Why does it seem strange to you that the image is included as an attachment? Without it, the recipient will not be able to view the image, since the letter itself is only text. I assume that the only reason it does not appear as an attachment in Outlook is that the look is smart enough to realize that this is not a βtrue attachmentβ per se, but only a signature. Even then, I remember how I received signature images as attachments in older versions of Outlook.
Creating an Outlook signature with an image or image located on the Internet requires changing the behavior of Outlook, how to deal with related images, and also add the image in a specific way. After the image is inserted, you can use the signature editor to turn the image into a hyperlink to the website.
Set Outlook to snap to images instead of attachments
The first step is to change the behavior of Outlook on how to work with related images. By default, Outlook will embed them in the message, but this will mean that your image will be a reflection of when you created the message, and not when the recipient reads (or even re-reads) your message.
Depending on how often you change your image, this may not be a problem, but it also means that the image is added every time and thus, each message gets a little larger. In some cases, this can also result in your photo being added as an attachment and / or showing a message with a paper clip icon. This is all you should avoid; if not for you, then definitely for the recipients.
In Outlook 2003 and earlier, you can change this behavior through; Tools-> Options ... β Mail Format tab-> Internet Format-> Button: when the HTML message contains images located on the Internet, send a copy of the images instead of a link to their location.
In Outlook 2007 and 2010, this behavior can only be changed through the registry.
Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Office \\ Outlook \ Options \ Mail Value name; Send photos with documents Value: 0
For more information about this registry key, see Where did the "HTML" options appear in Outlook 2007/2010?
Paste the image as a link When you paste the image into your signature, you must again make sure that the image is linked. If you do not, then the current image will be downloaded and saved in your signature and will not be updated when it is changed online.
Outlook 2003 Right-click in the signature editor (do not use advanced editing) and select; Insert Image ... Enter the URL (URL) in full screen when prompted for the image source. Click OK
Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 Click the Image icon in the signature editor. For the file name, enter the Internet address (URL) in the entire image. Instead of clicking "Paste", click on the small down arrow on the "Paste" button and select; File link
Create hyperlink
Once the image has been added, you can make it clickable and point it to the website using the hyperlink function.
Outlook 2003
Right-click on the inserted image and select; Edit Hyperlink Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 Select an image and click the Hyperlink icon