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Keep image use to a minimum and be sure to compress your images. Consider the number of images in your HTML e-mail message and the total size of those images. While high-speed Internet connections are more common now, some users still have modems that download at approximately 6KB per second.
There is no standard size recommendation for HTML e-mail, but you should strive to keep your e-mail size as low as possible.
Keep a comfortable line length in mind. The line length of both the HTML and text portions of e-mail communications should be limited. While many people use large monitors, a person’s most comfortable reading line length has not changed.
HTML messages should be no more than 500 to 650 pixels wide, with a preferred width of 550px. This preferred width is reflected in the graphic header available with the e-mail templates. Text and other images below the e-mail header graphic should not exceed the width of the header graphic.
To avoid the jagged line lengths you sometimes see in e-mail, the plain text component of an e-mail must be left unwrapped, or be wrapped at 68 characters or fewer. 'Wrapping' a message simply means ending a line and forcing the beginning of a new line. Note that the second release of the e-mail templates utilizes unwrapped lines. Fifty consecutive equal signs are used on the lines immediately above and below each heading.
For the HTML part of a message, the header graphic(s) should not exceed 150px in height, and ideally will be less that 100px in height.
Consider the preview pane. Many desktop e-mail clients provide a preview pane, an area where an e-mail may be glanced at or read in full. Space is at a premium in preview panes, and some people gauge their interest in a message based not only on the sender and subject line but also on what they see in the preview pane.
Attempt to place useful information, teasers, etc., near the top and left side of a message to help attract readers who use the preview pane.
The e-mail templates provide
HTML for use with multipart e-mails Text for use in text-only or multipart e-mails Customizable header graphics