Why do email signature elements appear distorted in reply threads?

Overview

If your signature looks distorted, is missing images, or has formatting issues in a reply or forwarded thread, Opensense did not cause it. This is standard behavior in most email clients.

What causes it

Opensense processes only the first email

Opensense processes your signature only on your initial outgoing email. After you send it, the recipient's email client controls how your email and its signature look in any reply or forward.

Each email client handles content differently

Email clients manage inline images and formatting in different ways. Some clients remove images, convert images to attachments, compress images and reduce their quality, or change the layout, especially in threaded or forwarded emails.

It happens on every platform

These behaviors happen whether or not you use an Opensense signature. They come from how most email services render content in replies and forwards.

When a reply or forward comes back to you

If a recipient replies to or forwards your email, and you receive that message:

• The recipient’s email client rendered it, not yours.
• Opensense does not process it again. Any image distortion or formatting issues come from how the recipient’s email platform handles content.

Problems in emails you send directly

If you see broken images or distorted formatting in emails that you sent directly, not as part of a reply or forward, the cause may be your own configuration. A common cause is a missing or misconfigured CNAME record: a CNAME entry that is set up incorrectly in your domain’s DNS can stop signature images from loading. See Required DNS settings for Opensense.

If you see issues in emails you sent directly, contact the Opensense support team so they can investigate. A #debug email gives them the diagnostic data.

What’s next

• How to send a #debug email: send support the data to trace a signature issue.
• Signature management and deployment FAQ: answers to other common signature questions.