Onscreen Font Size in Outgoing Emails Is Too Small

[rjbinney]

Here's a weird deal.

Outlook 2007, Win 7. (Colleagues computer)

When he composes an Outlook message, the font size appears too small onscreen. It's set for 11 points, but appears as about 7 points onscreen. When he sends the message, it appears correct on the recipient side. When he prints Sent Items, they are correct.

All menus, etc., appear correctly. Other Office programs appear correctly. Incoming messages appear correctly. It is only the typeface appearance inside messages being composed onscreen in Outlook.

(Note on incoming messages: They're fine. When he hits "Reply", everything shrinks - not just what he's typing, but everything being quoted from the original.)

This just started happening yesterday. Yes, he's rebooted. I am running an identical laptop and software configuration and am not seeing this.

"System Restore" is not an option - there are no Restore Points newer than today.

[Geek-9pm]

Here us a possible wraparound. Backup all the settings and emails of Outlook 7 . Next, remove Outlook 7 and install it again. Then restore the settings and email.

Maybe a better idea would be to create a new user account. Install Outlook 2010 in the new account. Import the settings and email from the other account that has 2007.

[rjbinney]

Hmmm. Unfortunately I'm not the Admin, so I can't do Option 1.

And we don't have 2010, so I can't do Option 2.

We can "escalate" this to a corporate "help" desk, but that takes days for response, etc. We will suggest Option 1, but that doesn't mean I'm not ready to read more, other suggestions.

Have you a suspicion on cause?

[Geek-9pm]

My suspicion is that it is an internal error in the software. I do not think there is something that makes the on screen font non-sizable. If the Fonts were defective, you would see it in some other area. Well, you can use plain text instead of rich text. But that would be obvious. You con not, I believe, change font size in plain text.
As I understand your post,  when you change the font size in a message to be sendt the screen still shows the same size and does not render  the change in size. But the recipient gets the Rich Text with large font. Is that correct?

Surely you have done all the obvious things. Select all the text, pick a larger font. Try a different Font. Try Bold and Italic o see if it renders c correctly.

Did you say this started rjusts a few days ago?

This is new from Microsoft and may apply to you.
How to install the individual 2007 Office features or to repair the installed 2007 Office programs

[rjbinney]

when you change the font size in a message to be sendt the screen still shows the same size and does not render  the change in size.

Not exactly, but it may be semantics.

Outlook's default here - at least on this machine - is 11 pt. Calibri in HTML.

The recipient receives an email in 11 pt. Calibri.

What appears on my colleague's screen is about 7 pt. You know how in Word or Excel, there's a slider in the lower right-hand corner that reduces or enlarges the text? It's like he's reduced the text - but only in his "typing" window.

I knew this was going to be impossible to describe accurately!

It's an issue because it's hard for him to read onscreen. If he increases the font size so he can read it, it means that the recipient is getting something like 16 pt. text - which is ridiculous.

I will try to get some screenshots up later tonight.

Thanks for the article - will take a look.

rjb

[soybean]

Try this.  Open Outlook and select the Mail view.  Go to Tools, Options, and select the Mail Format tab.  Click the Stationary and Fonts button.  Click the Font button for New mail messages and set the font style and size there.  Did that help?

[rjbinney]

When the message is transmitted/received, it's the correct font size. All indications onscreen are that it's the correct font size. It's only the way the text appears in the outgoing that's wrong. I don't have my colleagues computer with me tonight, so I can't try the "Mail Format" option, but it doesn't wreak similar havoc on mine.

So here are some screenshots.

This is a message I sent FROM my good computer, TO my colleague's:

Link to picture (for full-size).

When it arrived on his computer, all was Fonzie:

Link to picture (for full-size).


But when you click "Reply", notice how the text (and the picture) all of a sudden appear really, really small - even though the toolbars, etc. remain "normal":

Link to picture (for full-size).

And, then, what it comes through on my Outlook, it looks totally fine again:

Link to picture (for full-size).


Weird, I think.

[rjbinney]

New Message =>

Format Text =>

ZOOM



Maintains previous settings, but only on outgoing messages.

So I answered my own question, and could have spared all the time with screenshots! Oh, well!

Thanks!