Why is Gmail rich-text formatting so inconsistent when replied to via Outlook?

Question

I use the Gmail web client with rich-text and often find that my emails look to be formatted consistently when I send them, however when Outlook users reply, the text in my original email often has different formatting from line to line - sometimes with different colours and usually with different fonts.

I then wonder if the Outlook users are receiving my original email with inconsistent formatting, or if Outlook is doing something to break the formatting when it creates the reply.

I guess it's possible that this could be a labs related issue, but I haven't tested it very much. It does seem to be only an issue when emailing with Outlook users.

I've set my default text styling according to this Google Lab feature: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/new-in-labs-default-text-styling.html

Curious if this is a known issue/bug between how Gmail handles formatting and how Outlook handles formatting: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/gmail/thread?tid=7b468e78dd0771b4&hl=en

Answer 1

Yes, we're aware of some problems with formatting between Gmail and Outlook. You can follow this discussion in the Gmail Help Forum.

Some folks have reported that turning off Default Text Styling and/or Signature Tweaks helps.

Answer 2

Issues with Outlook HTML Rendering and Gmail

I consider myself an email power user and for what seems forever my emails sent from Gmail have looked terrible in Outlook. I have tried every tweak, font change, setting, copy paste or other fix in Gmail and the Gmail fonts still look bad in outlook. I really believe I have a universal fix. It is a work arount but if you are in sales or just want to look professional to everyone that uses Gmail or Outlook, then you better do something about it. My business has had a Google Apps account for 5 years and my only answers I have had to this issue is to use Outlook... until now.

How to make Gmail look good in Outlook Here is the fix to messed up fonts and broken lines in Outlook when sent from Gmail.

Step 1: In Gmail's Settings use the Default text style and remove any signatures

Step 2: Get the Tout App from the Chrome Webstore (you only need the free version) https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/toutapp-email-tracking-te/gllmkcahdekdbapmdfnffclacbpnicaj?hl=en

Step 3: Create a template in Tout https://toutapp.com/next#email_templates

Step 4: You need something in your template to have the right font rendering what you want. I created my signature in a Google Doc, I used Calibri 11 on the example below and I copy and pasted the signature I created in the Google Doc, into Tout’s template. Here is an example below.

Hi

JEAN-LUC PICARD | CAPTAIN O 555-555-5555 | M 801.513.0362 WWW.STARTREKISBETTERTHANSTARWARS.COM [LOGO HERE]

Step 5 explained: This signature is already rendering font’s and HTML that will look good in Gmail. The spaces between Hi and JEAN-LUC make it so I am not hitting enter unnecessarily and I run less risk of breaking the HTML without realizing it. Be sure to name and save your template/signature.

Step 6: Compose an email and select your template.

CAUTION: This will only work as long as you follow a few simple rules

1. Don’t copy and paste
2. Because you won’t listen to my first rule make sure you always use CTRL+SHIFT+V when you paste in Gmail
3. If you do paste, don’t paste anything with paragraphs or with enter spaces or the enter spaces will look good to you at first, however there will be no enter spaces or paragraphs when viewed in Outlook and it will just be a block of text to the Outlook recipient. If you are transitioning from Outlook and you use the IMAP, keep Outlook open and stay in the sent items folder for the first month. Watch and learn. Soon you will have it down

Why did I spend all this time writing this up? I spent 100 times more of my time trying to fix this over the past 5 years than I did writing this. I hope it is as helpful to you as it was to me.