> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. > For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.laposta.org/llms.txt. > For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.laposta.org/_mcp/server. # Why does your newsletter look different in the inbox than in the preview? > Every device and email client displays your newsletter slightly differently. See where the differences come from and how to test your newsletter. Every device, operating system and email client renders a newsletter slightly differently. Laposta's templates ensure that your newsletter looks good on every desktop, tablet and smartphone, although minor differences will remain. Outlook causes the greatest discrepancies in this regard. That is why, when creating a newsletter (in step 4), you cannot determine down to the pixel what the final result will look like. ## Common differences in the inbox The display of text in particular varies between email clients: the font size, the exact font and the line spacing. Some clients also change the colour of links and telephone numbers to show that your subscriber can click on them, for instance to make a call or to launch Skype. | What you see in the inbox | Where it comes from | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | A different font, different line spacing or text that does not quite align | The email client renders the text itself and does not support every font. See: [Line spacing in older campaigns](/waarom-zie-ik-een-andere-regelafstand-of-ander-lettertype). | | A telephone number, address or email address that disappears or changes colour | The client or device automatically turns it into a link. See: [telephone number or address not visible](/waarom-is-het-telefoonnummer-of-adres-niet-zichtbaar-in-mijn-nieuwsbrief). | | Horizontal lines between your blocks | A known issue in Outlook 2016 and 2019. See: [horizontal lines in Outlook](/horizontale-lijnen-in-outlook-2016). | | Different words than what you typed | Occurs in Gmail in the mobile view on an iPhone. See: [different words in your newsletter](/waarom-worden-soms-hele-andere-woorden-getoond-in-mijn-nieuwsbrief). | | A newsletter that stops halfway through, with a ‘View entire message’ link | Gmail clips emails that are too large. See: [Gmail clips your newsletter](/waarom-breekt-gmail-mijn-nieuwsbrief-af). | | Inverted or muted colours | Your subscriber is reading in dark mode, where the email client adjusts colours. See: [dark mode](/donkere-modus-dark-mode). | | Formatting that has disappeared after someone forwarded or replied to your email | The recipient's email client rewrites the code in that case. See: [forwarding and replying](/hoe-kan-het-dat-mijn-nieuwsbrief-bij-doorsturen-en-beantwoorden-er-niet-goed-uitziet). | ## Design limitations You will encounter four limitations in almost any design. They cannot be solved with better code, as they are a result of the way email clients render a newsletter: * Maximum width of 620 pixels. A newsletter almost never takes up the entire screen: next to it are columns with folders, other emails and calendars. Stay under 620 pixels, otherwise part of it will fall outside the window and your subscriber will have to scroll horizontally. * No exact placement of elements. Within a block, you cannot specify the exact position of an element, such as an image. * Differences in the length of your text. Because letter spacing and line spacing vary by client, the length of the text also changes. Two columns that are precisely aligned in one client may be slightly out of alignment in another. * No rounded corners in Outlook. Rounded corners do not work there, which makes your newsletter look different in Outlook than in other email clients. In any case, Outlook does not support many modern email features that other clients handle without any trouble, and Microsoft is not expected to improve this significantly in the short term. ## Tips for designing your newsletter Because the exact alignment is not fixed, there is little point in having a line of text in one column start at the exact height of a photo in the other column. Aligning words or numbers with spaces and manually hyphenating long words does not work for the same reason: it looks right in the preview, but turns out slightly differently in your subscribers' email clients. Engaging content with a clear, calm design is therefore the safest choice. Images work well with this, but do not use too many images relative to the amount of text. ## Checking the result The preview shows your newsletter in your browser. Using the two icons in the top right-hand corner, you can switch between the computer and mobile views. You can read more about this in [Viewing a preview of your newsletter](/kan-ik-van-mijn-nieuwsbrief-een-preview-zien). That mobile view also remains an approximation, because tablets and smartphones come in so many shapes and sizes. If you want to see what an email client actually makes of it, send [a testmail](/kan-ik-van-mijn-nieuwsbrief-eerst-een-testmail-versturen) and view it in the clients your subscribers use, such as on your own mobile, in Gmail and in Outlook. Try turning on dark mode as well when you do this. If you come across a device on which your newsletter is not displayed properly, please contact the helpdesk. ## Related articles #### [Viewing a preview of your newsletter](/kan-ik-van-mijn-nieuwsbrief-een-preview-zien) Check how your newsletter looks in the browser while creating it and switch between… #### [Why does the formatting disappear when forwarding your newsletter?](/hoe-kan-het-dat-mijn-nieuwsbrief-bij-doorsturen-en-beantwoorden-er-niet-goed-uitziet) When someone forwards or replies to an email, the email client modifies the HTML code… #### [Filling in the previewtext of your newsletter](/hoe-gebruik-ik-de-previewtekst) Enter a text that recipients see in their inbox next to the subject, even before they… #### [Editing the mobile display of your newsletter](/opmaak-voor-desktop-of-mobiele-weergave) Configure the formatting and visibility of your newsletter separately for desktop and smartphone.