--Add the disclaimer text in the component below-->
   <mc type="rawtext" code="disclaimer"> </td></tr>
   <!-- End of the email -->
   </body>
   </html>

   For security purposes, the comments in the above example (<!-- ….. -->) will be removed by Mimecast when the layout is saved.

   You could also add a clickable telephone number, using the following HTML Code, and entering your required phone number data:
   <a href=tel:[phone]>Call us at 555-428-0940</a>

6. Update the Active Directory variables (e.g. mobile and telephone) in the HTML in the code if necessary. If Active Directory is not available, remove these lines.
7. Select the image icon and added the relevant image uploaded previously.

8. Create the text version using the code below:

   <mc type="body">
   <mc type="variable" source="from" attribute="name">
   Telephone : <mc type="variable" source="from" attribute="telephone">
   Mobile : <mc type="variable" source="from" attribute="mobile">
   <!-- Add disclaimer text below this line --></html>
   

   For security purposes, the comments in the above example (<!-- ….. -->) will be removed by Mimecast when the layout is saved.

9. Save the Stationery Layout by clicking the Save and Exit button.
10. Test the Stationery Layout, to ensure it works as expected, using the short code (found within the Stationery Layout) in the subject of the test email, for example, <ins shortcode1>.
11. Create a Policy to associate the Stationery Layout with all external emails.

Testing a Stationery Layout

You should test your Stationery Layouts, before associating them with a policy, so that you can ensure that they are successfully applied.
This vital step allows you to check and validate the various components, and to preview the end result for an external recipient. Remember to test on multiple platforms (e.g. computers, tablets, mobile phones) to ensure they display correctly, and that information is not lost or corrupted.

You can do this by making use of the Short Code, which is a unique text string used to identify a Stationery Layout:

• This can be useful in a testing environment, or for specific groups of users that are given control over which Stationery Layouts should be applied to their emails.
• The Short Code can be used to manually override existing Policies, and force Mimecast to apply a specific Stationery Layout. 
• Multiple Stationery Layouts may be created for different products or services offered by an organization. You can provide a Short Code listing for different Stationery Layouts for specific groups in your organization, e.g. so for the Sales team to target product-related Stationery Layouts to individual customers.

Each Stationery Layout, regardless of its location in any folder, must have a completely unique Short Code.

The Short Code is activated in the email Subject line, by initiating the Subject with an HTML tag ( <ins> ) containing the Short Code. This HTML tag is then followed by the actual Subject line of the email. When Mimecast processes the email, the HTML tag itself is removed, which leaves the remainder of the Subject line intact. For example:

<ins productastationery>More information on Product A
<ins cs-amalficoast>Case Study as requested</html>

If the Short Code matches a specific Stationery Layout,  then the Policies will be ignored, and the layout with the relevant Short Code will be applied.
If a user needs to send an email that has no Stationery Layout at all, then the<no ins> HTML tag can be used in the Subject line of the email.  This excludes all Stationery Layouts for the email. Again, this HTML tag is followed by the real subject of the email, as the tag is automatically removed by Mimecast.
As major part of the testing should be to ensure that the signature can be seen on different devices such as computer, tablet and mobile phone. The test should also consider how the signature is rendered on Android and iOS devices in case there are issues.

Short Codes are designed for testing of Signatures.
When sending emails, they may be used to initiate specific stationery layouts if the Mimecast for Outlook plugin is not available. They are not supported for any other purposes.

Stationery Layout Brief

Before a Stationery Layout is created, it is important to plan: 

• The structure of the Stationery Layout.
• The resources required to prepare the Stationery Layout. 

The Stationery Brief will help identify and map the required resources that need to be in place, reduces the build time to produce a successful Stationery Layout, and should include:

• The positioning of Stationery Components (e.g. images, web links, disclaimer text, attributes, etc.).
• What actions the Stationery Components should have (e.g. whether a Click Action redirects to a URL or Micro Site). If a Micro Site is used, the HTML for the Micro Site must also be defined.
• The text to be used in the HTML format, and the text to be used in the Plain Text format, as some mail servers do not accept HTML content
• A list of Active Directory attributes to be included in the stationery.
• Detail for each Stationery Component (e.g. image files).
• The text for any disclaimer and company information.
• If stationery is to include tracking of user's subscription registration, a Group must be defined.
• Details of when the Stationery Layout must be applied (e.g. which email users the Stationery Layout should be applied to, and any exclusions).
• Information on Signatures (e.g. if they should be applied, if they should appear once at the bottom of the email, or with every reply in the email conversation chain).
• You should also create Policies, to apply Stationery Layouts.