HTML or image? Find the right export for your inbox.

When creating an email signature, one of the first decisions you face is format: should you export as clean, interactive HTML code, or as a single high-resolution image?

Both options have distinct strengths depending on your workflow and the clients your recipients use.

The Case for HTML Signatures

HTML email signatures are built with live, selectable text and web links.

• Clickable Channels: Recipients can click your phone number to dial directly, click your email to start a reply, and click your social icons.
• Retina Sharpness: Live text scales crisply at any zoom level or screen density without pixelation.
• Lightweight Payload: A properly compiled HTML signature weighs under 10KB, loading instantly on mobile connections.
• Searchability: Recipients can search their inbox for your name or phone number and find your emails immediately.

The Case for Image Signatures

Image signatures convert your entire sign-off into a single PNG or JPEG graphic.

• 100% Visual Lockdown: No email client can shift fonts or misalign columns because the design is permanently flattened.
• Effortless Mobile Setup: Some mobile email clients do not allow custom HTML code pasting. Adding a single image is often simpler on restrictive clients.

The Trade-Offs

Image signatures suffer from two major drawbacks:

1. No Live Links: A single image can only link to one destination (or none at all). Recipients cannot click your phone number separately from your website.
2. Image Blocking: Over 40% of corporate email clients block external images by default until the recipient explicitly clicks "Download Pictures." With an image signature, your entire sign-off appears as a blank box with a red "X."

The SigSignature Verdict

Whenever possible, choose HTML. With defensive table architecture and bulletproof MSO comments, you gain all the visual consistency of an image while preserving live interactive links and deliverability.